Organizational and Time Management (OTM) Skills Part 2
Pro Tip for Supervisors —
The goal is not to expect your supervisees and trainees to use the same OTM strategies that you use. Instead, focus on 1) describing general recommended practices, 2) serving as a model for effectiveness and efficiency when one follows general recommended practices, and 3) supporting supervisees/trainees to develop and evaluate strategies that work for them.
Make Your Email Work for You — Not the Other Way Around
- Regularly scan and triage your inbox:
- Immediately actionable in 2 min or less, do it now (e.g., delete it, quickly reply)
- Needed for future reference, file it now
- Future action required, schedule time in your calendar now to address it soon. Don’t forget to file it in your “pending” folder or file it once you have responded in the near future
- Consider scheduling a few 15-30 min times throughout the day to check and triage your email inbox and manage your email system instead of responding as emails come in
Running an Effective Meeting
- Have a clear purpose
- Invite the right attendees
- Create an agenda with time estimates for each item; send to attendees ahead of time
- Designate a timekeeper
- Designate a note taker
- Actively run the meeting (e.g., facilitate participation, manage participation)
- Wrap up in last 5 min by reviewing main points and any action items and due dates
