Failure to manage one’s time may lead to severe stress and burnout. If you feel that things at work are getting out of hand and there are not enough hours in a day, take a step back. Review your professional habits in terms of managing tasks, delegation, and communication. A better time management strategy will help you work more efficiently and feel calmer.

1. Establish an Open Communication Channel

If you work in a team, it is crucial to be aware of what your colleagues are doing. To stay on the same page with them, look beyond your own responsibilities and role. All projects include variables, so clear communication is essential. The liaison between teammates and stakeholders must be flawless.

Digital tools will help you. Your team can use a unified platform that will keep all messages in one place and help everyone stay abreast of shared progress and updates. Chanty and Slack are popular time-savers in Nigeria. You can communicate with colleagues and stakeholders quickly and clearly.

2. Follow the 80/20 Rule

The Pareto principle applies to time management. 80% of useful work is completed in 20% of the total time. Thus, a person working 10 hours per day is the most productive for 2 hours. The proportion may vary depending on your role and duties, but the fundamental principle is the same — the output from your efforts at work is disproportionate.

This principle is also applicable to solo jobs. For example, when forex trading with Forextime, you can expect the most profitable trades to represent 20% of your efforts — find out more about the meaning of CFD in forex here.

Therefore, determine which tasks have the highest priority and focus on them for the majority of your time. Allocate specific hours of the day to tackle these critical tasks, and plan the rest of the schedule around these hours.

3. Create a Daily To-do List

Create to-do lists every day and allocate a specific number of hours for each of the tasks. Prioritize them in terms of importance and urgency. Tackle the most important and urgent ones first. If you fail to accomplish some goals, do not beat yourself up. With the help of Teamwork or Basecamp, you can manage your tasks more flexibly.

4. Have Productive Meetings

Meetings are crucial for problem-solving and aligning plans and ideas. Inform your colleagues of the objectives before they enter each meeting and stick to a predefined time limit. To determine the optimal duration, analyze how much time you spent on meetings previously. Tools like Clockifyme will help.

5. Avoid Micromanagement

Micromanagement is counterproductive. Not only does it increase the workload. It is patronizing to your subordinates as it prevents them from making their own decisions. Instead of breathing down your teammates’ necks, empower them to complete tasks efficiently.

If you are prone to micromanagement, the following techniques may help you. First, identify your trigger points and catch yourself when triggered. Secondly, let your team help you get better. Ask them to tell you directly when they start feeling micromanaged. Thirdly, delegate more often to encourage independent decision making and reinforce trust.

6. Create Templates for Your Team

Pre-set templates will help your team maintain consistency in communication and performance. SOPs (standard operating procedures) eliminate confusion and provide standardization for documentation and handovers. Try online tools like Proposify or create standards templates in house and share them across departments.

7. De-stress Regularly

Finally, do not let your emotions get the best of you. It is vital to de-stress and declutter your mind when things become overwhelming. Long-term pressure results in underperformance and burnout.

Make the most of your weekends and stick to your work routine, so the tasks do not encroach on your free time. Every Friday, organize your work for the week ahead. This way, you will feel more relaxed and better prepared on Monday.

To Sum up

Time management is one of the most essential and trickiest skills for any manager, employee, and self-employed professional. Fortunately, modern digital tools facilitate the smart organization of resources. Streamline your workflow today to achieve more every day and get ahead in your career.