As a new era of remote working and a better understanding of time management has been hurled at us this year, more companies are relooking at their strategic management and the requirements they impose on their staff.
The number one strategy in ensuring that we are more effective in getting our tasks done is to formulate a to-do list for the next day before we leave work. This eliminates spending precious time planning during your peak productive hours, which will then be used to complete the tasks instead.
The next most effective productivity strategy is to learn how to handle interruptions. In an age where we have many open-door policies, access to social media, and endless work-related phone calls, this is a very important aspect that needs to be addressed. We need to be able to teach our colleagues to be respectful of our time and not interrupt us when we are in “peak performance” mode. An example of how this can be done is having a sign on your door indicating the hours that you are actively available.
If you and your management team make strategic plans, set clear deadlines, and stick to your schedule, you will find that you tend to waste less time. This is relevant to every aspect of your life and has a huge impact on your work-life balance too. If employees are self-disciplined and know exactly what they need to do, they waste less time in idle activities and instead focus their energy on more important projects.
The power of rest cannot be underestimated as it brings many health benefits if you have the courage to listen to your mind and body. If you feel like you’re overwhelmed and unable to handle your personal life, that will quickly bleed out into what you’re able to accomplish at work. Fatigue causes you to break down over time. Therefore, the most exceptional office environments offer break rooms, food halls and wellness programmes. It might sound like a nice-to-have, but in reality, it is for the long-term benefit of each member of the workforce.
We have all been in the situation where we get stuck in a meeting that drags on. Meetings need to have specific start and end times. This has been helped lately with the introduction of Zoom and remote working, but one day things will return to normal and when they do, meetings need to have some kind of an agenda. Meetings should not be brainstorming sessions that are scheduled during valuable work time.
Effective time management in the office is a non-negotiable. When you learn to take control of your daily tasks by organising and prioritising them, you increase your ability to focus, make better decisions, and ultimately gain control of your key priorities.