Introduction
Every manager wants their team to be more productive at work, yet somehow, the hours always slip away. Here’s the fact: we all get the same eight hours in a workday. No more, no less. So why do some teams, you know get so much done while yours struggles to keep up?
It’s not time itself that you need to manage – it’s how you handle the tasks and priorities in your day. I used to be a complete disaster, especially when juggling multiple projects. With time, it felt chaotic and overwhelming and affecting progress and making each day feel more exhausting than productive.
Down the line, I realised I needed to do more than just write a to-do list. So, here is what worked for me, and I would like to share these effective time management strategies with you too because I know how impactful they can be to help you better plan your team’s productivity, which contributes to your team’s efficiency.
So, let’s get started to make the most of your shared work hours!
What is time management?
Time management is the ability to plan and organise your time so that you can fulfil your everyday responsibilities more efficiently. It is all about making wise decisions about how to spend your time every day. So that you can complete your work, explore party venues in Amsterdam, host events, meet deadlines, and still find time for yourself.
When you manage your time well, you can avoid the last-minute rush and reduce stress. Furthermore, you can complete more work in less time. Time management also allows you to strike a balance between your personal and professional lives.
Why is it Important to Manage Your Time?
Time is precious! And good time management is crucial for success in both personal and professional life. Time is a valuable resource that, once spent, can not be replenished. So, don’t waste it.
Imagine having extra hours in a day. Wouldn’t it be amazing? Well, while we don’t have extra hours, effective time management strategies can make up for it. These strategies help you complete your tasks on time without feeling overwhelmed.
Here are some advantages of using effective time management strategies:
- Increases Productivity: When you manage your time well, you procrastinate less and focus more on important tasks. This means you get more done and faster.
- Reduces Stress: Good time management allows you to break down large projects into smaller, manageable tasks. As a result, there is reduced stress and anxiety.
- Improves Focus: When you know what you need to do and when, it’s easy to focus. Time management helps you avoid distractions and stay on track.
- Better Work-Life Balance: By managing your time effectively, you have adequate time for work, family, and hobbies. This leads to a happier and more fulfilling life.
Top 12 Time Management Strategies to Boost Your Productivity
“If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?” – John Wooden
If you want to get more work done with less stress, then you need to learn how to manage your time effectively. These 12 time management strategies will help you boost productivity, stay organised, and make every minute of your workday count.
- Conduct a Time Audit
Often wonder where your day goes? A time audit is a track sheet of how you spend your day. It helps you understand where your time goes, allowing you to identify areas for improvement. By pinpointing your time-wasting habits, you can make significant changes in your daily routine.
Here’s an example of a time audit for a manager to track their daily hours.
An example of a time audit for a typical day in a manager’s life.
Still remember when I first conducted a time audit, I was amazed to find out how much time I spend on low priority tasks. Merely by tracking my activities for a week helped me identify areas to improve, like spending too much time in back-to-back meetings. By scaling down unnecessary meetings and reserving focused work blocks, I saved up a lot of valuable time.
So, how can you conduct a time audit? It is a very simple process with the steps as follows:
- Choose a Period: First, you need to decide whether you want to audit your time for a week or just a few days. So feel free to pick a timeframe that best works for you.
- Track Your Activities: Next, record everything you do. It can be an online meeting, a break, scrolling on social media, chatting with colleagues, etc. You can use digital tools or even a simple notebook to track your tasks.
- Review Your Log: After your chosen tracking period is over, look for patterns. Find out activities that are unnecessary and taking a lot of your time. So, are you spending too much time in meetings or checking emails? This self-analysis will help you spot all possible inefficiencies and make you realise that they aren’t as necessary as you thought.
- Set Goals: Finally, you know where your time goes. It’s time to make adjustments where you can cut back or what activities you can ignore. Here, you can clearly distinguish between essential and non-essential activities that can help you set goals to focus on the most important tasks.
For example, you may find that there are a lot of unnecessary meetings you are joining or holding. You can easily skip unnecessary ones and consolidate the ones that are important.
- Prioritise Your Tasks
“What is important is seldom urgent, and what is urgent is seldom important.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower
It means sometimes your tasks are not as important as you think of them, tasks like replying to every email.
