Time Management - A Frustration

There are a lot of people out there who have multiple people they report to.  There are pros and cons to this.  Pro - being that the work varies and keeps things interesting.  Cons - you report to a lot of people and they don't necessarily know what the others have you working on.

Some people just push me a little bit too far.  I have committed myself to wiping the slate clean after this weekend and not letting it get to me.  We'll see if I can get it all out of my system before then.

With multiple reporting lines, there are multiple projects, multiple deadlines and a great demand for good time management skills.  The problems you run into - everyone thinks that their project is the most important and should be the number one priority.  While that is understandable, they need to realize that their work resources have a queue.  They will try to do everything they can but there comes a point where there are only so many hours in a day and not using them effectively hurts everyone.

A few general rules of thumb for those of you working with people who have multiple reporting lines.

• Be prepared for all meetings.  You can jump right in and make the most of a shorter period of time.  When you aren't ready, everyone else is just idly waiting and not working on that project or any others that need their attention.
• Be on time for all meetings.  By being late, it is saying to those left waiting that you think your time is more important than their time.  Again, at that point, they are just idly waiting.
• Try not to explain too much.  Generally speaking, if something isn't understood a question will be asked.  But if someone says they understand, don't proceed to explain anyway.  This wastes time and creates undo confusion.
• Brevity is an art.  When you talk too much, no one hears anything.  With too much digressing, the people you are speaking to miss the one point that was important because it gets lost somewhere in the hour of rambling.
• And finally - Always ask.  Ask instead of demand.  Ask what schedule they are thinking would work for them.  Compromise.  Realize that the person you are working with has other projects going on and is trying to make everyone happy.  They aren't just trying to be difficult.  They are being put in a difficult position when something is demanded of them and interferes with something they have already committed to.