Time – it is the one thing we all wish we had more of, right? We have to-do lists the size of a novel, unopened emails, and deadlines knocking, all while trying to keep up with our personal lives. Feels like you are juggling a thousand lives at once. But here is the harsh truth: you don’t need to find more time. You need to master the time you have already got. So, what if we told you that prioritizing and planning could turn all that madness into calm? In this blog, we will give you 5 time management tips for busy professionals.
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Time Management Tips for Busy Employees
Good time management will make you more productive than any number of work productivity apps and coffee breaks. It is extremely crucial as we live in a time where we are constantly juggling personal and professional lives with so many aspects to give attention to. Here are some effective time management practices to put you ahead of your colleagues and impress your manager for that next promotion:
- Track Your Time
The first time management technique is tracking your time (for obvious reasons). “Time is the most valuable thing a person can spend.” – Theophrastus
Try a little experiment. For one week, record everything you do. Note when you start your day, how many calls you make, and how much time each of your tasks needs (this will help in the next step). Also, track the time spent scrolling through Facebook or Instagram (be honest)!
Time tracking works like budgeting. Once you know exactly where your minutes (or money) are going, you can take control of it.
On the weekends, review your log. When did you get the most done? What distractions kept you from being productive?
- Create a Daily Schedule and Stick to It
The next tip to manage your time effectively is to create a realistic schedule. Don’t just think, “I have 8 hours to get ABC done.” Now that you know how many minutes each task needs approximately, make a detailed schedule by allotting time slots for each. But don’t stop at it – the key is to stick to it.
Your schedule should have realistic timelines. We often think we can do more than we actually can, a common scene called the “planning fallacy.” This leads to unrealistic deadlines. We recommend adding some buffer time too, so that if one runs longer than expected, it won’t ruin your entire schedule.
- Prioritize
It is indeed hard to prioritize when you wake up to a flood of emails. The Eisenhower Matrix for prioritizing tasks is a great tool for managing to-do lists. It breaks down tasks into 4 categories: do immediately, schedule for later, delegate, and delete.
Similarly, you can group your tasks into four categories. Limit the first two categories to 3 tasks only:
- Which ones are the most urgent and must be done today?
- Which ones are important but can wait if necessary? These can be done whenever you have extra time.
- Which ones can you delegate to someone else?
- Which ones are not necessary to be done?
- Use a Pomodoro Timer
The Pomodoro technique is by far the most popular way to manage time in the workplace. This practice takes time-blocking a step further with short work intervals followed by quick breaks.
You work for 25 minutes straight (called a “Pomodoro”) then go for a 5-minute break. After four Pomodoros, you take a longer break of 15-30 minutes. This hugely helps prevent burnout and also gives you time to relax in between. This allows for enough breaks to fulfill your ‘ reel scrolling’ cravings while making sure you check off all the days for the day.
EducationNest provides tailored workshops to help professionals overcome productivity challenges. With expert-led training, your corporate teams can seamlessly apply what they learn to their daily routines for a better work-life balance.
- Eat That Frog
Distractions are inevitable, whether it is a colleague needing a favor or a phone call, and before you know it, your day has slipped away. We already know through research that most people have better accuracy, intrinsic motivation, and speed in the morning hours. Your brain works at its peak, so why not finish off the most difficult task of the day first?
Eat That Frog, by Brian Tracy, is a powerful time management technique for those prone to procrastination. The idea is to start your day by tackling the biggest/hardest or most important task you have that day. This is the one you are most tempted to delay. Once you’ve “eaten that frog,” everything else will feel easier.
- Avoid Multitasking
Multitasking does not necessarily work as well as you think. American Psychological Association researched it to show that switching between tasks costs time and even lowers productivity. Even though it only takes a few seconds to switch, there are a lot of small delays that add up when you do it often. You are also more likely to make mistakes that you will need more time to fix later.
- Automate Repetitive Tasks
We are blessed to be in a world with AI tools that can automate repetitive tasks to free up our time. If your work has that scope, doing this is a wiser choice to let you focus on tasks that need a human. Try and find ways to set up systems/tools to handle repetitive tasks for you. For example, you can use software to schedule emails or manage posting on social media.
If you are looking to nurture this crucial skill in your team, nothing could be more fruitful than a good corporate time management training program that can thoroughly train them to master time.
- Maintain a Parking Lot
It’s a good thing to have a mind always buzzing with new ideas and creative thoughts. But a positive distraction is still a distraction. When a new thought pops up, write it down and save it for later. Schedule a particular time in your day to go through these ideas for better brainstorming rather than in between your current tasks. This will free up your bandwidth to finish your current task faster while you are motivated to hit that break to go over that interesting idea you got!
Conclusion
According to a recent Slack State of Work report, 43% of workers struggle with motivation, while 29% find it tough to maintain focus. Time management is a common challenge among corporate employees. If your team happens to be in this same boat, it is nothing to be ashamed of. Like we are not born with most skills, we need to learn the skill of time management as well. To do this, a time management corporate workshop could be a game changer. EducationNest offers tailored workshops that train working professionals on how to tackle common productivity hurdles. Their courses are expert-led, meaning all they learn here can be integrated into their daily routines. Ultimately, investing in time management training can lead to greater efficiency and a more balanced work-life experience for your team.
