Leading and Managing in Organisations - Essay Example

The key to effective time management is planning ahead. I need to plan my time well by considering all activities and allocate time to each activity accordingly. The main issue with me was that I was experiencing increased work overload and pressure, which caused considerable anxiety and stress. This was because planning was completely lacking in my self-management. After I started planning my activities, I realized how much work I actually had and how much I was able to complete. I also tend to postpone activities that are of little interest, which later became a burden.

I had to avoid procrastination in order to save time (Corttrell, 2003). Another key learning was prioritizing my work. I learnt how to prioritize my work based on its importance. Upon reflecting on my previous actions, I realized that I was in the habit of attending to important tasks first, and avoid others; this process seemed never ending. By prioritizing and planning, I will be able to complete all tasks. Another important aspect in effective time management is to avoid wasting time or to avoid activities that take up time.

I realize that I have the habit of helping others too often, which takes up much of my time. I need to learn to say no in a polite manner and decide when to help others. By setting timelines to certain activities such as meetings, discussions etc, I will be able to avoid wastage of time. Sometimes, talking and discussing less has better impact on activities than too much of talking (Cottrell, 2003). Problem solving is an important activity that everyone faces; it is more important for people in the leadership roles.

I make decisions very quickly. In case of issues, I feel stuck at some point or the other. However, sometimes my decisions do not work. Reflecting upon these patterns of my decision making, I realize that the decision making