Posted on Jan 18, 2014
Col Regional Director, Whem/Ssa And Congressional Liaison
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We're all given the same amount of time; so, how is it that some seem to accomplish more--do more--and achieve more within the same amount of it? well, simply put it's all about effective 'time management.' TM is among the most important professional skills that anyone can learn; over the years many of us have found ways to maximize the hours and minutes in a given day... what are those proven methods? Mastering this area early-on could make all the difference for young leaders and those they lead... so, here's your opportunity to share what you've learned. I'm certain that this will be an interesting and informative discussion that will help many people... so, think about what are your best nuggets of wisdom, and let's get this thing started; thank you for all that you do, and... see you all in the discussion threads!  
Edited 10 y ago
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Responses: 16
SGT Information Technology Specialist
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Sir,

As a young Leader, one of the ways I've practiced time management is to learn my Soldiers strengths and weaknesses FIRST. I feel that once I know what one Soldier is good at, or what one Soldier is not so good at, it enables me to use both to my advantage. For example, I have a Soldier who I can say "Go to the battery, open the connex, look for the third toughbox on the left and grab 5 handmics and bring them to SSG XYZ." and that Soldier will say "Check, rgr" and move out, no questions asked, not having to repeat myself. On the other hand, I have another Soldier who I can say the exact same thing to, verbatim, and get a call or text from said Soldier 2 minutes later asking what I needed him to do again. But that Soldier is perfect for remedial tasks such as "Update our tracker.", etc. Not the best of examples, but my overall point being that by learning their strengths and weaknesses, I can effectively task my Soldiers out, saving me time for other important tasks!
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Col Regional Director, Whem/Ssa And Congressional Liaison
Col (Join to see)
>1 y
SGT Simpson, great point, I hadn't considered this angle of time management, definitely something for folks to consider!  Thanks for sharing!
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Lt Col Small Business Liaison/Procurement Analyst
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Col Regional Director, Whem/Ssa And Congressional Liaison
Col (Join to see)
>1 y
Capt Diercks, excellent article with several really good actionable points... thanks for sharing!
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SSG(P) Intelligence Analyst
SSG(P) (Join to see)
10 y
I agree. I think I may actually have to try some of those ideas.
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1SG Michael Blount
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if faced with a large task, break it down into smaller, more manageable, bite-sized  pieces.  If faced with smaller tasks, prioritize and knock them out one at a time.  Above all, avoid chasing the shiny object. That's the surest way to chew up a bunch of time and get nothing done in the bargain
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SFC Aaron Calmes
SFC Aaron Calmes
10 y
I have to agree with 1SG Blount. It's very easy to get overwhelmed if you just look at the overall task. Coming from an Infantry background I call my smaller pieces 50 meter, 100 meter, 150 meter, etc. When doing my daily staff duties my joke is always "what's going to get me a but chewing first if I don't do it?".
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