Building Up Motivation to Help with Time Management

Motivating individuals is the key to achieving far greater results than initially imagined. This is because people like to do their best in most situations and will do so if they feel valued. Making sure that others are comfortable in the workplace environment will allow you to build motivation on a firm foundation.

Showing Respect

Treating others with respect will mean they treat you in the same way. This means not asking others to perform tasks you would not be prepared to do yourself, or making promises that you are unable to keep or have no intention of honouring. Motivating others, to work with you to achieve results, will also be easier if the environment you work, or live in, is comfortable and welcoming. If it is not, do everything you can to make it so.

Motivational Performance

Individuals will not work to their best capabilities for someone they feel lacks commitment. It is therefore in your best interest to show how committed you are to achieving great results, as well as how committed you are to supporting each individual in their own roles. If you are able to show energy and commitment to a time management project, and are also able to lead with confidence, other people will follow your motivated charge with ease.

Time Out

In order to improve time management you will have to make time available for other people to communicate openly with you. Your initial task may be to delegate work to others so that you are able to free up a portion of your day to enable you to do other things, yet being able to offer up a little bit of your valuable time to others will increase the amount of your responsibility that they will willingly take on.Effective communication opens up many opportunities to resolve issues, work towards a goal or objective and motivate others to perform well. Taking an interest in another person will encourage the individual to work efficiently, increase their skills and develop creative thinking. Showing your support, by taking the time to listen to their concerns, ideas and opinions, will guarantee the other person will pay you back in a positive way.

Boost Morale

There are many ways to build motivation simply by offering a few, carefully chosen words of encouragement. Sometimes however, a far greater positive response, from the person you are hoping to motivate, can be achieved by offering simple incentives.Acknowledging achievements, both privately and publicly, will promote and win co-operation from an individual. Introducing individuals in the workplace to senior managers, or similar, will continue to boost personal confidence. Chairing morale boosting meetings will also ensure others feel valued and their skills appreciated. If you offer a verbal thank-you do follow this up with a written note – hand-written if possible – as this holds a far greater value to the recipient.

How to Motivate:

• Treat others with respect at all times.
• If you want a committed response from others make sure you show commitment.
• Take the time to listen to what other people have to say.
• Do whatever you can to boost morale. A thank-you note, introduction or public recognition works wonders.

One of the most important management skills you could acquire is being able to delegate effectively. Delegating successfully enables you to utilise your staff’s capabilities and frees up time for other responsibilities. Handing over responsibility to other people requires entrusting them completely to perform a task, acquire information, chair a meeting or manage a project. Knowing how to select the right person for this level of responsibility is vitally important, as you will also have to demonstrate that you have faith in this person’s skills.

What is Delegation?

It is the process by which someone explores all areas of a task and comes up with a solution involving another person’s involvement. The delegator can analysis the project in question, select someone to handle it, define the project and brief accordingly, and then monitor the situation as the project grows. What delegation is not about is keeping control of the project.

Why Delegate?

There are many obvious benefits to delegation:

• It shows you have faith in the people you work with.
• It boosts staff morale.
• It helps your staff gain experience.
• It utilises your management skills.
• It frees up some of your personal time.
• It reduces stress in the workplace.

How to Choose the Right Person

The first few times you decide to delegate, the person you choose to hand the responsibility to may have been chosen simply through trial and error. Knowing the strengths and weakness of your staff will help you successfully action any future delegation plans, but in the first instance you will have to go with the little amount of personal knowledge you have. Selecting someone who has the most relevant experience may be your safest bet. Being able to evaluate staff, over a period of time however, will allow you to compare attributes and maintain an objective impression when selecting for the next task you plan to delegate.

What happens next?

You have outlined your brief and defined your objective. Making a checklist will also help the delegate to understand your aims. Feedback from the delegate, at this point, is also important as it will show you they have total understanding of the task and responsibilities they are about to take on.Allowing a certain amount of flexibility, and offering your support throughout the task’s completion, will enable the delegate to work more freely within your boundaries. Do encourage the delegate to make their own decisions however, and do not be tempted to get involved once you have briefed and handed over the task. You may supervise but only from a distance.

Sharing Accountability

Although delegation with individual accountability is usually more effective, it is often necessary to share accountability for a task or project. This is usually the case within larger organisations and companies, where staff responsibilities sometimes overlap. For shared accountability to really work it is important that the delegation objectives are clearly defined and there is no room for overlaps.Overall, successful delegation strengthens your own performance. It is important that you praise the delegate on a successful completion of a task and that you are careful not to overburden staff.

If you know how to communicate well there will be little that you won’t be able to get others to do. Understanding the importance of building good relationships with the people you share your life with will help you improve your time management and achieve impressive results. Working with others to achieve shared goals will create a time management structure that can work for everyone involved.

There are many ways of influencing other people to take more control of the way they manage time doing chores and tasks in the home. Suggesting a timetable, reward system or similar may help to coax children to help around the home more readily. Adults will be more able to understand the rewards of free time that will suddenly become available, once jobs are prioritised. Clearly communicating your desires will set the ball rolling.

Relationship Building

Good communication is a vital element every relationship should possess. It requires time and effort to build a relationship but having an open, honest communication exchange will enable your relationship to go from strength to strength. Listening, sharing and working together can help you resolve any issues, problems or dilemmas. Hearing what is said is not the same as listening however, so make sure you know the difference.

How to Build a Relationship

• Listen
• Communicate openly.
• Share and work together to achieve resolution or shared goal.

Prioritising

Knowing how to prioritise and plan will enable you to take charge of your day. Encouraging others to do the same may be easier said than done however. With a little perseverance working to a timetable or an agenda will become second nature to those who generally muddle their way through the day. Supporting them through the change will enable them to see the value in your way of thinking, as well as the difference it makes to the chores, jobs and tasks that have to be regularly dealt with. Clear communication will define your goal and help others achieve positive results.

How To Prioritise

• Plan your day, task or chores in the order of importance.
• When it comes to asking others for help a little perseverance goes a long way.
• Communicate clearly.

Delegating

To delegate well you must be willing to relinquish complete control of the task you are about to give someone else to do. It will do you no favours to keep checking the task is being done in the manner you would do it. All that does is create further work for you and less for the person you have given the responsibility to. Letting others take charge of certain tasks shows you have belief in their abilities, and frees up some of your valuable time.

How to Delegate

• Communicate your request and relinquish control of the task.
• Stand back and allow others to complete the task you have requested.
• Offer support and understanding.

Getting Your Own Way

Visualising the outcome of an event will help you focus on the resolution your want to achieve – whether that is asking someone for help, support or something in particular. Feeling positive about the way you communicate this message will ensure your delivery of the request is accepted with good grace. Asking in a polite, expectant manner will engage the other person in open communication, and will leave room for negotiation, should you need it.

How to Get Your Own Way

• Visualise a positive outcome.
• Feel positive and communicate clearly.
• Engage in open communication and await your desired result.