With today’s technologies and distractions, it can be easy to lose track of valuable time screen-surfing Instagram, Facebook, or Youtube. Even a five-minute break could quickly turn into 20 minutes of wasted time.
The more stressed people get, they become restless, distracted, and less productive. To avoid falling
behind and to be efficient and effective in your time management, you need to keep your ambition to avoid becoming restless and distracted. Yes, even the manager can lose focus a time or two. So, what is the meaning of ambition, and how does it help you stay focused as a manager? Ambition is described as the desire that pushes you to accomplish the goals you set out for yourself. So, when we are not effectively managing our time and feeling stressed, remember these five tops for time management.
- Plan Days and Weeks Ahead of Time
To effectively manage your time, you need to be thinking critically and planning your days and weeks. For example, if Monday’s schedule is light, you might consider pulling items from Tuesday and completing them. Planning lets you see what you have due for the week so you can work more efficiently at completing the task and projects before their deadlines.
2. Prioritize Tasks
In order to manage your time effectively, you need to be able to prioritize your tasks. Focus on weeding out your day or week with what is critical to get done right away and what can be done at a later time. Think about due dates, the importance of clients, and adjust your to-do-lists and tasks as you need. Prioritize essential responsibilities for the morning when you are fresh and have the most motivation, in the afternoon, complete less important tasks that don’t require a lot of attention to detail.
- Avoid Multitasking
Multitasking too much can lead to stress and is very difficult to do, especially in a work environment, multitasking can decrease your productivity, and might pull you in many different directions. To increase you’re efficient and manage your time better you need to focus on one thing at a time. Instead of getting caught up on a phone or emails, take a short break between your projects and tasks to help clear your mind and increase productivity.
- Track Your Progress
Track your timing progress, just like you might track your employees computer usage. You need to hold yourself to the same accountability to make sure you are completing your tasks and practicing your time management skills. Tracking your social media use, or internet use can help you see where your wasting time, and what time of day so you can adjust your plans for the day if you know at 2 pm you seem to be the less productive, you no not to schedule any meeting or presentation at this time of day when your less focused and motivated.
- Use Tools as You Need Them
Using tools, such as agendas, calendars, and planners are a great way to manage your time and highlight what you need to get done everyday. Whatever works best for you to help you see your tasks at hands is the best tool for you to use. Eventually, look at developing a task management and workflow tool that can be used across many different accounts to help with time management and organization for every one in the company. Play around to find the tools that work best for you, and maybe you need things color-coded, so they jump out at you. You need to discover the system and device that are going to help you manage your time the most effectively.
Final Thoughts
Everyone has there own way of managing their time, but the essential thing to do as a good manager is find the tool that helps you be the most effective and share with your employees. Being active at time managing helps with meeting deadlines and stress, so remember to keep your expectations realistic, prioritize your most important tasks, and track your progress to see how much you’ve grown since taking severe action to help your time management abilities.