Avionics News July 2016 - 47

1. Awareness. This is, of
course, a logical place to
start. As you plan your day
and assemble your to-do
list, be aware of your own
abilities, ambitions and
agendas. One of the biggest
reasons you're falling behind
is that you're attempting too
much, given the scope of
your role.
To address this, consider
all the time robbers you
face: impromptu questions
from subordinates, calls
or drop-in visits from
customers and vendors, big
and small problems that need
solving, and even your own
disorganization or occasional
lack of motivation.
To beat this, track your time for a month and adjust
your schedule to build a safety margin into your day.
Prioritize those tasks that fit only into your wheelhouse.
Identify those that must be done today, those you need to
keep to stay on schedule, and those that would conclude
faster if you delegated them to someone else. In order to
fit more work or new projects into your day - the kind of
things that move your avionics shop forward - you need
to free space that accommodates these ambitions.
2. Breaks. Time management isn't only about how
fast you work; it's how efficiently you proceed through
your duties. Of course, you'll need to get up from your
desk occasionally for physiological and mental relief,
and you'll also have to go about to lead your team. Yet
managing breaks in your workflow is just as important
as managing time on tasks; hit pause for too long, and
you'll lose valuable time, allow your mind to wander,
and attract even more interruptions because you're not
busy.
The secret to addressing this isn't much of one at
all. Instead of pausing your work, schedule time to
address these distractions later. Then hold fast to the

Yo u o n l y h ave s o m u c h
t i m e i n a wo r kwe e k .
If yo u ' re c h ro ni c a l l y
ext e n d i n g t h o s e
b o u n d a r i e s , yo u ' re
s e t t i n g yo u r s e l f u p
fo r b ur n o u t ,
fr u s t rat i o n a nd eve n
p hy s i c a l i l l n e s s .

10 or 30 minutes you give each, unless extraordinary
circumstances require differently.
Of course, breaks can happen unconsciously, too. Be
aware of how time creeps while you're searching for
a computer file, joining in office banter, or recharging
mentally with silly kitten memes. There's nothing wrong
with hitting pause; just don't let too much time get away
when you do it.
3. Communication. Providing employees with your
expectations - and giving feedback at regular stages as
they do their tasks - ensures projects are completed to
your specifications, which keeps you (and them) from
struggling with last-minute (and late-night) deadlines.
Sure, explaining what you expect at the onset and
providing sufficient information that they'd need to
follow does front-load your responsibilities, but the payoff is they aren't coming back to you to ask questions
or get additional direction, which frees you to do other
things. All you need them to do is keep you posted on
their status toward meeting those goals.
This is especially important if they're not going to
Continued on following page
avionics news

july

2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News July 2016