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One of the most common complaints we hear at work is that “I’m so busy”. Employees feel that their tasks are never-ending, which puts a great deal of pressure on them. This leads to workplace stress and causes workplace burnout, affecting their performance and productivity at work. However, it’s not actually the work that’s causing stress, but it’s how we manage our precious time.
Most people are known to be “time poor” and disjointed on things they need to accomplish within the day. The best way to deal with this is through proper time management and acquiring critical skills to manage time effectively.
Time management is deciding on how and when you will do your tasks and making sure they are done on schedule. Here are the five most essential time management skills in the workplace to help your team use their time effectively.
Prioritising
Most of us believe that multitasking is an effective way to get many things done faster. But the truth is we can work better if we focus on finishing one task at a time. Identifying urgent tasks that need to be done immediately is vital to boost your productivity rather than less critical ones as it will consume much more of your time.
When deciding on priorities, we need to consider the following:
When does each task need to be completed?
How long will it take to finish?
How important is it to the organisation?
What will happen if the task is not done on time?
Once you figure out where to put your time and energy first, you will get things done according to your schedule and goals.
Scheduling
Creating a schedule plays a significant role in managing tasks efficiently as some functions need to be done at a particular time. As you plan your tasks, don’t forget to prioritise urgent matters and start with a productive task to set your mood and workflow smoothly.
Scheduling is also a great way to avoid procrastination because when we schedule tasks and break down the fun and complex ones throughout the day, we will not feel bored or overwhelmed, and it helps us stay on track.
Keeping a To-Do List
Creating a To-Do list of your tasks in line with your priorities and schedule is a great way to avoid forgetting the things that need to be done. This will also help you to free up more time to do the tasks you need to do next.
By ticking off each task you have completed, you will have a sense of accomplishment and feel motivated to go on with the next one and clear up all the tasks you set for the day without stressing yourself.
Set up Deadlines
Once we’ve figured out our priorities and schedules, it is also essential to set a realistic deadline for each task and stick with it. If you already have a set deadline, it’s better to set a reminder in a calendar or write a sticky note in your workstation to keep you on track.
Practice setting your deadline a few days before a task is due. This way, you can still accomplish the tasks even if challenges get in the way. This will also help you avoid getting things done in a rush, which causes stress.
Delegation
Knowing why and when to delegate tasks is a critical skill. Most of us wear many hats and take on more tasks than we think we can handle, which sometimes results in stress and burnout at work. Even if you are practising time management but still can’t get everything done accordingly, then you might be dealing with too many tasks on hand.
Delegating tasks to your team according to their skills and abilities will free up your time and allow for more tasks to be finished in a timely manner. It also significantly impacts work standards because the more we are focused on a few tasks, the more we learn and do our best to provide quality results. Just think that it is better to succeed with a few functions than to fail at many.
Time is precious. We must make the most out of it by being productive and succeeding with our goals. A quote from Matshona Dhliwayo states that “You can buy a clock, but you cannot buy time.” This is a good reminder of how important managing our time effectively is.
If you would like to know more about how to make a positive impact within your business or find out how we can help you to improve your team’s mental wellbeing that’s tailor-made to your team, and progress you can test and measure, contact us today on 1300 114 818 for a private and confidential conversation or email us at info@proactiveaction.co.
We look forward to talking to you soon.
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Sources:
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/time-management
https://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/10-ways-improve-your-time-management-skills.html
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/time-management-skills-2063776
https://squareup.com/au/en/townsquare/7-time-management-skills-practiced-by-successful-people
https://www.tonyrobbins.com/importance-time-management/time-management-skills/
https://www.hays.com.au/career-advice/career-development/time-management-tips cvpl
https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/work-life-balance
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