Need time management tips for employees only? Here are seven simple tips to get started with.
Time management is a must-have skill for almost every employee in order to be efficient and productive in their workplace. The practice of this skill helps both an employee and the whole organization. Hence, it is an indispensable soft skill to consider earnestly.
Although there are many tips, tricks, and techniques available around us, an employee needs simple tips to start practicing this skill right away. If this scenario resonates with you, this post is for you.
In this article, you’ll learn 7 simple time management tips for employees and what employers can do to have them practice this skill. But, before that, let’s have a basic idea of the advantages of time management at work.
Why is time management important in the workplace?
Whether you’re a supervisor or a subordinate, proper use of time is a must to make your plan successful in terms of a project or business. Here are some advantages outlined for both ends.
Importance of time management for employees
The knowledge of proper time management helps an individual in various ways. Let’s look at some of the most significant advantages of time management for employees. A person-
- gets more done in a day and delivers work on time,
- experience improved focus and efficiency,
- procrastinate less and remain prepared for new opportunities,
- reach to full potential,
- have a clear sense of time,
- adjust activities with the goal,
- be sensible about accepting new tasks,
- produce quality work,
- perceived as a reliable person to handle complex tasks,
- get rid of the backlog
- remain relaxed and feel confident
- achieve a work-life balance
Benefits of time management for managers
Employers, team leaders, and managers also benefit from learning and practicing time management skills. You can help your team members in organizing their workdays properly. You can set clear expectations and timelines for deliverables.
When both you and your subordinates manage time in the right way, you will get assignments completed on time. Get better quality work from them. You’ll experience fewer delays and stress.
Time Management Tips for Employees
As an employee, you can improve your time management skills by applying some simple tactics, regardless of your position at the company. Here are 7 simple tips to follow to start practicing this skill today.
1. Track your time
One of the best ways to master time management skills is by tracking your time. Start by monitoring your working hours—the time you spend on each task during a workday. When you do this, you’ll know which jobs need more time to do and which ones need less time. A detailed overview of your workday will let you schedule tasks in the future based on time length and complexity.
You can use a time tracking app to get an idea of your workday. Some widely used apps are: clockify, toggl, and Harvest.
2. Find your productive hours
Our energy level changes throughout the day because of our internal clock. It is also known as the circadian rhythm. It is vital to understand your circadian rhythm and biological prime time to find out the most productive hours in a day. You can optimize your schedule according to your energy level by planning your most important tasks during your most productive hours. In the lower alert periods of the day, you can schedule minor tasks.
| Note |
| ‘Biological Prime Time‘ is the most productive hours of the day when a person remains more alert, energetic, and works best with full attention. – Work with System. |
3. Use time management apps
Consider using some time management apps to organize your to-do list and remain focused on your tasks. Here are some worth-considering tools
- Task management tools: Any.do, todoist, remember the milk
- Focus apps: brain.fm, forest, freedom
- Meeting schedulers: join.me, TimeTree
- Email management apps: SaneBox, Clean Email
- Note-taking apps: Evernote, Notion
These tools are handy for organizing, prioritizing, and visualizing your tasks. However, do not complicate your system by using too many tools and apps. You may end up spending hours just to manage those tools.
4. Take breaks
Breaks are inevitable for our brains to function at their best. You’ll be more productive and prepared to handle the workload by planning intervals. Also, you can avoid burnout and keep your energy level steady throughout the day.
Apply the Pomodoro technique at work. This time management technique will help you take breaks after a particular time, and you’ll remain focused during working sessions.
Learn more on Pomodoro Technique in this article: 5 Time Management Techniques to Be More Productive in a Day
5. Plan and prioritize
Start your day with a list of the tasks to accomplish. Plan your day in advance, ideally at night. Also, organize tasks based on their due date and importance. There are several methods of prioritizing.
- ABCDE method: Sort your tasks from most important to least important using the ABCDE method. A stands for the most important, and E stands for eliminating.
- 80/20 Rule: The 80/20 Rule states that 20% of high-value tasks should be completed first, followed by the remaining tasks.
- 4D’s method: Categorize tasks before doing them. And the 4D’s are: delete, delegate, defer, and do. Learn more about this method in this article: Mastering the 4Ds of Time Management.
You can use any of them to organize your to-do list and plan your day.
Related Resource: 5 Time Management Techniques to Be More Productive in a Day
6. Minimize Distractions
Interruptions and distractions are the enemies of quality work and proper use of time. Therefore, it is essential to find any possible ways to block out distractions. Here are a few things to do to establish a distraction-free environment when you do deep work.
- Put your phone in “Do not disturb” mode.
- Avoid a noisy environment by wearing headphones or listening to focused music.
- Block distracting websites with apps or plugins. For example, the serene app or the freedom app.
- When working on the computer, avoid impulsive browsing.
7. Be organized
Keep your workspace decluttered and organized. By doing so, you can avoid procrastination and distraction. You’ll even save your time and energy from searching documents, notepads, or a pen. Same thing you should do in the digital space. Here are a few things you can do to be organized in different aspects of your life:
- keep files, pens, pencils, notepads, and other objects available at hand,
- maintain a proper filing system to keep documents organized on your computer and on your desk,
- declutter unnecessary stuff regularly and keep equipment organized,
- organize your emails by using folders or labels.
How to help employees manage time better
As an employer or a supervisor, you can help your employees or team members manage time better by doing the following things.
Provide time management training
When employees manage their time properly, their productivity increases, and they work to their fullest potential. Hence, providing time management training is helpful for the overall office culture. It will increase not only employee performance but also the return on investment. There are a few ways to provide training on managing time.
- Purchase and enroll them in a time management course online.
- Schedule a regular session for time management activities.
- Hire a time management coach to train them to manage time better.
- Have supervisors provide on-the-job training.
Learn more: How to Coach an Employee on Time Management
Develop a productive system
Employee time management issues aren’t always their fault. Time management and productivity problems may also be caused by office culture and working processes. Too many meetings, documentation policies, use of communication tools, and project management processes are some examples that may lead to a waste of time and cause problems for focused work.
One study showed that knowledge workers have only 44% of the day to do the primary duties of their job. That is only 3.5 hours a day. They spend the rest of their time on administrative chores, such as attending meetings, responding to emails, taking phone calls, and other minor tasks.
So, how can you eliminate wasted time? To help your team do their best work, you can do the following things:
- Develop a policy for balancing regular communication time with heads-down time,
- Reduce the number and duration of meetings,
- Look for ways to simplify documentation and communication processes.
- Divide large projects into small, manageable chunks or deliverables and establish a clear timeline for employees.
- Instruct team members to conduct a time audit of their daily activities. This will allow them to adjust their activities if their actions are counterproductive to their goal.
Conclusion
It is not so difficult to start practicing time management. The above tips will take your productivity to a new height. In addition, a few simple tweaks in the working process can bring a big difference in employee performance and office culture.
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