Today's technical careers encompass much more than technical expertise. Industry competition and limited resources demand engineers do more with less. Consequently, engineers wear more hats today than their peers wore a decade or two ago. Technical staff perform technical, managerial, administrative, and other day-to-day tasks, while also managing unplanned delays and distractions that chip away at available time.

"It's not so much that people begin projects without enough time," says Lisa Toth, president of Proposal Solutions in Alexandria, Virginia, and a 20-year technical services project manager. "It's not even a matter of whether or not they give it all they've got. More often, people simply don't use the time they have effectively."

Today's multi-task environment makes for a challenging and dynamic workplace. But add poor planning and distractions to the work mix, and many people feel overwhelmed. The results are job anxiety and a lack of focus, which threatens performance, diminishes job satisfaction, and ultimately affects project success.

People who plan well and make the best use of their time have the advantage of seeing the big picture. As a result, they can manage distractions, disruptions, and other unplanned conflicts better and reach their goals more effectively and efficiently. Sound time management simply gives professionals the ability to control what they're doing and when.

Time management tools and practices available to today's busy professionals are diverse and plentiful. They include project planning and management software packages and the knowledge and ability to minimize distractions and maintain focus. But tools and practices won't help manage time and effort unless they're accompanied by a commitment to use them regularly.

"Those who develop and implement sound work plans and follow effective time management principles can address the breadth of their project tasks, while still achieving project goals in a manageable way," says Toth. "They have more time available for project tasks, which allows them to deal with the unplanned occurrences they will likely experience along the way."

Time management is a matter of controlling your tasks, rather than your tasks controlling you, adds Allan Liska, owner and chief technical officer of Spectrum Computers/Priz*Net, a Leesburg, Virginia, computer company and Internet provider. "To meet our customers' needs, we need to be sure we take the time to do the tasks that need to be done and allow the tasks that can wait until tomorrow to wait until tomorrow. At the same time, we need to be sure we allow enough time to do our work well."

Effective time management is key to delivering quality services to clients, Liska asserts. "I've actually had to lose skills to cope with time management better. I used to want to be involved in all aspects of my business and wanted to know everything. I have found that there's not enough time for that, and that being involved in everything did not make me more productive. I learned quickly that trying to manage every aspect of the business is the worst trap a small-business owner can fall into."

To get certain tasks done, Liska relies on his employees' expertise, which allows him to make best use of his computer and business expertise. "I have learned to let my bookkeeper handle the books and my technical staff handle the jobs they have," he continues. "We communicate frequently, so we all stay on the same page, but I'm now more free to do the things I need to do to keep company projects on schedule and the business moving forward."

"I always leave enough time between project startup and deadline to plan for tasks and assignments to be done in a natural work flow," says Jim Sirkis, professor and research director at the University of Maryland's College of Engineering. And natural work flow includes making room for daily distractions that are a part of every work environment. "We plan early and often to set and revise the course of activity, but also to be sure we can carry out our tasks professionally and deliver quality results."

Liska manages his company's workload by making project planning an integral component of his team's work. "Like most small businesses, my job requires me to perform a variety of tasks. These tasks are all very different, yet they are all equally critical for our clients," he says. "For example, in the morning, I may install a modem on a Windows 3.1 machine. Then, my afternoon consists of working to set up a virtual private network between offices. By day's end, I have to look into debugging a Perl script to solve a server problem. The variety of tasks I perform demands I stay focused and on track."

Because his customers' needs influence the way he responds to client requests and manages time, Liska plans considerable flexibility into his schedule. "Because we depend so heavily on meeting our customers' needs, those needs are our driving force about 90 percent of the time," he says. "If a customer has a deadline to have a network up and running or needs a computer ready because software is being installed on a certain date, we have to be able to accommodate that, or we'll be out of business."

While developing an effective time management program or process takes some time, don't consider it another in a series of unending tasks directly associated with a specific project. Practiced consistently, time management keeps work on track, enhances task accomplishments, and leads to successful project completion. "Project planning doesn't necessarily give people more time," Toth notes. "It gives them the knowledge they need to be able to manage their time well."

Planning and review is part of Mark Castagneri's daily to-do list. "Professionals should spend some time every day planning what needs to get done," says Castagneri, quality assurance officer for Rocky Mountain Remediation Services, who spends 15 to 30 minutes each morning planning. "I develop a task list that supports my priorities. If a deadline is looming and I need uninterrupted time to work, I don't immediately answer the phone or respond to my e-mail. I sometimes wait several hours, or until I can take the time without sacrificing the time I need to do what needs to get done."

