15 Time Management Tips
Whether you are self employed or work for someone else time management can make all the difference when it comes to productivity and success. The more work you complete in a timely fashion that's good quality, the more likely you are to feel happy in your work. You’re also likely to earn a higher wage, gain job satisfaction and avoid the stress that comes from constantly struggling to reach deadlines. There are at least 15 ways you can reduce time management difficulties.
One: Environment
Clutter and junk provide a disorganized workspace where important materials are hard to find. A messy desk can also result in a messy and confused mind, which is why it’s essential to clear your work area so that you’re ready to work without visual and physical distractions.
Two: Timing
If you want to be more productive and manage time well consider beginning your daily routine earlier than you usually do. The few hours before rush hour begins can be the most productive of your day, leaving you time for a coffee break while other employees rush to and fro in a panic. You will be satisfied at this point knowing that you’ve already made significant progress with your work load.
Three: Planning
Foreword planning can be a great help if you want your working schedule to be streamlined and effective, thus saving valuable time. Be sure to keep a record of dates and times of appointments, and of when deadlines are approaching. Set up an alert service on your computer to tell you a few days before important appointments and meetings are to take place, and also to let you know when work is almost due for completion.
Four: Prioritize
Make effective use of time by working towards tasks which need to be completed first. Always prioritise your schedule, and don’t veer towards work which isn’t yet due but you prefer over important work which is required immediately.
Five: Delegate
If you aren’t in a managerial position you may imagine it’s not your place to delegate so doing so isn’t an option. However, even if you’re at the bottom of the career ladder you can begin delegating by adopting a friendly scheme whereby you and your colleagues are helpful to one another in turn.
For example, if a colleague is going to post mail, fetch fresh coffee or dig out important supplies from the stock room ask them to help you out at the same time they do themselves, and you can return the favor. This method of bartering with tasks will save you time and effort.
Six: Focus
If you can’t focus well and concentrate on work it’s likely that you’ll lose valuable time. This is why you need to remove distractions and get into the right mindset in-order to be productive. Make sure you aren’t disturbed by people or noise while you work, your workspace is a comfortable temperature and there is airflow to help keep you alert.
Seven: Materials
Gather materials required to help you work before you need them and set them on your desk. This level of organization will mean you don’t lose time looking for them when you should be deep into work tasks already.
Eight: Lunch
A great deal of time can be lost if you aren’t organized when it comes to eating. Even if you have a long lunch break you will be better off not wasting it having to trek over the other side of town for your favorite bagels and spiced coffee, leaving you hot and flustered as you race back to work afterwards.
Source your lunch close to where you work, or take a packed lunch with you to eat in the park. This way you’ll have more time to focus your mind and will be less likely to become stressed.
Nine: Mind clearing
There’s nothing like worries and anxiety to prevent you from working productively. Don’t let stress get in the way. Practice deep breathing methods and count backwards from ten to one slowly if you feel anxiety creeping up on you.
Ten: Ditch procrastination
If you are aware work needs doing and put it off until the last minute, not only will it plague your mind and leave you stressed, but you are likely to rush and could find it hard to meet deadlines. Don’t procrastinate. Instead deal with unsavoury tasks as soon as possible and get them out the way.
Eleven: Time check
It’s easy to let time slip away from you, and indeed it can if you don’t keep an eye on it. However, clock watching could make you nervous. Therefore have a set time to complete individual tasks and use a light alarm, perhaps on your watch, to alert you when you should be half way through your work.
Twelve: Computer use
Don’t fall into the trap of regularly glancing on Facebook or Twitter, or visually thumbing through online magazines when you should be working. It may seem like a few snatched moments here and there, but it all adds up to time which could of been spent more wisely.
Thirteen: Boundaries
If you want to be good at time management you also need to be good at keeping boundaries. The telephone, colleagues, and your family if you work from home may disturb you if you let them. Let it be known that you are busy and don’t like to be disturbed unless there’s an emergency. People will soon get the message that they mustn’t waste your time.
Fourteen: Goal setting
Stay motivated, and so increase productivity, by setting goals to work towards. Keep a chart of work progress on the office wall, and mark off accomplishments as you achieve them. This way you’ll easily be able to see where you are headed and can gain confidence from your successes.
Everyone gets into a routine and gains habitual ways of doing tasks at work. Sometimes this is useful, but other times it isn‘t. When a task becomes too comfortable it means you aren’t being challenged, and are likely to plod along not recognizing that you’re wasting time. This may only be noticeable when a new, more enthusiastic employee joins the team and upsets the balance by steaming full on ahead and accomplishing tasks faster than you normally do.
Don’t let this happen as you’ll be left behind and waste time. Instead, shake up your routine and get used to finding new ways to accomplish tasks more effectively. For example, perhaps you usually hand deliver messages to other parts of the building or do so in person when you could use email, fax or the telephone. Look at the ways you accomplish tasks normally, and see if there are more effective, time saving ways of doing them.
There are many methods you can utilize to develop time management skills and use time more wisely. Doing so will make you a better at your job, and you’ll be able to accomplish far more than people who manage time badly.
