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- Essential Time Management Skills (2 days)
Essential Time Management Skills (2 days)
Delegates take control of their own time and plan their team's work so the important things get done first.
Most people do not lack time; they lose it – to interruptions, unclear priorities, meetings with no purpose, an overflowing inbox and the task that keeps being put off. For supervisors and managers the cost multiplies, because their planning sets the pace for the whole team. This two-day time management skills training deals with both: how to manage your own time, and how to plan and delegate the work of a team or section.
Day one is personal time management: knowing your energy and productivity rhythm, managing time with goals, prioritising with the 80/20 rule and the urgent/important matrix, beating procrastination, delegating properly and running meetings that are worth attending. Day two is productivity and planning: routines that save time, scheduling and tracking tasks, simple project techniques such as the triple constraint and a RACI chart, an organised desk and file system, email under control, and turning team objectives into a work plan that deals with the biggest time wasters.
Delegates work on their own diaries, task lists and team plans throughout, and leave with a personal action plan and a draft team work plan.
Why this course
For your organisation
- Supervisors who plan and delegate instead of firefighting
- Fewer missed deadlines and less last-minute rework
- Shorter, more productive meetings
- Team work plans linked to departmental objectives
- Less overload and pressure across the team
For your delegates
- A clear method for deciding what comes first each day
- Practical ways to beat procrastination and distractions
- An inbox, desk and file system that work for you
- A personal action plan and a team work plan to use straight away
What delegates will be able to do
- Identify your productivity rhythm and plan demanding work for your best hours
- Set SMART goals and track them in a productivity journal
- Prioritise work using the 80/20 rule and the urgent/important matrix
- Overcome procrastination and manage workplace distractions
- Delegate tasks with clear expectations while keeping control
- Run focused meetings with a clear purpose and agenda
- Organise your workspace, paper and electronic files and email
- Schedule tasks and small projects using routines, a tracking system and a RACI chart
- Identify the main time wasters and outside pressures on your team's time
- Turn team or departmental objectives into a time-efficient work plan
Who should attend
Supervisors, team leaders and managers who plan their own work and the work of others, as well as administrators, specialists and professionals whose days are driven by deadlines, email and meetings. Delegates who only need personal time management can attend the one-day version.
Course outline
Day 1 – Managing your own time
Your productivity rhythm
- Reviewing how you use your time now
- Knowing your energy peaks and dips
- Work-life balance and regular breaks
- Why multitasking costs time
- Batching similar tasks
Goals and priorities
- SMART goals and picturing the result
- Keeping a productivity journal
- Pareto's 80/20 principle: finding the vital few tasks
- Sorting work with the urgent/important matrix
- Saying no assertively
- Breaking big tasks into manageable blocks
Procrastination and distractions
- Why we put things off
- Practical ways to get started
- Doing the hardest task first
- Handling interruptions, phones and drop-in visitors
- Time barriers: overruns, other people's delays and fear of failure
Delegation
- When to delegate and to whom
- Briefing the task and agreeing the result
- Keeping control without micromanaging
- Making sure the person fully accepts the task
Meetings and daily rituals
- Deciding whether a meeting is needed
- Setting purpose, agenda and time limits
- Keeping discussion on track
- Checking that the meeting was worthwhile
- Morning and evening rituals that protect your time
Day 2 – Productivity and planning team work
Routines and scheduling
- Personal and professional routines
- Simplifying recurring work
- A tracking system for tasks and appointments
- The one-minute and five-minute rules
- What to do when you feel swamped
New tasks and small projects
- A checklist for getting started
- The triple constraint: time, cost and scope
- Building a simple schedule
- Assigning responsibility with a RACI chart
Workspace, files and email
- Setting up your desk and basic ergonomics
- Organising paper and electronic files
- Archiving and clean-up routines
- Processing email into action
- Taking time back from phones and messaging apps
- Using calendars well
Planning the work of a team
- Time wasters that hurt team productivity
- Outside pressures on your team's time: customers, suppliers, systems and power outages
- Translating objectives into work plans
- Breaking work into tasks with time frames
- Prioritising the work of a team or section
Action plan and close
- What good time management does for quality, stress and career prospects
- Your personal time management plan
- Your team work plan
- Evaluation and close
How it is delivered
Two days, 08:30-16:00. In person at your offices anywhere in South Africa, at a BOTI venue, or live online. One delegate or a group of up to 20; examples tailored to your workplace on request. Workbook, exercises and a personal action plan included. We deliver it at your offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and anywhere else in South Africa, at a BOTI venue in Johannesburg, or live online for teams in different places.
What our clients say
★★★★★ 4.8 on Google from 790+ reviews · word-for-word quotes from signed letters of reference, from clients on this and/or related BOTI courses
“The course was efficiently scheduled and planned around our timetable. We were impressed by the quality of training, as well as the experience of the facilitator”
“All training sessions were well-coordinated, professionally delivered, and aligned with our scheduling requirements. We were particularly impressed by the high standard of facilitation and the depth of expertise demonstrated throughout the programmes.”
“We have been very impressed with their service and rollout of the training.”
Frequently asked questions
Can you run this course at our offices?
Yes. Most groups are trained at the client's premises anywhere in South Africa; we can also host it at a BOTI venue or deliver it live online.
How many people can attend?
From one delegate to groups of about 20. The price per delegate drops as the group grows – see the price table, or ask us for a quote.
Is it accredited?
No – it is a non-accredited short course and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance.
Is there a one-day version?
Yes. Essential Time Management Skills (1 day) covers personal time management, which is day one of this course. The two-day course adds personal productivity and planning the work of a team.
Can delegates work in their own email and calendar?
Yes. Delegates are welcome to bring laptops and apply the techniques in the tools they use every day, whether that is Outlook, Gmail, Teams or a paper diary.
Can you run this course in Johannesburg, Cape Town or Durban?
Yes. We train on site at your offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and across South Africa, at a BOTI venue in Johannesburg, or live online so a team spread over several offices can attend together.
Related courses
Ask a consultant for a written quote
A BOTI consultant emails you a written quote, usually within 15 minutes (Mon–Fri, 08:00–17:00). After hours, we reply on the next working day. To speak to someone now, call 011 882 8853.
Your quote request is for: Essential Time Management Skills (2 days)