Make time work for you - The clock is ticking!

1 in 5 managers (18%) have a proper time management system. The remaining managers (82%) do not have a time management system and simply rely on the least successful time management technique of all, ‘dealing with whatever comes up first’!

If you feel there is never enough time in the day to get all your work done, then finding an effective time management strategy and technique to get the most out of each day is crucial.

Well-developed time management strategies will help you have more control over your time and productivity. 

Regardless of your motivation for improving your time management, implementing some form of process will provide some key benefits:

• Increased confidence in yourself.
• Reduced stress and anxiety.
• Ability to consistently meet deadlines.
• Colleagues see you as a reliable achiever.

Pitfalls of poor time management

It is commonplace that some managers experience a wide array of perceived obstacles reducing their ability to manage their time effectively. Fortunately, it is possible to identify and address time-management challenges, and by doing so can help optimise our productiveness:

Low motivation

Sometimes, finding the motivation to complete important tasks can be the first obstacle to good time management. You might have experienced a situation when you have plenty of time to complete a particular task, but you don’t feel like doing so. Finding motivation is a common challenge, try finding something about the task you feel enthusiastic about and focus on that part of the project that interests you.

Fig. 1. Decision matrix (Dwight Eisenhower 1950).

Overbooking

Although it is often easy to accept new tasks with enthusiasm, sometimes the reality of the time needed to carry out them exceeds the time available. Carefully consider your current workload before taking on new assignments and ask for an estimate of the time needed to complete the job. If you are already overbooked, consider trying another time-management strategy such as delegating, re-scheduling, collaborating or simply deleting, (see Fig. 1).

Not enough rest

Hard-working individuals sleep fewer hours per day or choose to avoid breaks in hope of having extra time to be more productive. Reducing or cutting time out in this way may feel productive in the short term, but it usually makes you less effective overall. Productivity often increases with well-rested energy, so it is vital you rest when you need and are able. Consider building breaks into your day to refresh your energy.

Multiple distractions

Distraction-proof your workspace by using indicators that you are working, such as wearing a set of headphones or even closing your door if it is appropriate. Consider placing your phone or other electronic devices across the room, silencing it, or turning it off completely if you have another way to receive essential information.

Techniques for working smarter in the workplace

Knowing what works for you is critical. The object is to create a routine that feels empowering and lets you perform at your best. It is important to understand yourself and match your schedule with your energy levels and ability to concentrate. Creating a schedule with the tasks, responsibilities and other activities which need your focus is a fantastic way to improve your time management and productivity.

Fig. 2. Weekly line manager ‘catch-ups’(Helmn 2019).

Below are some tips that can help you be more organised:

Write Things Down

Trying to remember things will not help you to stay organised. You should try writing things down. You will only further complicate your life by trying to have important dates and reminders in your head. Write down everything, when you applied fertilizer, what the application rates were, what the results were periodically after application and so on. This form of logging information is extremely useful for your future success, (see Fig. 2).

Follow a routine

Have a plan of what you need to get done and when you’re going to check those action items off your to-do list. Sticking to a routine helps to automate tasks that need to get done, whether you dread them or not, because doing something every single day will make your brain happy and help to create good habits.

Make deadlines

Organised people don’t waste time. They recognise that keeping things organised goes together with staying productive. They make deadlines and set goals. And most importantly, they stick to them!

Don’t procrastinate

The longer you wait to do something, the more difficult it will be to get it done. If you want your life to be less stressful and less demanding, then organise as soon as you can. Putting in the effort to get things done as soon as possible will lift the weight off you from doing it later.

Give everything a home

Keeping organised means keeping your things in their proper places. Organised people keep order by storing things properly and by labelling storage spaces. A big ‘NO’ is to never label a storage space as “miscellaneous”!

Creating the perfect schedule for you!

Designing a schedule takes time and practice to develop. A successful schedule will require constant refining before the ‘perfect’ format is reached, one which will boost your productivity and save you time. It is important to appreciate that schedule organisation is rarely a one size fits all approach, that said, there are fundamental behaviours for developing and keeping a successful schedule:

• Pay attention to how you feel. Create a workflow that helps you perform your best work by matching jobs with your mood and level of motivation.
• Make mornings effortless. Create a simple set of morning habits which help you establish a reliable starting point for each new day.
• Set priorities for the day. Avoid being distracted by everything you want to do. Identify the top three most important
• tasks, then schedule enough time to complete them.
• Tackle the most challenging tasks first. Getting an important job done early gives you the motivation to keep working. Not only can this put you in a good mood, but it can also help you be happier at work over the long term.

Taking time to reflect on what you accomplished in the day will help set yourself up for success for the following day. The end of the day is the perfect time to review your to-do list, to see all the items you checked off, and what is still left to be tackled. The end-of-day review is also a chance for honest self-reflection about how well you managed your time.

Through self-reflection, you can identify what’s working and where you can continue to improve. Becoming more self-aware will help improve your time-management skills. Knowing when your energy levels are highest can help you focus on tasks at the right time of the day. If you concentrate better and are more creative in the mornings, it may be more productive to focus on writing tasks. If you know your energy levels are lower in the afternoons, consider jobs that require little energy, such as course walks or those less important meetings.