It’s shocking how more is being demanded of employees in today’s workplace than ever before. A study even shows that 57 percent of workers in the country feel stress on a daily basis. Stress can be attributed to poor time management for those who don’t plan their work.
Employers want to hire people who can manage and prioritize their work. Once you know how to manage your time better, it’s easier to meet deadlines and stay productive. You will feel more accomplished at work and improve your promotion chances.
It’s wise always to manage your time in the modern work environment to avoid getting replaced. You need to observe a high level of discipline to make the most out of your time at work.
Here are seven valuable time management tips to get you started:
Figure Out Where Your Time Is Going
One way to amplify your time management skills is to track your time. Log your time for a week or month and track your day-to-day activities.
With this simple audit, you can identify timesucks and determine the number of tasks you can accomplish daily. You’ll also focus on workplace activities that guarantee the greatest returns. It’ll be clear how much of your time goes to unproductive activities, conversations and thoughts.
If you are a freelancer who gets paid by the hour, a time tracking tool like the Hectic app can improve productivity. The tool will address everything you’d like to know about time tracking to make the most out of your days.
Time tracking helps you get a real sense of how much time you spend on different tasks. You can also discover the time of day when your productivity levels are high. That way, you can allocate time for projects that require a lot of mental energy and focus.
Create and Stick To a Daily Schedule
Start your workdays with an organized to-do list to manage your time better. Always create a list of the most urgent tasks you need to accomplish the next day. You’ll wake up having a clear picture of what you would like to achieve.
A daily schedule can help ease the pressure that comes with meeting deadlines. You’ll reduce mental clutter and have more room in your mind to work on present tasks.
If you can’t make a list a day before, write it the first thing you wake up. It’ll be pretty stressful to jump between tasks when you lack a plan to guide you.
Prioritize Your Tasks
While mapping out your tasks is a good idea, prioritizing them can help you stay productive. Prioritize your most urgent tasks first to avoid falling behind schedule. Plan to meet deadlines that take a lot of time to accomplish or are due sooner.
Break the tasks into smaller chunks to make them more achievable if they feel overwhelming. Later on, organize other activities based on the requester, due date, or importance.
Using the ABCDE method of prioritizing, your A tasks should be the essential tasks while B should be the less important ones. C are tasks with zero consequences, D are tasks you need to delegate, while E are those you can eliminate.
Other task-prioritizing methods are the four Ds (do, defer, delete or delegate and the 80/20 method. The 80/20 rule implies that 80 percent of your outcomes should come from 20 percent of inputs.
Either way, find a technique that can help you organize your workdays better.
Learn How to Say No
The decision to take on tasks entirely depends on how much time you have in your schedule. Don’t hesitate to decline an assignment if you need time to focus on other important ones. You should also drop projects that don’t seem productive.
While you may try to impress your superiors by doing more work, you’ll be drained at the end of the day. Eighty percent of your output should come from 20 percent of your inputs, according to the 80/20 rule. If it’s hard to say no, you might as well delegate the tasks.
Resist the Urge to Multitask
As you focus on meeting deadlines, you may find yourself multitasking. You’ll lose a lot of time and be less productive when alternating from one task to the other. Instead, work on the assignment at hand and move on to the next when done.
If your to-do list contains a lot of tasks, trying to accomplish them at once won’t make things easier. Set time limits on your assignments and check them off after completing them.
Get enough rest, plan your day and find a quiet place to handle your most important tasks. Remember to focus on essentials you need to accomplish rather than the peripheral aspects.
Get Rid of Distractions
Distractions like instant messaging, co-workers, and the Internet can at times be hard to resist. However, you need to get rid of them to make great use of your time. If you have an office or work from home, shut the door to limit interruptions.
Turn off any notifications on your phone and only make personal phone calls during lunch. Remember to close all active tabs on your web browser and leave those that matter.
Take Consistent Breaks
Your productivity levels vary throughout the day depending on the tasks and breaks you take. Consider working in 90-minute intervals to freshen your brain during your workdays. Without consistent breaks, you risk feeling burned out and having dips in your productivity levels.
Resting at work can come in forms like shifting to a less draining task, eating a snack, or walking. Your resting periods should last at least 10 for your brain to recharge.
Now You Know How to Manage Your Time Better
You’ll be more productive once you know how to manage your time better as an employee. Your time management strategies should allow you to prioritize tasks and achieve goals faster. As a result, you’ll open yourself up to new possibilities and have a high level of self-discipline.
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