SayPro PRIORITISATION OF PERSONAL AND TEAM TASKS

A diary is a useful tool for showing you where your time is spent each day. It’s a detailed report of what activities you carry out, what time you do them and how long each activity takes you to complete. This includes all your activities, from the time you get up to when you go back to bed.Types of diaries The following are the main types of diaries;FilofaxThe name filofax originates from the concept ‘file of facts’. It is part of a range of personal organisers which has exactly the same content as a normal diary or planner. The difference is only that you purchase a traditional leather cover with six-ring loose leaf binder system. Instead of buying a new one for the following year, the same cover is used for a new set of diary pages.CalendarWe all know how to use our calendars. Recently a more common use of a calendar as a diary system is to link some reminders on one’s mobile system. In this manner a person can set a date to remind him/her about an upcoming event and appointment.Computerised softwareSome people keep electronic diaries by the use of standard computer softwares such as Ms Outlook. However these softwares are just an aid of keeping diaries and not the actual recording.

MANUAL AND ELECTRONIC DIARY SYSTEMDiary systems can basically be divided into two types:Manual systemsThe most common type of manual diary system in use in offices is the bound book in which appointments are recorded.These may be: One day per page Two days per page One week to view Two weeks to view When selecting the most appropriate type of manual diary to use, you will need to consider how many entries you are likely to make in any one day.An alternative to a bound book is a loose leaf system, often known as a time manager. This has the advantage that the diary section is continuous. New pages are simply added as the years go on, so there is no need to obtain a new diary towards the end of each year.Another, completely different, manual system is the wall planner. These are usually laminated charts which have a space per day covering the whole of a year.Electronic systemsElectronic diaries can be maintained on a personal computer, a laptop, a palmtop or an electronic organiser. They have a number of advantages over manual systems: Highlighting potential conflict between appointments Entry of regular events once only Less paper is used. Password protection. Multiple access is available. On screen reminder of appointments. Database compatibility. Electronic contact.

LEARNING ACTIVITYWhat is a diary and explain the different types of diaries.

3.2 PURPOSE OF A TIME DIARY

The following are the main reasons why people must maintain time diaries

1. It’s used to help you improve efficiency so the time diary is designed to help you identify the:

• activities that take up most of your time
• most and least productive times of the day for you
• Activities that can be combined to make more efficient use of your time.

1. The purpose of using a diary would be to keep track of deadline dates for deliverables and appointments. It thus assists you in planning ahead.

2. Another very useful benefit of using a diary is that it serves as a source of reference for tasks already completed. If you maintain a diary with notes about conversations, meetings and events, it could become an important source of evidence when claims are made about past actions.

3. A diary acts as a reminder so that one does not forget a certain task that must be done.

4. In the case of an electronic diary, information can be shared with a number of computer users. This enhances efficiency and communication in a team.

5. Diaries minimise the risk of losing information. Entries in diaries can be utilised to develop, maintain and adopt efficient work plans. A diary is handy to make sure that realistic deadlines are set and time is properly managed.

3.3 STEPS IN CREATING A DAILY DIARY

The following steps must be remembered when recording information on your diary. Remember a diary is based on prioritisation.1. Plan for the yearThe first step in diarising is to plan all tasks that must be completed in the whole year. All conventional diaries provide place for recording in a year planner. The year planner can be divided into months. Below is an example;

Jan	Feb	March	April
Preparation of the annual budget	Approval of budgets	World conference	Preparation of management accounts
May	June	July	August
	Client diner		New product launch

NB: each month can have more than one task that must be undertaken plus any other tasks that might come-up.2. Create a Monthly planWith the year planner in your mind, plan for the weeks for the current or upcoming month. Below is an example;

Month: January
Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4
Organising the team	Collecting budgeting requests	Meeting of the committed	Preparation of the draft budget

NB: each week can have more than one task that must be undertaken plus any other tasks that might come-up.3. Create a weekly planThe next step is to plan for the upcoming week. Below is an example;

WEEKLY PLANNING WORKSHEET  EXAMPLEFor Week of: 03/05/2013
Objectives:
1. Set up 2 meetings with Marketing and Production, one on-site and one at the client’s office and have the action plan and follow up activities ready.
2. Set out the appraisal forms for the export division
3. Plan training for new employees coming in next week
Activities	A/B/C Priority	Est. Time	Assigned Day
Get the appraisal forms from H. R. and meet with Export Control	A		Mon.
Meet with marketing and production training and confirm agenda.	A		Mon.
Get safety book for new hires.	C		Tues.
Update quality star cards.	B		Thurs.
Meet with support team.	B		Tues.

4. Create a daily diaryThe next step is to plan for the upcoming day. Therefore the weekly plan will be a useful input but not the only one. Below is an example;

07. 00	Meet with Export Division
07.30	Develop Safety Plan
08.00	Meet Bill in Training Dept.
08.30	Interview candidate
09.00
09.30	Dr. Appt. for check-up
10.00	Buy client present
10.30	Tea break
11.00	Departmental meeting- budget

3.4 RECORD INFORMATION IN A DIARY IN A SYSTEMATIC MANNER

Diary writing is considered to be a very personal form of writing. A good and effective diary entry should include some of the following points in its format:

• Day, Date and Time of the entry
• A suitable descriptive heading of the entry you are putting on.
• The detailed comprehensive body of the diary entry (i.e. contents).
• A Diary doesn’t need to be formal it can be written in an Informal style.

