Effectively managing your time is a daunting task for any employee. Although we would all like to believe we do it well the realisation is you probably spend over 50% of your time completing mundane tasks and unproductive processes. Spending your time more effectively on more important tasks is likely to stop you from missing deadlines and having to complete tasks outside of work.
7 Tips to Help You Maximise Your Time
Using the 7 tips below will help you maximise your time making it easier for you to complete tasks on time and to the best of your ability.
1. Tracking
Keeping track of how long it takes you to complete each individual task is the easiest way to grasp a hold on which tasks require more time. Knowing which projects take the most time allows you to effectively manage your weeks as you can allocate the right number of hours needed to complete each project and schedule tasks that take less time in around them.
2. Breaking up projects.
Breaking up bigger projects into smaller tasks allows you to manage your time more effectively. Knowing how long each part of a project takes makes it easier for you to recognise where you fall behind. This information allows you to allocate your time better the next time around, meaning you will hit your deadlines every time.
3. Kill unnecessary meetings
Meetings take up time and time is precious when it comes to the completion of everyday tasks. Attending a meeting that could have possibly been avoided on a day when you have an important project due is unnecessary and time consuming.
When planning a meeting you need to determine if one is really needed or can what you are going to be discussing be done over the phone or via email. You also need to decide if you really need so many of your staff or colleague to attend, if the meeting needs to go ahead and could it be completed by yourself and do you really need to take a colleague with you.
Scheduling short 10 to 15 minute meeting instead of the automated half an hour provided by your calendar is the most effective way to get meeting’s done but without the needing to waste any unnecessary time. Although the idea of using a timer in a meeting can often be seen as disrespectful it is the easiest way to make sure you stay on top of your day to day schedule. Meeting’s that drag on longer than expected often leave you scrambling to finish tasks before the end of the day with many having to be pushed to the following morning.
4. Multitasking is a waste of time
Completing multiple tasks at once seems like the quickest way to get things done however it’s actually the least productive thing you could do. A human has an average attention span of about 8 seconds meaning it tasks around 26 minutes to properly refocus on each task you’re completing meaning the work your producing in this time is actually not to the best of your ability.
Rather than completing all your tasks at once you should focus on one task at a time and reward yourself with breaks inbetween new projects.
5. Prioritise
There’s nothing worse than coming into work to see a list of past tasks on your desk that need amending. The easiest way to deal with this is to complete the most important task first. Schedule a block of time for this project and try to complete it within the allocated time. Make sure to take a note if the project takes longer than expected as this information will help you effectively manage your time next time you have to complete a similar project.
6. Distractions
Employees are their own worst enemy when it comes to avoiding distractions. We’ve all gotten caught up in checking and responding to our emails before so much so that a considerable period of time has gone by and we’ve still to make a start on that important project. Realistically most of the emails you receive can wait, after all you don’t get paid for checking your emails your value is based on how productive you are at completing the essential tasks you are given. Giving yourself a selected period of time each day in order to check and respond to your emails is the easiest way to achieve the most from your day.
7. The 45/15 rule
We’re not designed to work on tasks for endless hours and after about 45 minutes we actually begin to lose focus. Allowing yourself to spend 45 solid minutes working on each individual task followed by a 15 minute break to focus on a distraction of your choice is the best way to achieve the highest levels of productivity. Making sure you only take a bathroom break or check on any desktop or phone notifications whilst in your designated non-working time stops you from wasting productive minutes.
While employees can take note of the above seven tips to improve their productivity, without a time and attendance solution linked to employee tracking it is impossible to see which of your workforce are the most productive.
For more information on how you can track your employee’s productivity contact us today!