One of the most limited resources we have is time. And as an executive assistant, one of my top priorities is making sure my leaders not only have enough time in the day, but are able to be effective, efficient, and productive. Helping them accomplish this is not an easy task, but it is essential to their success. Allow too many meetings to Latest Mailing Database pile up on their calendar, and they face serious hydration and bladder issues. And missing the right meetings on the calendar can miss important collaboration time. So how can executive assistants find time like magicians pulling fluffy white rabbits out of their black hats? Although we are incapable of creating time, there is a bit of magic in the way we manage the time given to us.
I like to think of calendar management in terms of time budgeting – it's a finite and invaluable resource, after all, so it deserves careful consideration. In this way, schedule management is equivalent to assigning value to different priorities, identifying areas that require more investment and reducing unnecessary costs. Drawing inspiration from my work with the Latest Mailing Database product and design managers at Intercom, I'll share five tips that will help you renovate your own calendar and rethink the way you manage your time.1. All times are not equal The value of time varies greatly depending on how you divide it. We each have 8 hours in a workday, but there are endless meetings and distractions that decide how that time is allocated. “Two 30-minute blocks divided by a meeting are usually not as productive as a good hour of one-on-one time.
Two 30-minute blocks of time divided by a meeting aren't usually as productive as a solid hour of one-on-one time. If you consider the time it takes to decompress after a meeting, as well as the time it takes to start deep focus time, a solid hour will always yield higher levels of productivity. Going back to the concept of budgeting your time, let's think of time in terms of money, where hours and minutes are dollars and cents. Your end goal is to Latest Mailing Database make every hour buy as much productivity as possible. If you're given the choice of 15 minutes or an hour to progress on a project, the choice is always clear - the hour equals $100 or the 15 minutes might as well be pennies. In a traditional 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. structure, it's important to scaffold your schedule so that it works for you. It's so crucial to protect your time first, rather than letting others decide your day for you. When you leave your calendar open to everyone.