NB:When recording entries remember

• To prioritise what must be done the following day.
• Have information such as time, duration, date, venue, attendees, chair, visitors are required to make diary entries.

Basic rules of Diary WritingSuccessful use of diaries and scheduling facilities requires that all users adhere to the following basic etiquette, protocols and good practise.

• Ensure your diary is complete and up-to-date – Make sure that you book in holidays, dentist visits etc. If you are going to a conference and are leaving early on the preceding day in order to get there, make sure to book this.
• Bookings made in your diary take precedence over other unrecorded meetings – Your diary will be accessed by others in order to schedule meetings, this only works if you honour appointments made in this way. Forgetting to enter something in your diary or failing to keep your diary up-to-date is not an excuse
• Make sure you allow for travel time before and after meetings – It is assumed that you will be at your normal place of work during any "free time" shown in your diary. If you have an off-site meeting 10:00 to 11:00 book whatever time is necessary around this meeting to allow for travel time e.g. 9:30 to 11:30
• Make time for yourself – If you have a hectic schedule and dead-lines to meet, book private time in your diary to ensure this remains free. If your constitution requires a regular proper lunch break, schedule this as a recurring meeting.
• Be sensitive to others when scheduling meetings – If you see someone has a very busy day, don’t make it worse by squeezing in another meeting. Try to avoid scheduling back-to-back meetings, and if possible avoid first thing in the morning, lunch-times or last thing at night. Make sure you estimate the finish time of meetings accurately and realistically.

3.5 TAKING ACTIONS ACCORDING TO DIARY ENTRIES

The whole purpose of writing a diary is to be able to manage your time throughout the day. To this end, once you write your diary you must follow it throughout the day. The following are key tips to help you implement actions as highlighted in the diary;

• Start everyday by looking at your diary for the day.
• Look if you ticked off everything the previous day, and if not carry it over to applicable dates.
• Everything that can be done immediately should be done and ticked off as done. For example, if you need to phone somebody for their birthday – do it immediately.

Managing time wastersOne reason why some people fail to follow their diary is because of time wasters. Time wasters are all those things that are not essential to your core tasks. You may do them because you are used to doing them, or because they are easier to do or because of other people and the demands they make or problems they cause. These time wasters can either be caused by your organisation or by yourself.Below are examples of time wasters:

• Visitors – You may have many visitors who come in, unannounced, either for work or to chat. As a result it becomes almost impossible for you to do your work. Staff or members of the public come to chat and you find it hard to chase them away.
• Telephone calls – You get interrupted by many phone calls from friends who want to chat or other callers who are asking you questions that someone else should answer. Your callers remain on the line for a long time.
• Waiting –You are frustrated by the time you spend waiting for different people such as people late for a meeting, leaders who delay you because they are busy with other things or staff who arrive late for appointments or work. Sometimes you depend on other people’s input before you can complete a task and you could waste time waiting if they delay. You may spend too much time in queues for example at the bank, the post office or at the station or taxi rank.
• Crises – When you have planned your work properly and you know how you will manage it, it can suddenly be disrupted by a crisis. This tends to throw your entire schedule out.
• Transport – Driving or using public transport in urban areas during peak hours can be a nightmare, because suddenly there is a traffic jam that can make you late for an extremely urgent and important meeting that should take place before or after working hours. While you are waiting for the traffic to clear up the time for your meeting is already gone.

Therefore inorder to avoid deviating from your diary, one must be able to manage these time wasters.Let us look at the various ways that one can implement to ensure that diary entries are religiously followed throughout the day.Being prepared:Being well prepared for essential meetings and appointments will help you to save time. How many times have you attended meetings without a clear idea of what it is about, or without having read the necessary documentation beforehand? It’s probably a safe bet that those very same meetings were unproductive (which probably led to a follow up meeting). If, on the other hand, you take the time to prepare for each scheduled appointment then it will be a success. Decisions can be made and actions assigned only if you have clear thoughts on the issue and are aware of what’s going on.Managers: It’s unfortunate that sometimes one’s superiors contribute to wasted time. Within the proper bounds of respect and good humour, helping your manager to see how they are unnecessarily taking up your time can help to ease the strain on your schedule. Poorly defined tasks and unclear communication is a key source of time wastage. If your manager doesn’t define duties clearly then you will end up going back to them with questions. Try to get clarity from the start.Colleagues: Well-meaning colleagues can be a further source of wasted time. In the spirit of camaraderie, you should want to help your colleagues if there is a problem that needs your attention. If the task is not something directly related to your position, then perhaps refer them to someone who would be in a better position to help. Water cooler gossip is another source of time wastage. Pointless, or even friendly, conversations can easily fill your schedule if you don’t employ strict time management.

Tsakani Stella Rikhotso | Monitoring & Evaluation OfficerSayProWebsite: www.saypro.onlineCell: 27 (0) 713 221 522Email: tsakaniStudy and Qualifications www.saypro.onlineOur Company www.saypro.online

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