One great way I learnt was using the Eisenhower Matrix. It is a simple tool that categorises tasks based on urgency and importance. As a result, it helped me immediately identify my urgent and important tasks without affecting my productivity and preventing burnout.
The matrix divides tasks into four categories:
- Urgent and Important: You need to tackle these tasks immediately. Some of these tasks include meeting a deadline or addressing a client crisis.
- Not Urgent but Important: Tasks like long-term planning or skill development lay in this category. They are essential, but you don’t have to complete them right away.
- Urgent but Not Important: You can delegate these tasks to your team members. Some examples are responding to routine emails or scheduling meetings.
- Not Urgent and Not Important: These tasks are distractions. You need to eliminate them. This category can include browsing social media.
Here’s an example of how you can create an Eisenhower matrix:
Eisenhower Matrix
Review this matrix daily or weekly, both at work and in your personal life. So that you can focus on important tasks.
- Break Your Day into Time Blocks
Time blocking is a simple yet powerful time management method that helps you organise your day by breaking it into focused chunks of time.
Instead of tackling everything at once, you dedicate specific blocks of time to certain tasks. This method limits distractions and allows you to concentrate on one task at a time.
For instance, I had reserved my early morning slot 9-11 AM for strategic planning or problem-solving. I also made sure that there are no interruptions allowed. This practice helped me tackle important tasks without feeling overwhelmed.
So, how can you do it? Follow these simple steps:
- First, list all your tasks for the day.
- Prioritise them by urgency and importance.
- Assign each task in your calendar for each task.
- Then, add buffer time for any unexpected circumstances.
One good example of this can be:
9-11 AM: Give a knowledge-sharing session
11-12 PM: Respond to emails
2-4 PM: Attend meetings
- Stop Procrastinating
Procrastination is productivity’s worst enemy! In fact, the average person is only productive for about 2 hours and 53 minutes a day. When I noticed myself putting off difficult tasks, I tried the Pomodoro Technique. By working in focused intervals of 25-minutes, I found that even the most difficult tasks became more approachable. And the regular break kept my energy up, and I ended the day with finishing most of the tasks, not to mention the most difficult ones. . This technique breaks work into manageable, timed sessions.
Similarly you too can use it for your work:
- Choose a task you want to complete.
- Set a timer for 25 minutes.
- Work on the task until the timer rings without any distractions.
- Take a short 5-minute break to refresh.
- Repeat the cycle four times, then take a longer break.
By breaking tasks into small chunks, you can avoid feeling feelings to procrastination and can dive right into the work. Working in short bursts can help you increase focus and reduce distractions.
- Follow 80/20 Rule
The Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 Rule, is another one of the most effective time management strategies. It suggests that 80% of your results come from just 20% of your efforts. So, you need to identify and focus on these high-impact tasks to boost your productivity.
Consider these two scenarios:
- You spend hours in meetings or managing routine administrative tasks that make you look busy. But, may not deliver as much value.
- You organise performance review meetings or one-on-one coaching sessions with top-performing employees. These meetings lead to increased productivity across the board.
So, the choice is yours – you want to look busy or be productive? If you choose the latter, take a close look at your to-do list and ask yourself: Which tasks have the biggest impact? Focus on those first.
As for the smaller, less important tasks? Either eliminate them or delegate them to someone else.
- Delegate Your Tasks
“If you want to do a few small things right, do them yourself. If you want to do great things and make a big impact, learn to delegate.” – John C. Maxwell
Delegation allows you to focus on high-priority tasks while passing on less critical ones to others. By delegating effectively, you can free up your schedule and ensure everything still gets done.
It took me so long to learn to delegate as it was a big step. The need arose when I realised that my team was capable and eager to take ownership. Once I developed this habit, it freed up alot of my time to focus on strategic decision-making.
To delegate properly, you need to select the right person for the job. Make sure they have the skills and time to complete the task. Next involves giving clear instructions so they understand what’s expected. Delegation is not just about offloading your work, it’s also about trusting your team to deliver results.
You can use a collaboration tool like ProofHub to streamline the delegation process that allows you to assign tasks, track progress and keep everything organised.
- Stay Organised with a Daily/Weekly Plan
Organisation at work helps you boost productivity and avoid last-minute stress. A daily or weekly plan guides you through your tasks, so you don’t miss anything important. According to Matthews, G. Dominican University of California (2007), people who write down their goals are 33-42% more likely to achieve them.
