Planning, Prioritisation and Productivity

Planning our day and prioritising our work can be a daily challenge. Everybody puts things off sometimes, but keep putting things off and the work or study will pile up and begin to seem an insurmountable task. 

Delaying things to the last minute is also a cause of stress. And stress can interfere with your ability to learn and to remember things. 

People have a tendency to concentrate on completing the easy jobs first, which obviously delays the more difficult or complicated tasks and this is why prioritising and improving your time management, is very important. 

Here you will find some resources and tools  to help you to improve your skills, becoming more productive and less stressed. 

Learning to stretch our thinking skills is integral to accelerating our development. This is a really important part of the learning process, and gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your skills and show progression in your Apprenticeship.

Here are two challenges for you to pick from- should you choose to accept, this will help you to develop critical thinking, evaluation skills and encourage creativity.

Challenge 1

Identify a recent activity where you have had to work to a tight deadline. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your time management in this activity and identify at least one area where you could improve your time management. Discuss your evaluation with your Talent Coach and agree on an action plan to take the next development steps. 

Challenge 2

Identify two time-bound tasks you have completed within your team recently. Identify the different time management techniques which are or have been used by your team/dept.  Critically evaluate the techniques used and identify the benefits and drawbacks of these techniques. Conclude which techniques have or had the most value within the team/dept and design a  recommended training plan on time management for a new starter in your team/dept. Discuss your evaluation and justify your recommendations with your Talent Coach.

 Update your Learning Journal in OneFile with your evaluation and your reflections ready to discuss with your Talent Coach at your next review.