Time is one of our most precious resources, so it’s understandable that you’ll want to manage your time well. The 4D’s of effective management is a productivity strategy that helps make time management easier for you. You can take these four actions to help increase your productivity, prioritise your workload, and help clear your task list faster and more efficiently.
The four D’s are a great way to help minimise overwhelm, especially when you’re unsure what to do next. They give you four simple options to choose from to help get you moving forward again.
But they’re also a simple way to minimise the tasks that end up on your task list in the first place. As tasks come your way, you can use the 4 D’s to decide what to do with a task before automatically adding it to your to-do list. You can then ensure you’re doing what you can to minimise that list growing out of control!
So now you have an overview of the four D’s; here’s a breakdown of what each D represents.
Time management D #1: Do
If a task will take less than 5 minutes to complete, do it straight away. This helps avoid backing tasks up into later slots in your day. When you complete several smaller tasks quickly, you’re also helping build motivation. This gives you the impetus to tackle the larger tasks on your to-do list.
There will also be tasks that need to be completed today or this week due to deadlines or urgency. Decide if you’re going to batch similar tasks together or opt to work through your list in task order. Batching is often better, as you’re limiting the need to switch between tools. It also helps to maintain focus. The key to success is to ensure the tasks on your ‘Do’ list DO actually get completed! Pick one task at a time and give it your total focus and attention.
Time management D #2: Defer
Sometimes referred to as delay, this D is all about delaying tasks that can be completed at a later date. You can schedule the tasks for dates and times when you have availability or have the resources needed to achieve them.
So start by looking through your list and asking yourself – do all the tasks on this list need doing now? We’ll often write down tasks so we don’t forget them, but we seldom write them in the order they need completing. Many will have their own deadlines and varying levels of urgency associated with them. So go through your list and initially look for those tasks that fall into these categories. Assign them to slots that better suit their due dates.
Time management D #3: Ditch
What can you ditch (or drop) from your task list? It’s not always clear what tasks should be completed and which ones should stay, especially if you’re in the habit of doing them all yourself. That’s where this D comes in handy. It enables you to look over your tasks with a fresh perspective and look not just at the task but the impact of it too.
For example, do you always attend an hour-long meeting that has little impact on your job? How about that ‘quick’ check of your social media – does it really only last 15 minutes, or do you end up scrolling through your friends feeds and watching TikTok videos?
Time management D #4: Delegate
Delegation is an essential task for anyone to master. It frees up your time and often enables you to bring specialist team members on board. Decide whether you need to do a task yourself or if you can simply delegate it out to someone else. Once you’ve handed it over, you don’t have to do anything else with it.
It’s not always easy to delegate tasks out, especially if you’re used to doing everything yourself. So if you struggle, start by looking through your task list and asking yourself two questions – is this the best use of my time, and is this in my zone of genius? You can then decide if it’s more important that you complete the task yourself or more important for the task to be completed.
As a business owner, it’s important that you have a to-do or task list and know how to get organised and get stuff done. Your time is precious, and you need to learn how to manage it effectively – and that’s where these four D’s will help.
If you’re unsure who you can delegate tasks to, why not reach out and let’s talk! We’re a team of action-takers who support busy, ambitious people like you to find time and get things done. So if you’re wondering how we can help you with your business and the tasks on your delegate list, let’s discuss your options – you’ll find our contact details here