But, where to start? Well, creating a plan is simple! You can start by listing your work tasks and personal activities. A daily planner or weekly planner can help you keep everything organised.
Break your day into manageable blocks, then allocate time for both work and personal activities. This will ensure that you don’t feel overwhelmed.
Below is an example of a page from a manager’s daily planner.
A page from a manager’s daily planner
Last but not least, review your plan regularly. And, adjust your schedule to keep up with the changes in your routine. This will help you stay flexible and focused.
- Minimise Distractions
Did you know that it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to regain focus after being distracted? Yes, you read it right! Whether it’s the ping of a notification or the chatter of colleagues, these interruptions can quickly derail your focus.
To avoid these distractions, start by creating a dedicated workspace. This will stimulate your brain to think that it’s time to work. You can also use focus apps to block distracting websites, keeping your attention on the task at hand.
Also, set boundaries. Let your team know when you need uninterrupted time. You can do so by activating “Do Not Disturb” modes on your devices. And use noise-cancelling headphones if background noise bothers you. They help you create a bubble of focus, making it easier to focus on your work.
By minimising distractions, you can enjoy a more peaceful work environment.
- Learn to Say No
In a world that constantly demands our attention, if you want to manage your time, you need to learn to say no. You need to set boundaries to protect your schedule from tasks that don’t align with your priorities.
When you come across new tasks, ask yourself: Does this support my overall goal? If not, then it’s okay to decline.
Saying no doesn’t have to be harsh. You can use polite phrases like, “I appreciate the offer, but I can’t take that on right now.” This way, you can maintain respect while prioritising your tasks.
By focusing on high-value tasks, you can free up time for what truly matters. So, learn when to say no! It leads to greater focus, less stress, and increased productivity.
- Take Regular Breaks
Taking regular short breaks can prevent burnout and significantly improve focus. When you step away from your tasks, you give your brain a chance to recharge. This allows you to return refreshed and ready to tackle challenges.
The 52/17 rule can help you schedule your breaks effectively. It suggests working for 52 minutes and then taking a 17-minute break. During these breaks, engage in active activities like taking a quick walk or doing some light exercises.
Regular breaks can actually boost your productivity. So, the next time you feel your energy dipping, take a well-timed break to increase your energy levels.
- Use Technology to Streamline Your Day
In today’s fast-paced world, technology can help you manage your time effectively. With the right tools, you can streamline your day and enhance your efficiency. These tools can work as your personal assistants to stay organised and on track.
Some popular tools you can use are ProofHub for project management, Google Calendar for scheduling, and Trello for visual project tracking. These tools help you prioritise your tasks and remind you of important deadlines.
Moreover, automation can save you tons of time on routine tasks. For instance, email automation tools like Mailchimp can handle repetitive email tasks. As a result, freeing you up for more important work. So, embrace technology to take charge of your time.
- Avoid Multitasking
Many of us pride ourselves on being great multitaskers. But, did you know that this habit can actually be counterproductive?
Initially, I thought multitasking was a strength, but I realised too soon that it was slowing me down. Now, I single-task, focusing on one project at a time and the results are amazing as I can now work more efficiently.
In fact, when we switch between tasks, we can lose as much as 40% of our productivity. This constant shifting slows us down and adds unnecessary stress to our workdays.
Moreover, research “The Pitfalls of Multitasking,” published in MedEdPORTAL in 2016, shows that frequent task-switching can reduce productivity and cognitive performance.
It also found that participants who multitask were more prone to making mistakes. They took longer to complete tasks compared to those who focused on one task at a time. This indicates that multitasking can lead to a decline in the quality of our work.
So, instead of juggling multiple tasks, focus on completing one task at a time before moving on to the next. This allows you to focus on your work, improving both quality and efficiency.
By dedicating your focus to one task, you can complete it swiftly and feel more accomplished. This will also set a positive tone for the rest of your day.
Conclusion
To conclude, managing your time is essential for increasing productivity at work. Even small changes in how you manage your time can lead to significant improvements in your day-to-day tasks.
Whether it’s prioritising tasks or setting specific business goals, every little step counts. So, stay consistent, and you’ll see how the above time management strategies can enhance your efficiency. Plus, you can maintain a healthy work-life balance.
