Some people are running against the clock. But too much running can be crazy. You have to know how to pace your days to get the best out of yourself. And with changing responsibilities and new priorities, how you use your precious time is going to change. In fact, drastically. Not only will you have more to do, but every action of yours will also affect the company in big ways. Extraordinary leadership skills will come into play. You’ll also be juggling several projects with customer, employee and shareholder expectations. Sometimes you’ll need to change things to get the results that you desire. Time management is the key.
Here are some things that you should remember in order to achieve optimal productivity levels at work, always.
Live Life Beyond Work
Some people think that clocking long hours makes them extra productive. The truth is you don’t have to kill yourself to show how dedicated you are. Focus on what’s important to achieve your goals. Get it done. Go home. Interestingly, lots of studies have shown that working too many hours can be counterproductive. That means that your productivity will decrease. Imagine yourself struggling to keep your eyes open and your head straight after a long day of meetings and whatnot, with work that can be done tomorrow. Physical and mental strain can actually make you sick. And if you feel terrible in general, you will end up accomplishing little. So don’t forget to unwind, eat, exercise and spend time with your loved ones.
Have a No Interruptions Policy
You need to be selfish. If you aren’t getting work done because people keep on coming into your office or the phone keeps on ringing, you need to be more disciplined about your hours. There’s no excuse to stay stuck in the office at the end of the day, exhausted but still facing big responsibilities that should have been addressed during the day. Are you making yourself too available? Don’t be rude but have a screening system in place like keeping a specific block of time to take calls and answer emails. Keep things brief and to the point. And silence the endlessly chatty colleagues with a simple: What can I do for you?
Rank Your Priorities
Make a list of priorities and stick to it. Reflect on your daily activities, your personal goals and your organisation’s goals. Long-term goals should be on the list because each day is supposed to bring you closer to them. Focus on the important things first and push the less important items on your agenda to the bottom. You’ll feel stress free and accomplished as you tick off each item as it’s done. Use online software and apps to build and track your daily schedule.
Paying attention to time management will help you avoid last-minute leaps to finish projects, meaningless meetings and calls, and unproductive days at work. Bonus: The team you lead will benefit from your high productivity. They’ll know that you mean business and will try to follow your example. Don’t forget that we all have the same 24 hours!
Have a specific tip on time management and improving productivity that you’d like to share? Don’t forget to mention it in the comments below.
