Expect the Unexpected, by Adam Scholl
One of the questions most frequently asked and pondered by any new hire is how do I manage my time effectively? Time management is a skill that can easily be sharpened with practice. The bad news is that the time management skills you learned in college, while a good start, will likely not be enough as you embark on your new career. Think about it. In college you spent countless hours juggling various classes and deadlines imposed by your professors. Course timelines were generally mapped out ahead of time, giving you a fair degree of notice on important projects and tests. Be honest, did you ever find yourself pulling an all-nighter right before an exam or submitting a term paper online with only minutes to spare? We have all had at least one close call. Unlike the college world, in the business world nothing ever goes according to plan. Things come up, crises occur, and deadlines change. Whether it is a delay in shipping, malfunction in the IT department, worker strike or full-scale financial audit, each of these situations can dramatically affect your timelines for a given project. The good news is that while you generally cannot predict such random events, you can plan for them by using an effective time management strategy.
