Posts Tagged ‘time management strategies’
Time Management Techniques to Overcome Too Much Workload
Having too much workload can be very stressful. So as not to compromise health, apply the following best time management techniques in order to live a balanced life namely: make a list of scheduled activities, identify your objectives, apportion time equally, plan your approach, know your capacity, delegate tasks, utilize time management tools, and relax.
Stress at work is completely inevitable. It is part of the pay since the company exists to generate revenue; employers pass the pressure to its people by expecting the most out of them. Although you are compensated to work, it does not mean you have to work hardly as if tomorrow will never come. Do not put your health at risk by getting exhausted from too much load. Therefore, if you want to be efficient in whatever you do, manage your time properly by following these simple tips:
Make a list of scheduled activities
List down all the things you need to do for the day. Arrange them from the highest to least priority, so that you can sort out which one needs utmost importance. Be realistic; include only those you can handle for the day, so that you will not end up having a long list, which is almost impossible to achieve. Having a long list of “to-do” things can be frustrating especially if you find out that you have not accomplished 50 percent of the total number of things listed.
Identify your objectives
Once you are done with the list, you need to know what your objectives are to be able to properly manage your time. Identify what you want to accomplish, so that you can carry on with your tasks spontaneously.
Apportion time equally
Since not all tasks require the same length of time, be able to give an approximation for each task, so that you can equally distribute your time. By doing this, you will not end up bringing your works at home.
Plan your approach
Now that you have allocated your time properly, decide on what approach to use, so that work will be smooth sailing. As a suggestion, arrange things from easiest to the most difficult or you may also categorize them according to nature and scope of work. This will make your job more convenient because you won’t get stuck on one task that will consume most of your time.
Know your capacity
Refusing a task once in a while will not affect your performance especially if your reason for not accepting is your being overloaded. It is not proper to just accept everything what your boss requires even if you know he is getting overboard. By refusing a given task is something you should not be worried of. This only shows that you know what your limits are and that you do not want to compromise your work by producing low-quality results.
Delegate tasks
Asking for assistance is a common occurrence in a work place. Every person has its own field of expertise; therefore, it is understandable that sometimes delegating a task to other competent workers is a sensible thing to do. If you think that you can’t make it on your own, you might as well give it to your co-worker who is much knowledgeable and experienced than you.
Utilize time management tools
For beginners who have just started getting organized, you may make use of tools that are useful when managing time. From the various tools available such as organizer, watch, beepers, electronic reminders – pick something that you are comfortable with. By the time you get accustomed to setting routines, you may gradually get rid of these tools.
Relax
In case you feel like you can’t bear the load anymore, the best thing to do is to relax for a moment. No matter how willing your body is, but your mind is not working anymore; you will turn out unproductive and lousy.
No matter how busy life may be, make sure to take care of your health by practicing time management techniques. Do not allow stress to defeat you in the end because after all it is just a matter of getting organized.
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To Do or Not To Do – The Key To Organized Time Management
Time Management Strategies
Keeping a To Do list sounds like such a trivial thing but it is the key to never missing a deadline and managing your time more effectively. If you do not use a list you will undoubtedly miss something or forget an important detail which results in you appearing unprofessional or unreliable. The secret is to use the list properly.
To get started just write down everything you hope to accomplish today. If you get into the habit of jotting down notes of things to do over the course of your day you can use it to plan your To Do list for the next day.
Now categorize the tasks on your To-Do List as follows.
- Need to do: These are the tasks that require immediate attention. Anything urgent or aproaching deadline would go in this category.
- Have to do: These are the routine things that you do on a daily basis that are not high priority but must be accomplished daily.
- Ought to do: This category is for the tasks that are performed only ocassionally. Things like staying in contact with past clients, networking, planning future projects, etc.
- Want to do: Cleaning and reorganizing your office space, and other low priority tasks.
Tip. Break large projects down into manageable time blocks allowing you to complete them in intervals, if possible, over the course of several days.
Anything not accomplished today must be transferred to your To Do list for tomorrow and moved up the list depending on their importance. Do not be too concerned if your “ought to do and Want to do” categories don’t get completed for several months. They are very low priority and must only be done after the important tasks are completed. By keeping a prioritized list of things to do you will never miss a deadline and will not waste time performing low level jobs in place of the ones that really matter.
Check each task off your list as you complete it. This gives you a greater sense of accomplishment and a better feeling that your time was well spent. Without a To Do list your time management can’t be visualized and monitored.
Time Management-How Much More Could You Achieve In A Day With Just One Extra Hour of Time?
Time Management Strategies
Many of us feel like we are run off our feet but still can’t keep up with everything that needs to be done because of poor time management. How many times have you felt like there just aren’t enough hours in the day? If you are feeling overworked and overloaded it makes sense to take a look at just how your time is spent. The best way to do this is to keep a time management journal.
When you start recording the length of time you spend doing unimportant tasks and routines you may find that you have an extra hour in your day that could be spent more productively. Making better use of your time can go a long way towards reducing your stress and increasing your productivity.
By keeping a log of your time you will also learn to recognize when you are functioning at your peak performance. We all have times of the day when our energy levels are at their highest, our mind is focused and we can dig in and get an amazing volume of work accomplished in a short amount of time. Learning to plan your work around your peak times and scheduling your breaks in your down times will make better use of your time.
For the next week, record the time whenever you move from one activity to another.
Jot down not only work time but also time spent chatting with colleagues, making coffee, having lunch, checking email, talking on the phone and breaks.
At the same time, make note of your mood. Are you feeling energetic or lethargic; creative or mentally drained; tired or alert?
A good idea is to also include your eating habits in the log. Your energy bursts or lack of energy may be directly related to the last time you ate and what you consumed.
After a week it is time to analyze the results. You may be surprised to see just how much time is spent on non-work related or low value jobs. Now start crossing off tasks that should be delegating to a lower paid employee.
1. Eliminate non-productive activities such as personal emails, personal phone calls, reserve lunch hour and break-times for socializing with coworkers.
2. Schedule the tasks that require the most focus and presents the most challenge during the times when you have the most energy and alertness.
3.Complete your tasks in blocks of time. Reduce the amount of times you switch tasks. Check and answer emails only twice per day; once in the morning and once in the afternoon instead of checking every time you switch tasks.
By analyzing your time you should be able to find blocks of time that your are currently wasting. Often just having to write down the time makes you more aware and accountable and you may find that while you are keeping the journal you are being more productive. If that is the case then you should continue keeping an activity log.