There’s nothing more discouraging than feeling like you’re working at a million miles per hour but not actually getting anywhere. Some days you can walk into the office and you’re already chasing your tail, and with the addition of phone calls, ad hoc duties, emails and technical errors it’s unlikely you’ll catch up!
There are plenty of time management habits and apps to assist you throughout your day, some will suit you better than others you’ve just got to find your style. But before you scroll through the App Store, why not adopt some of these Top Time Management Tips? Each one has come from someone within the team, someone you wouldn’t mind betting on in the Time Efficient Olympics (riveting TV for sure).
Organisation for the nation!
Fran: “I always plan my week ahead: when are my calls, when are my meetings, what deadlines do I have? Then I set reminders so I can’t forget them”
Organisation is paramount. You can’t work efficiently if you don’t know what even needs doing. Sometimes though, we know we have all these ‘things’ to do but we don’t wake up with a plan of action to tackle them one by one, in the order they need to be tackled. Writing a schedule for your day whether it’s the day before or as soon as you get into work, will help, but the addition of reminders through either your phone or laptop (all hail the Google Calendar) is almost fault proof.
Aeroplane Mode
Dan: “The only way I can zone in and be productive is if I have zero distractions, and for me that’s disconnecting from the internet. I manually put my phone onto Aeroplane mode so I can’t receive notifications, messages or calls. Try it, you’ll be surprised how productive you become”.
What!? How could I possibly disconnect from communication for an hour?! What if something terrible happens like… Oh, actually, everything can wait. There is nothing that can’t be dealt with in an hour, or two even! Honestly.
According to research in The Journal of Social Psychology, the mere presence of a mobile phone may even distract you; it reminds you of the “Broader Social Community”, who’s out there, what are they doing, what do they have to say?
Be Present
Nina: “Be disciplined. Focus on the job at hand and be present in whatever you are doing”.
We are so available these days that an email, Whatsapp message or other notification can distract us more than we’re aware, never mind someone physically interrupting with another task to add to the to-do list…
Perhaps popping in some headphones with your chosen motivating music is enough for you to focus fully on the task in hand, for some, the mere association of putting the headphones in sends signals to their brain to focus. For complete isolation and consequent productivity, physically removing yourself, your laptop and your notepad (or whatever your industry tools may be) to a quiet area is the answer. The point is to know what works for you; where do you produce your best work and where are you most efficient?
The Morning after the Night Before…
Matt: “What works for me is having a big night-before policy. Everything planned out and ready to execute as soon as the morning hits – Don’t start the day until it is already finished!”
Ever had the best intentions for the day ahead but one thing doesn’t go to plan, then the next slips away because you’re now behind, then before you know it there’s toothpaste down your shirt and you’ve forgotten your keys?
Having the best intentions is useless unless you implement the actions to follow. Spending as little as five minutes bullet pointing your tomorrow with what needs to be achieved, and in what order, will give your day structure and eliminate the morning panic.
Taking it further, planning your outfit, meals for the day, calls you need to make, packing your bag even will leave you heading to bed satisfied and waking up ready and raring to go.
Value Added TIME
Rob: “It’s okay to say no, it’s also okay to give someone a time frame. When someone comes to me with a task or a question, I’m happy to help but I’m aware of my time. If I don’t have the time to address it right there and then, I’ll let them know when I am free to see them next”.
Interruptions are time zappers. Some are urgent, some are important and some are unnecessary. A general rule of thumb is to evaluate which category your interruption falls into before you’re whisked away.
If it’s urgent, save what you were doing, and deal with it. If it’s important but not urgent, make a note of it and arrange a time that you can address the issue. If it’s unnecessary for you to solve, either delegate to someone it’s relevant for or encourage the source of interruption to solve it themselves.
You don’t have to be everything to everyone, nor are you a superhero, so decide what is necessary and where you are most valuable. If you seem to be spending your time putting out fires or performing tasks that someone else could easily do, it may be time to delegate. You should always aim to utilise your strengths, know where you can add value and capitalise on that.
So there you have it, five time saving tips to revolutionise your working day – let us know how you get on! And if you have any tips for us we’re always happy to be MORE efficient so send them our way 🙂
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