Effective Strategies for Improving Time Management in the Workplace

Time is the most wasted resource in life.  According to research conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, an average employee spends about two hours a day on tasks unrelated to work. This means that you spend 25% of the average workday on things that yield no business value.

These time management strategies for the workplace will help you get on the right track.

Prioritize your time

Having priorities helps you use time efficiently. A typical workday has specific deadlines or tasks that you must accomplish. But sometimes, you may find that little or no work is done at the end of the day.

This may result from spending most of your time on unimportant things. For example, social media, talking too much, anxiety, or worrying too much about your performance instead of doing what is at hand. These little things, when repeatedly done throughout the day, steal time.

To control time wastage, make a list of your daily tasks, starting with those needing your urgent attention. Start working on the item with the highest priority as soon as you arrive at work. And if time allows, you can handle other tasks on the list according to their rank. Use the lunch breaks to let off some steam, catch up with coworkers, go on social media, and so on.

Time-block your schedule 

After prioritizing or ranking your tasks, time-block them. Assign each task a time frame for completion. This keeps you focused, leaving no time for distractions, which helps you concentrate on the task at hand.

To achieve more from time blocking, always start with high-value activities and end the day with other minor tasks. Then, with continuous discipline, you will find that all your daily targets are met on time.

Delegation

There are days when your work schedule is crazy, days when you feel overwhelmed with deadlines. Such days call for delegation.

Take some pressure off yourself by delegating part of your workload to teammates. This leaves you ample time to concentrate on more important tasks. But remember to distribute the workload according to each team member’s capabilities.

Delegation gets work done faster and reduces stress, although it has its disadvantages. Nevertheless, It also cultivates cooperation and teamwork. 

Take a break

Breaks leave room for your mind to wind down and relax. They let you breathe and refuel your depleted mental energy. After taking a break, you can concentrate and focus on your tasks, which improves your productivity.

So when time-blocking your schedule, assign short breaks in-between tasks. You will find that you are not stressed at the end of the day. 

Do away with multitasking

Multitasking is good. But when it comes to efficiency, it works against you. This is because it reduces focus and concentration.

When multitasking, you waste a lot of time switching from one task to another. And if not careful, you may find that you end the day with many incomplete tasks. So, focus on one task, finish it, then move on to the next. Completing one task will motivate you to finish another. On the other hand, having many incomplete tasks discourages you from going on.

Productivity is directly proportional to focus/concentration. Poor focus leads to poor quality work.

 Make meetings more productive

What happens in meetings sets the mood or pace for the rest of the workday. For this reason, meetings should be productive. In addition, they should produce decisions or results that enhance productivity in the workplace.

Meetings shouldn’t be timewasters and energy drainers. Instead, employees should come out of the meetings motivated and full of life. This leads to improved efficiency and productivity.

 Also, the shorter the meetings, the better. Good time management in meetings sets a good precedence for the rest of the workday.

Organize your workspace

You’ll be more likely to keep track of time if you’re well-organized. An efficiently organized workspace enables you to locate all your work materials easily. Organization leaves minimal room for time wastage and enables the completion of tasks on time.

On the other hand, you spend a lot of time looking for your files, documents, and other work materials in a disorganized room. And this leads to time wastage and even stress when you cannot find what you are looking for. 

Utilize your work rhythm

Aligning your tasks according to your energy levels maximizes your productivity and time management at the workplace. 

Every person has a work pattern that works for them. There are particular hours in the day where you have a lot of energy. There are also those times when you have no motivation to do any productive work.

So, study your rhythm. Try to discover which hours of the day work better for you. Then, whatever your highest peak is, use it. Do the tasks that require a lot of effort and focus in your peak times. This will ensure time utilization and productivity.

Use Mobile Workforce Management Software

Remote work has increased the need for mobile workforce management. Employers are now using mobile workforce management software to ensure that all their employees remain productive and accountable for their output even with minimal supervision.

For excellent examples of mobile workforce management tools, visit https://gobridgit.com/blog/what-is-mobile-workforce-management/.

Use time management software

You can use time management software to measure the time all employees spend on tasks. Doing this helps you get the average time spent on repetitive tasks. You can set the average time as the standard time that all employees use to complete similar jobs. Examples of time management software include Hours, Desktime, Timecamp, Orangescrum, and so on.

You can also use time management software to improve punctuality in the workplace. For example, you can install wall-mounted card swipes where employees use their IDs to clock in and out. This will motivate them to improve their time-keeping skills in the workplace.

Conclusion

Continuous time management at the workplace increases organizational efficiency and productivity. But remember, it’s a skill that you cultivate over time. The sooner you start, the better.