While being busy is a good thing, it’s essential to focus on prioritising your valuable time. Everyone gets 24 hours in the day to work with – no more and no less. Why is it that a few people are able to accomplish so much more than the rest? What time management tips or tricks do they use that you don’t?
There are days when we have to push ourselves and respond to work pressures. But if you find yourself feeling constantly stressed at work, something needs to change. Unfortunately, most of us are ‘too busy being busy’. But what are you busy with? Is it adding value to your day?
In general, people who manage their time effectively are less stressed, more productive, and have more leisure compared to those that don’t. So what camp do you fall in?
Symptoms of poor time Management
Many managers and team leaders feel productive if they are rushing to meetings and appointments all day long. However, this is far from the truth. At its core, time-management needs effectiveness far more than efficiency. Effectiveness is doing the right tasks within the time, while efficiency involves getting a lot of tasks done within the time.
If the situations described below sound familiar to you, it may indicate that you need to work on your time management skills and techniques:
> You always seem to be rushing to complete tasks.
> Feelings of impatience, anxiety, or stress are common.
> You are consistently late for meetings and appointments.
>It feels as if you have been busy all day but haven’t accomplished much.
> You have no time for family, friends, physical exercise or leisure.
Why is it important to manage time more effectively?
Poor time management can impact a workplace in several ways. It adds to employee stress, demotivates, and can lead to burn-out. Stressed employees are more likely to performance poorly, reducing overall productivity.
Employees are obliged to work longer hours, and the organisation will end up spending much more on overtime compensation. Missed deadlines and delayed work will affect customer relationships and the company image.
Tips to working smarter
How do you maximise your day without running yourself into the ground? Here are a our top time management tips:
1. Eat the frog first
Mark Twain, the famous writer, said that if you eat the frog first, the rest of the day will be simpler to deal with. Simply put, start with tackling complex tasks first.
When you get into the office, identify the most challenging task first (before your phone and inbox start going haywire). The hardest-first technique prevents us from stacking the most difficult task for the end of the day.
2. Set clear, defined goals
Poorly defined goals, or worse, non-existent goals, keep our noses to the grindstone all day long without resulting in achievement. While setting goals, keep in mind the 80/20 principle which suggests that 80% of outcomes are achieved through 20% of work. Prioritise your time wisely.
3. Leverage the power of focus: Quality over quantity
Multitasking can be best described as a debatable talent. Unfortunately, modern technology allows us to do ten different things simultaneously. We often find ourselves looking at phone messages, keeping up with world news, laughing at forwarded jokes and trying to complete work at the same time.
The truth is, the more you concentrate, the sooner you can complete a task. Take a ten or fifteen-minute break every few hours so you can unwind and relax. Avoid switching back and forth between tasks. The human mind is capable of focusing only on one thing at any given time. This is true even for women!
4. Saying ‘No’ is okay
Learning how to say ‘no’ is the most important time management skill you’ll ever learn.
Most of us have been conditioned to think that the word ‘no’ is not a nice thing to say to others. As a result, we still feel guilty when we refuse to oblige with a request. Say ‘no’ in a polite but assertive and non-ambiguous manner that leaves no room for negotiation.
Some distinct disadvantages of multi-tasking include:
> Difficulty in focusing attention, memory loss due to lack of attention.
> Poor productivity as the brain wastes time shifting gears as it adjusts to different tasks.
> Reduction in work quality due to lack of concentration.
> Distractions: If you find yourself reaching out for your mobile phone every two minutes, please keep it on silent mode and place the device out of reach.
5. Struggling with unproductive meetings?
Meetings that have no clear purpose, or consistently run late, waste everyone’s time. Check out our article on tips for running more effective meetings. And if you don’t need to be there, refer to number 4, politely say no!
6. Additional Tips to Manage Your Time Effectively
The following suggestions can help prevent you from entering into a state of pandemonium:
- > Wake up earlier and give yourself more hours in the day.
- > Discover your ‘high productivity time slots’; for some, this may be mornings, while for others, it may be the later in the day.
- > Take small, frequent breaks.
- > Use time-tracking software to help you manage your time better
- > Delegate work whenever necessary.
Final Thoughts
While drive, focus and hard work are crucial ingredients for success, efficient time management plays a key role in achieving an ideal work-life balance.
The secret to getting more out of your day depends on your ability to manage your time more efficiently. If you’re constantly running against the clock, it is impossible to perform at your best. Learning basic time management skills can do wonders in helping you achieve your goals. Working smarter not harder makes a lot more sense in this context. We hope our time management tips help you get some of your life back!