Not getting everything done? Here’s how to better manage your time
Time management is an essential skill for any job. Whether you’re working in an entry-level position or occupy a senior-level role, you’ll need to be able to manage your time efficiently. The ability to meet deadlines will help you to get hired and succeed in your career. If you plan to learn a new skill, management capabilities are an excellent investment. Let’s take a look at how you can improve your time-management skills.
Create a schedule
With the pressures of modern day living, getting through the day requires outstanding time-management capabilities. You need to make sure that you can fit both your personal and professional commitments into your day, and by creating a schedule, you can help to ensure that you meet your deadlines.
Set some time aside on Sunday to plan your upcoming week. You can start by making a list of things you need to get done, identifying your priorities, and then organising them into a well thought out schedule. While you’ll need to leave some room for flexibility to accommodate tasks that catch you by surprise, learning to stick to your schedule is an important part of time management. Ensure that you get your priorities done so that none of your essential tasks get forgotten. Your priorities include the tasks that offer the best returns for the amount of effort that you put in. Don’t forget to incorporate some downtime into your schedule. Downtime helps you to relax and to recharge. Knowing when to take a break helps you to achieve maximum productiveness.
Add boundaries
Boundaries are an essential part of time management. In order to meet your deadlines, you’ll need to understand when to say no to additional work. You can help your colleagues when you have spare time on your schedule, but if you’re struggling to meet a deadline, you’ll need to use effective communication to set boundaries. A friendly and professional attitude helps to set firm boundaries without upsetting people. A lack of boundaries in your personal life can also affect your performance at work, so it’s important to practice boundary-setting in all aspects of your life.
Avoid distractions
Distractions can have a huge impact on your productivity at work and your ability to meet deadlines. As you go through your day, make a list of the main culprits, such as social media and TV. Once you’ve identified what is most likely to distract you, you can avoid them. Whether it’s removing social media apps from your phone or unplugging your TV, there are plenty of strategies that you can use to minimise distractions. Setting an allocated time slot to spend on social media and other distractions can help to contain these habits so that you have more time to spend on your work.
Use an app
The rapid development of technology means that you can use an app for anything and time management is no exception. You can enhance your ability to meet your deadlines by using an app. Apps are available for both Android and iOS devices. You can use your smartphone to keep a calendar and to manage your to-do list. There are even apps that help you to focus by minimising distractions.
Don’t procrastinate
Procrastination is another huge time-waster. High levels of stress usually accompany procrastination, and leaving tasks until the last minute can also affect the quality of your work. Plan ahead and stick to your schedule if you want to meet your deadlines. Discipline is an essential aspect of time management.
Photo by Katie Barrett on Unsplash
Now that you know more about time management, you can use these skills to increase your productiveness at work. When it comes to developing a new skill, management positions require efficient time-management capabilities. You can take your career to the next level by improving your productiveness at work.
