Do You Have Time Management Skills?

There is hardly ever anyone you meet that does not want to improve their time management skills. People are always seeking to learn a new skill or regime. There are many time management skills that that can help you to be more productive in your day to day activities.

Time management is the process of consciously planning your time. It is exercising control on time spent on activities. Managers often have the heaviest workload in the department of any organization. They have to manage their jobs, and that of others. Here are some time management tips for managers and benefits of time management:

1. Planning

There is a popular question that revolves around planning ahead. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. It is always safe to invest time into planning ahead. Set goals, both short term and long- term goals.

Make sure the activities involved in these goals are those that support your business, company, team etc. though, you should try not to plan every moment of your day. Interruption will come, you should leave time for them. You should also revisit your goals from time to time, to fit in new tasks.

2. Prioritize

Always make a list of important tasks it your day and place them in order of importance. Always prioritize wisely. Prioritizing your daily workload helps to improve your time management skill. You get to know what task will consume your time and which wouldn’t.  Stephen covey, co-author of “First Things First” developed an organizational tool that can help you in prioritizing your day to day activities. The organizational tool is divided into four quadrants:

Quadrant 1 – urgent and important

Quadrant 2 – not urgent but important

Quadrant 3 – urgent but not important

Quadrant 4 – not urgent and not important

You can fit your daily tasks into where they fit in the four quadrant. It will let you know which task to concentrate on and which to push to later. If you have time management skills, you will prioritize the tasks from quadrant 1. The quadrant 4 tasks don’t matter at all.

>> Recommended reading: Prioritizing tasks: tips to help you to organize your management

3. Delegating tasks

It is normal for you to want to oversee every task and activity but more often than not, this is not possible. Learn to trust other people and delegate to them. This is why is good to initially employ people who are competent and up to the task.

Surround yourself with dedicated employees that you can assign task to. Assigning task to your employees also helps to improve their skills and get better at their job.

4. Manage your mails

In today’s world, everything has gone digital. It is easy to neglect your mails and just focus on physical activities. It is also easy to for you to procrastinate sorting your mail, and let them pile.

It might not be possible to address each mail as them come mail as they, so it is better to set aside a part of your day to address them. If you think you might get important mails outside the set time, you can check your mail regularly. It is also important that you stick to the time set apart.

>> Recommended reading: Controlling Demands Using E-mail and Spreadsheets Hides Losses

5. Learn how to deal with interruptions

Pay attention to the amount of time you are interrupted by someone. Learn how to deal with interruptions from your team members or staff when you are in the middle of something important. You should also take note of self-induced interruption that is mostly caused by social media. You should learn to shut the door and turn off your phone in the middle of important tasks.

6. Take care of yourself

You should take adequate time to rest and exercise. Get enough sleep, eat right, and exercise. Getting adequate rest is good for your mind to function properly.

>> Recommended reading: Mentally exhausted x engaged: how we can achieve balance in our professional lives

What are the benefits of having time management skills?

1. Less procrastination

There is something about written down tasks that make them harder to be put off. By planning a schedule, the activities needed to be done are set out, and you are aware of those activities, and what needs to be done. By this, you will also know when a task is to be completed and the amount of time that a task would need to be completed.

Planning your day to day activities and prioritizing them would allow for time not to be wasted on what task should be completed. It would also ensure that no task is forgotten. Having a schedule also makes you aware of your spare time and help deal with surprise plans.

>> Recommended reading: Stop Procrastinating: A Deeper Look at the Effects and Solutions

2. Stress relief

Having a task schedule helps you feel less stressed about what needs to be done. Having the knowledge that there is enough time to complete each task, and ticking off boxes as projects are completed will help with anxiety with all that need to be completed.

There is a lesser chance of you to be surprised by what needs to be done. You will also not be stressed by deadlines; because you are aware of the time each task needs to be completed. Lack of time management can lead to friction and unproductivity. It would eventually lead to one missed call, opportunity, appointment etc.

>> Recommeded reading: Work overload: an issue that your business can learn to work around

3. Time for fun

With effective planning, you can have time for more fun. With all the extra time gained from effective time management, you can spend time on things you wanted more time for. You can have time for your hobbies, family and social relationships. Asides fun, you also get more time sleep and exercise.

>> Recommended reading; 5 Habits of Successful People

4. Improve your reputation

Your time management skills can make your reputation goes before you at work and these can lead to more opportunities. When people learn of your reputation, they would love to work with you often. Nobody will be in doubt as to whether you will show up to a meeting or meet a deadline. For you to be a better manager, you need to plan and manage your time effectively.

If you want to boost your team’s productivity, you should meet a time management software as Runrun.it. It’s for companies that need to control demands and the workflow, minimizing busywork and maximizing profitability. You can track time invested in tasks, projects and processes delivered to clients, taking advantage of time intelligence. Try it for free: https://runrun.it.