Time management at work is a process of planning and controlling the time spent on specific tasks with the aim of improving productivity and efficiency.
Time is the most valuable asset we have. With proper time management at work, the company’s objectives will be achieved, and the worker will have time to spend with family and friends.
However, how to improve time management at work?
There are different causes of poor time management. In addition to external distractions, such as the use of social networks at work, continuous emails, constant notifications on the phone and the use of other communication applications, we must add other causes, such as:
- Too much workload
- Poor distribution of tasks.
- Lack of objectives.
- Poor planning on the part of the company or the worker.
- Failure to establish priorities.
- Not knowing how to delegate tasks.
This has been compounded by the Coronavirus pandemic and remote working, which has led to a poorer state of mental health among workers and therefore affects their performance and productivity.
Two out of three of the people who were teleworking during the confinement saw their work performance affected, according to the survey on the situation, assessment and perception linked to COVID-19 carried out by the Research Group on Electoral Processes and Public Opinion of the University of Valencia.
Thus, at Ibercenter we are going to share keys to improve time management at work.
1. Define goals and objectives
Clear, defined and time-bound objectives. And this is where the problems begin: many people spend most of their time on solving relatively minor problems.
Instead, we need to focus on a few, but vitally important, activities. This can be based on Pareto’s Law, whereby 20% of the time and energy used correctly gives us 80% of the result.
So you should establish as priority objectives those actions that will have the greatest impact on the project. A fantastic tool that will help you to manage projects and improve productivity is Trello.
2. Plan to improve your time management
If you spend 8 minutes preparing your daily work and do it consistently, you can gain an hour of time for the essentials every day.
There are various methods, but we use the Alpen method: write down tasks, activities, unfinished business from the previous day, regularly recurring topics on a sheet of paper or in an application and, next to it, the time you will have to spend on these tasks. Also include the additional time the task might require.
A simple app to organise daily tasks is TickTick (available for Android and IOS) that allows you to create lists for each of them: work, home, shopping…
3. Concentrate on a single task
Peter Drucker said, “it is better to do the real work than to do it truly”. Often, we try to do too many things at once and risk getting lost in the mix.
Concentrate on a single task for a certain amount of time. An essential precondition for this is to establish clear and defined priorities as described above.
Maximum concentration is between 25-60 minutes. Take breaks and concentrate on a single task.
4. Positivity
Success depends, in part, on your own thoughts, your mood and the feelings you experience every day. Therefore, one of the keys to improve time management and doing a good job is to think and act positively.
If you think that you will not manage to finish a task every day, you will inevitably fall into your own plot. Keep a positive attitude every day by doing an activity other than your usual work (sport, family, hobby, etc.) or doing a task at work that satisfies you.
5. Be aware of your performance curve
Personal performance is subject to certain fluctuations during the day. These vary depending on factors such as health and eating habits or personal characteristics and influence our time management.
As a rule, however, the highest level of performance is reached in the morning. This level will not be reached again during the day. Therefore, it is better to perform a complicated and difficult task in the morning.
It is also not advisable to work for a long time and intensively, as performance will plummet. Take breaks, not as a waste of time, but as a recharge of energy. A 10-minute break is the optimal time to recharge your batteries.
6. Don’t get distracted at work
The use of mobile phones disturbs our concentration and productivity. Likewise, constantly looking at your phone, whether to check your messages or social networks, generates more anxiety. A simple tool that will tell us how much time we waste is Rescue Time, which will show us how many hours we have really been productive and how much time we have wasted.
Another option is to perform tasks in spaces free of distractions, such as an office or living room, where your performance will improve significantly compared to teleworking.
7. Beware of time thieves
Often, we are not to blame for the loss of time at work, but rather external agents that cause us to accumulate defined and organised tasks in our day. Among the main time thieves are meetings, queues, emails or interruptions.
Try to eradicate them from your routine so as not to diminish your performance. For example, in the case of meetings, determine whether your intervention is going to be indispensable. Otherwise, your presence may not be required.
8. Learn to switch off
Sometimes, the biggest problem for workers or entrepreneurs is not knowing how to disconnect and take your work with you everywhere you go. Golden rule to improve time management: disconnecting does not make us irresponsible. In fact, it allows us to perform better when we are doing our jobs.
So, get together with your family and friends, do some pleasurable activity or plan a trip or getaway. It will help you be more productive at work.
