Efficient Workplace Time Management: Assessing Your Approach

As stated by Success Consciousness, time management is “a set of principles, practices, skills, tools, and systems that help you use your time to accomplish what you want.” A lack of time management doesn’t only effect your business, but it can also spill over and affect your personal life as well, so it is critical for professionals to learn ways to manage their time better. Below are some helpful tips you can use to assist with your time management efforts.

Evaluate Your Current Situation

The first thing you should do when determining the best way to manage your time better is to assess the way you currently approach time management. Are you using all your time in the most effective way possible? Are your meetings long on time but short on results? Are your business lunches longer, and more frequent than they need to be? Every minute counts.

Mentally evaluate your typical day and decide what is hurting you vs. what is helping your time management and your productively in the work place. You can also do this with your co-workers and staff.

Prioritize

When you first get into the office, map out your day and determine which tasks need to be done. Now determine which tasks are the most important, require the most time, and are most challenging. Arrange and tackle all the things you need to complete in the best order depending on your work style and personality. For example, if you are more awake and productive first thing in the morning, make sure your biggest and most important duties are completed then. If you are more productive after lunch, schedule them then. Do whatever works for you.

Stay Off Social Media

I know, I know, this one can be tough. Especially since social media is such a big part of everyone’s everyday life. It’s also extremely valuable for most businesses to assist with networking, marketing, and finding more clients.

But how many times do you check your personal accounts throughout the day? Just a peek at Facebook here, and a peak at a Instagram there can add up. Try to keep your personal social media viewing to a minimum while you’re clocked in by only viewing it during your lunch break, or not at all.

Block Out The Noise

There is noise everywhere and it can be distracting. Not only noise, but all types of outside factors as well: cell phones, emails, other co-workers, etc. All these things can divert attention and can all contribute to not managing time properly.

If you have to, put a Do Not Disturb sign on your office door. If it helps, turn off the phone. The key is: If it isn’t helping you be productive, block it out.

Make A Schedule And Stick And Stick To It

Do you ever feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day for you to complete everything on your agenda? Sometimes there aren’t, but sometimes your day just needs to be rearranged differently.

One way to fit more into your day is to schedule out your day, and stick to that schedule. Also when you do the schedule, put everything on there. Okay maybe not EVERYTHING – like bathroom breaks – but things like lunch breaks, meetings, conversations that may take a lot of time out of your day, even possible distractions should all be considered when making a schedule. That way there are no surprises.

Utilize Tools And People That Can Help Assist With Time Management

Even though you may think that multitasking is helping you save time, it can sometimes slow you down. Do one tasks at a time and make sure it is done correctly and efficiently.

There are also a large variety of tools that can help assist you and help you manage time better. Those can include phone apps, organizers, and programs that can help get your where you need to be.

You may also need to consider the people around you. Are your co-workers and employees hurting or helping your efforts at managing time better? Maybe you need an assistant or receptionist to help you get more organized and get things done. If a full-time receptionist is not realistic or necessary, consider a virtual receptionist to help you free up time and take care of a lot of responsibilities that are using up most of your day. A virtual receptionist can do a lot of things for you including screen calls, live-call answering, scheduling appointments, and more.

Take these suggestions and implements the ones that are best for your business and brand. Avoid common time management mistakes. They may be a struggle at first, but overtime these tips will be easier to include in your daily workday. Plan ahead and follow through, and before you know it you will have have more time and you will be more productive and focused during the day.