Here's how you can manage your time more effectively.

Use your spare time

Do all the unimportant stuff in little bits of spare time (maybe just before lunch or while you're waiting on someone else).

Know what your limits are

Make sure you are aware of how much time you actually have to complete work once all the meetings are out of the way.

Delegate effectively

Delegate where you can, but give full and clear instructions to the person so that you don't have to spend time checking how the job is going or rescuing it from disaster.

Ditch the clutter

Throw away anything you don’t need or could find somewhere else.

Keep track of your tasks

Use your work plan or action list to keep track of what else you need to do (you don’t need a wobbly stack of folders on your desk as a visual reminder).

Prioritise

Know the difference between urgent and important and do the important stuff first.

It’s ‘important’ if someone else needs it to complete their work or there is a significant (usually unpleasant) consequence to not doing it.

Urgent just means it has a deadline, but urgent is not always important.

Check your emails on a schedule - not as they come in

Do it at the beginning of the day and at natural break times (morning and afternoon tea etc) and again before the end of the day.

If it will take you longer than 10 minutes to action a particular email (and you are busy) assign it some time in your work-plan.

Plan your work and work your plan

Be in control of how you manage your workflow.

Plan your tasks into the time you have available. That way you will always know what your capacity is and you won’t overcommit. Be realistic with your timeframes (it’s a good idea to add in a buffer of about 10% for interruptions and unforeseen problems).

Do complex or challenging work during your best thinking time

If you are a morning person, delay your lunch break until 1pm to extend your optimum thinking time