Here are some other pointers:

  Run far and fast from time wasters. Even with the best planning and prioritizing, professionals can find themselves caught in a maze of other distractions that eat away precious moments. Procrastination, interruptions, and looking for that eleventh-hour rush to spur creativity and performance can turn even the best-planned project into chaos.

  Procrastination is the ultimate time waster. Common sense tells us not to put off the things we don't want to do, but most people are guilty of procrastinating from time to time. Unfortunately, delaying the inevitable only makes the avoided task that much more challenging and makes for an anxious and often frustrating work environment, which could jeopardize both individual and team performance.

"Simply put, don't put things off," Sirkis advises. "Attack the worst jobs first, and save the best for last. This strategy will put your challenges and struggles behind you, and will give you the extra creative energy and focus you'll need as your projects near deadline."

  Don't let interruptions and distractions get the best of you. No doubt, it's energizing to develop a sound individual work plan and to approach project tasks and responsibilities confident you've allotted enough time to accomplish your mission. But have you planned for the unexpected? What about the unexpected phone calls, the casual e-mails from associates and others not affected by your project deadlines, and tasks that get placed with you without warning? Regardless of your company or team size, everyone working in today's technical workplace experiences disruptions and distractions regularly. And while temptation to chat with a colleague casually at the coffee station may be great, keep focused and make the best use of all your time. Those who can avoid or eliminate distractions during peak project times will produce better results.

"You don't need to pick up every call," Castagneri reminds. "Use your voice mail to screen calls." Learn to recognize e-mail spam, he suggests, and set aside time each day to answer important phone and e-mail messages based on your priorities.

  Waiting until the 11th hour may cost you. Many professionals believe they perform better under tight deadline pressure. While this may be true, waiting until the last minute to act may leave you with less time than you need to complete your tasks sufficiently. Just as important, cramming at deadline time leaves little or no time to deal with unexpected problems, conflicts, and distractions. Finally, because most technical professionals work in groups, colleagues rely on your expertise to carry out certain associated tasks; your last-minute crunch could affect their work and the results they produce.

"I do not enjoy last-second initiatives," says Sirkis, "and I hate them when they become last second because someone else chose to put something off." Waiting for the "deadline high" to kick in may affect the entire team's effort and create conflict, "which is counterproductive in a work environment," he notes.

"I always leave enough time between project startup and deadline to plan for tasks and assignments to be done in a natural work flow." —Jim Sirkis Professor and research director University of MD College of Engineering

"It's important to try multiple methods until you find one that works for you and that you will continue to use," Liska recommends. "Don't be afraid of the fact that you spent $200 for a software application that you can't stand using. It's better to dump it and find something you will use than to continue to be frustrated with what you have — or worse yet, do nothing as a result."

Castagneri's team makes full use of commercially available planning and management software. "We use project management software to define tasks, assign responsibilities, and perform resource loading task by task, to coordinate both within and outside the workgroup and to reduce or eliminate deadline conflicts," he says. "If the project planning is well done, everyone will know their responsibilities and attendant conflicts related to resources or competing priorities, and we can resolve those conflicts before we finalize the plan."

His team also uses calendar and meeting planning software to set up conflict-free meetings. "Because most meeting commitments are kept in this database and because this software package identifies open time slots for all key team members, and confirms appointments by participants electronically, we can schedule and hold our group meetings without hassle." The team wastes little time working out minor details and everyone stays informed about what's going on project-wide. This full view helps everyone as they focus on their individual tasks.

Time management doesn't lend itself to a cookie-cutter approach. Individual work habits and preferences, taken together with team decisions related to planning, will drive the process you use. And what works for one team member may not work well for another. All commercially available packages are customizable to fit personal, team, and technical needs. The key to making any of them work is to use them. If they don't become part of the daily work routine, they're useless.

Occasionally look at new products and techniques, suggests Sirkis. "The world around us is a dynamic environment. As such, we have to continually evaluate the techniques available to meet the ever-increasing demands on our time." Sirkis uses the components that work best for him, combining the best of different tools. "The tools I use continually evolve to meet my personal preferences and requirements," he says.

If you haven't found the tools and processes to help you maintain focus and move projects along smoothly, now is the time to find and start using them. Ultimately, practicing effective time management techniques will help you achieve greater productivity, deliver better products and services, and enjoy a more enjoyable and successful career.