Image by baby-tooth via Flickr

One of the real secrets of business success is the ability to be well organised. Don’t be fooled by those that say it’s possible to achieve great things in business without being organised. The best leaders and those who leverage the effects of others to best effect are those who are best organised. So here are some top tips to ensure that you are organised to maximize the effect you have in business.

• Separate tasks by importance and timescale. Those tasks which are both important and urgent should always be done first and before those tasks which are simply important or simply urgent.
• Use your diary to schedule tasks as well as meetings. Most people just use a diary for meetings but the best use it to also schedule those urgent and important tasks and ensure that they get done.
• Set clear goals. Without these, how will you know when you have succeeded? The goals should be clear, unambiguous and visible. Take a moment each day to reinforce the goals you have and also to make sure that each task you complete moves you closer to achieving at least one goal. If you take an action that does not move you closer to achieving a goal then ask yourself why you took such action. It’s probable that you have wasted effort.
• Schedule quiet time. Depending on when you perform your best work, early or late in the day, and ensure that you are in the office before or after most people. This is quiet time which makes it the most valuable time to do important work. There are likely to be no interruptions, phones ringing or emergencies that demand your attention. Use this time wisely.

If you follow the above four points consistently and regularly then you find that you have more time which in turn will mean more opportunity to make a difference to your business.

Ever wondered why some people succeed and others don’t, despite them apparently having similar abilities and experience? The difference is likely to be that one understands the secret of time management and the other does not. It’s an obvious fact that everyone has the same amount of time available but here are six tips to manage that time to maximise success.

Tip #1 – Work to your internal clock

Some people work best in the morning whilst others don’t get going until the afternoon. Understand which type you are and do the hardest tasks at your best time.

Tip #2 – Prioritise effectively

Separate the important and the urgent, and do those tasks which are both urgent and important first. Leave any other tasks, since they will get done if time permits.

Tip #3 – Take time to be visible

Make sure you are seen regularly by senior decision makers, even if only to say hello. You need to be a familiar face before anything else and if you get the chance to discuss an issue then don’t be shy – go for it!

Tip #4 – Schedule tasks and not just meetings

Most people just schedule meetings, but if you schedule time to do specific tasks, particularly those which are urgent and important, then you will find you achieve and deliver far more than you currently do.

Tip #5 – Present your ideas to senior management

Take time to develop your ideas to improve the business. If you can demonstrate a proven ability to improve the bottom line then you will progress quickly.

Tip #6 – Stop working all the time and start thinking

Everyone thinks that working hard is the secret of success but there is a better way. Take time out to think deeply about the issues that your business faces and develop ideas to deal with these issues. There are plenty of worker bees, the really successful are those that think outside the box and solve problems by leveraging the effects of others.

Ralph Naylor – Project Management & Consultancy Training

How long have you been a trainer?

Oh dear – I’ve been in some form of people development in lots of different ways for many years.

What did you do before?

I spent a few years in the army – with responsibility for education in a unit. When I left I was recruited as a management trainer into a food retail company & then went into management development & organisational development

What do you specialise in?

About developing our skills to change things for the better – anything from introducing a new product or system to personal development on overseas expeditions

Can you give me 5 top tips?

• Respect people’s different experiences
• Listen particularly to people who oppose you
• Be first to do uncomfortable things
• Don’t underestimate what it takes to do things differently
• Do fewer things well than a lot badly

What did you want to be when you grew up?

Marine archaeologist!

What is the best piece of advice anyone has given you?

Don’t just take people’s advise!

If you were stuck on a desert island what 3 things would you want with you?

Apart from food, water & shelter – Homer’s Odyssey, a piano & a football!

What is the best thing you have ever won/got for free?

My wife!

What are you most proud of?

2 lovely daughters

Describe your most embarrassing moment

From many – watching from afar as a big helicopter looks for me with a searchlight, after a very slight ‘mis-communication’ – ahem!

If you could be anywhere in the world right now where would it be?

Watching the sun go down through a cool glass of lager in Delphi, Mainland Greece

What really annoys you?

Self-promotion combined with incompetence

In you opinion, what makes a good trainer?

Stimulates thought & accepts there is more than one way to ’skin a cat’!

What is exciting you in the realm of learning & development currently?

Fads irritate me, but what excites me is the boundless potential in people unfortunately so often restricted by others