Your boss in all probability has your time pretty well under control at your job and if you work for yourself, you’re most likely a slave to deadlines set by customers and clients! As a professional, you’re forever busy. But where does it all end? When you get more successful, do you think your agenda will magically get less hectic and fill up with lesser obligations? Think again. Instead, you’ll have more to be done in lesser time. And unless you have a structure in place, it might prove difficult.
Everybody is different, and the same strategies don’t work for every person. But if you know how to juggle your time well it can certainly help you take charge of your life and feel more in control.
Organise and Prioritize
You can save a lot of headaches if you have an organized system in place. The first step towards improving your time management is getting started with a simple to-do list and prioritizing your work. Inevitably, you are required to execute numerous tasks simultaneously as multi-tasking is the need of the hour today. A lot of times your colleagues and subordinates approach you with eleventh hour requests. In such cases, it is very important to know what needs to be done first. However, don’t make the common mistake of taking too much on your plate. Learn the art of saying no when required.
Tame your Technology
Do you find your whole day being devoured up by calls and emails? You might think that you’re being proficient by responding to every new communication coming your way, but the reverse can be true. Divert your calls to voice mail and switch off your email notifications while working. Check your messages one time in the morning, probably sometime after lunch, and once more before you call it a day. You’ll realise that you are able to reply to the significant ones as they come up, and still have time to get some real work done!
Take a break
A lot of people prefer working through their lunch breaks to squeeze in some more time at work. But a lot of experts feel that 45 minutes away from work can actually help you to be more efficient in the afternoon. A break is a perfect time to unwind and think of things other than work. Take a lazy stroll outdoors or, better still, do some free style exercises. You’ll come back to work feeling rejuvenated and with renewed focus. Scheduling your day with a lunchtime break will also help you to break up your work into more manageable chunks.
Don’t switch gears
Trying to juggle too many activities can be a huge time-waster. If you filing pieces of paper then making calls then sending emails then again filing more papers, your brain in a way is switching gears at every step. So try completing one type of to-do before moving on to the next task. You’ll find that you progress faster and get things done in a shorter amount of time when you’re in a groove!
These might seem like simple tasks but when combined they add up to a great improvement in efficiency and time management in your workplace.
