Are you one of those people who never has time to finish all the daily tasks, have you noticed how others have enough time in the day and want to know why you don't? The answer is simple, it's all about time management, you're probably not using the best time management strategies for productivity.
Time management may seem like a simple concept, but the truth is that its application is a bit more complex, however, with discipline you can get to implement it efficiently. These are strategies to make work more effective, therefore they seek to maximize productivity, meeting short, medium and long term goals. Want to know more? Read to the end to discover incredible ways to make the most of the hours of the day!
What is time management?
It’s an essential skill for making the most of 24 hours a day, through increased productivity, success and quality of life. Time management techniques will make you a key player in any work team.
We know how complicated it can be as a freelancer, entrepreneur or CEO of a company to meet the pending and deadlines day by day, these strategies to make work more effective will make your performance in the workplace stand out and consequently you can complete projects in less time.
10 time management strategies for productivity
Remember that time is limited, and like all resources, it must also be managed, do not hesitate to apply the following time management strategies for productivity, and in a very short time you will notice incredible benefits.
1.Plan the steps to follow
Planning is one of the most important management techniques. You cannot be a worker who organizes the plan on the fly, you must have defined beforehand the objective, the steps to follow and the time in which it must be achieved. With proper planning you will not only save time, but also money.
- Set the objectives
- Break down the goal into small tasks and include all team members.
- Allocate a certain amount of time for each task
- Determine who is responsible for ensuring that the assigned activities are completed.
2. Create an ideal work environment
Time management in the workplace applies to both office and remote workers; the work environment has a significant influence on the completion of tasks within assigned deadlines.
Make sure you know your team’s strengths and weaknesses, encourage them to be better every day and let them know they have your support, and of course provide the right working conditions in the facility through functional spaces and equipment. Making use of these management techniques will help promote productivity.
3. Take advantage of digital tools
Strategies to make work more effective go hand in hand with digital tools, since digitizing and automating processes leads to time savings, which is essential in project management.
These tools will allow you to assign tasks, delivery times, view calendars, create lists, mind maps and manage work teams in the same place, so you have access to all optimized processes, some of them are:
- Asana
- AirTable
- ClickUp
- Slack
- Trello
4. Don’t hesitate to get the job done
Time management strategies for productivity are based on action, remember the saying “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today”. However, to apply this step, you must have an important criterion, because it is not advisable to execute without planning, all strategies go hand in hand.
David Allen’s two-minute rule represents one of the best management techniques: If it can be done in less than two minutes, do it. This will help you to do the easiest tasks first, and then cross them off the list.
5. Eliminate unnecessary tasks
Time management in the workplace should focus on essential tasks; even if an assignment is part of a routine, it should go through a review process as to whether or not it is vital to meeting objectives.
It is about prioritizing the activities that will lead you to the pinnacle of success. We recommend using the 80/20 Pareto rule, where 80% of success is due to 20% of the tasks performed; if a task is not going to contribute to success, leave it aside.
6. Put off what you can’t get rid of
There are minor tasks that cannot be eliminated, as they are still essential to meet the objectives, however, they are tasks that should not be accomplished immediately. Don’t worry about it, time management strategies for productivity seek to establish an order of priorities in your work methodology.
You should only assign a list of deferred tasks and a time to accomplish them, with the precaution of not falling into perennial procrastination, because you would only be accumulating pending tasks. This would be a clear example of procrastination, an enemy practice of time management in the workplace.
7. Delegate and trust in the result
Teamwork is vital in time management strategies for productivity. The results of delegating are amazing, especially if you have hired people who are skilled and experienced in your core business.
More than assigning a role or task, delegating is about knowing who is the ideal person for a specific activity. Know your employees and trust them!
8. Schedule time
Assigning a specific time period for each task is one of the best goal-oriented time management techniques. It is a way to incentivize completion of work in pre-defined blocks of time.
It should be a realistic block of time, as no unnecessary pressure should be placed on the team. A clear example is if there is a to-do list, at least 2 hours a day should be allocated to finish it, and without neglecting other activities, they will see the results.
9. Pomodoro Method
The Pomodoro method is positioned as one of the most effective time management strategies for productivity by dividing work into predefined times, adding moments of rest so as not to saturate productivity. It’s an ideal management technique for those who need to stay motivated.
10. Visualize things done
Motivation is key in time management; at Alpha Solutions we focus on visualizing how everything will be when the to-do list is completed; applying this strategy will help you mentally focus on those tasks and accomplish them, it’s about finding mental space for the future and visualizing yourself in it. This will make the work even more efficient.
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