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Work isn’t always a steady, linear process. For some industries or departments, it comes in peaks, troughs and cycles.
Whilst you cannot change the cyclical nature of some work, planning ahead puts you in control of these cycles, rather merely reacting to them. Good time management is essential if you are to handle any heavy workload without excessive stress. Concentrate on results and not activity.
Downtime and what to do with it
The macro approach means not simply looking at how to handle things when you're busy, but looking at the whole work-cycle. Examine what important tasks will be coming along in the future and ask yourself is there anything you can prepare for now.
Will you need to organise additional resources such as:
- Rooms
- Staff
- Facilities
- Time
- Reports
- Research
- Documents
Downtime may seem like dead time, or a time to relax, if you only view it as having nothing to do. The smart thing to do is to make use of it creatively. For example, are there any non-important, non-priority jobs which you can do in your downtime and get out of the way?
You may not feel like doing them because they are not important and may not be subject to impending deadlines, but they will inevitably weigh on your mind if left unfinished.
Downtime, especially if it is predictable, is a great chance to organise training courses for yourself or others. Retraining or up-skilling in downtime doesn’t impact on the daily workload and also minimises impact on the bottom line.
Traditionally in the creative industries, studio downtime is often a chance to ‘pitch’ for new business or generate new ideas. In any organisation, it can be a chance to explore and investigate new opportunities or a new way of doing things.
Managing the peaks
When work is very busy, it’s all hands to the pump.
During this period you need tot continually ask the question "Is this task really worthy of my time, could it be delegated, or does it need doing at all?"
If you're unsure of the answer, then ask someone else. The key to keeping on top of things when everyone is busy (apart from having the right people and the right resources) can be boiled down to one thing. Making the best use of your time, and other people's time.
Formal practices and procedures are all well and good, but when they prevent people from doing their job efficiently then it's time to scrap them in favour of a more streamlined way of working. Cut out some of the middlemen. If someone doens't need to be consulted about an issue, don't get them involved. Generally the more people that get involved, the longer something is going to take to complete.
At certain times of the day close down your email program and unplug your phone so you can get on with your tasks without interruptions. If your out of office message says that you're unavailable, people will generally leave you in peace until the pace has died down a little. Don;t feel like you have to respond to everyone right away.
When things do die down, look at how you performed and how you would like things so you';re ready the next time your inbox begins to fill up.