Here we are again, the end of another working week; how was it for you, productive?
As the weekend approaches, have you accomplished everything that you set out to do?
If the answer is no, the devil as they say, might well be in the detail!
A recent survey investigating the opinions of UK-based office workers, revealed that some employees spend a staggering 62% of their time at work planning their activities. Although I am a big believer that a little prior preparation is certainly effective in preventing poor performance; surely more time should be spent doing rather than planning. With that in mind, here are six super ways to work smarter and simplify how you manage your time:
Measure Your Productivity – By monitoring your progress as you work, you will develop an understanding of how long it takes to complete certain tasks. In addition, the specific times of the day or week when your peak productivity periods occur, will also be revealed. Employee activity tracking software could potentially prove invaluable when monitoring employees as they move from one activity to another.
Maximise Peak Productivity Periods – Once your optimum productivity periods have been identified, it’s time to schedule your most important tasks (MIT’s) around those peak cycles. Many people feel more energised in the morning and will try to complete their MIT’s before the dreaded mid-afternoon slump.
Stick to Daily Goals / MIT’s – At the end of your working day, make a note of around three MIT’s which must be completed the following day. This enables you to hit the ground running the next morning with a clear focus. More often than not, a spanner will be thrown into the works that will disrupt your rhythm. When this happens, many people go back to their to-do list and spend the next half an hour or so re-arranging their activities. Simply, remain focused on which tasks are most important or urgent, prioritise them accordingly and take it one step at a time.
Delegate – When faced with numerous unfinished tasks with deadlines fast approaching; never be afraid to ask for help. Sometimes, delegating certain activities to colleagues may be the only way to ensure that deadlines are satisfied. Ever heard the saying ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’?
Avoid Overload – We’re all guilty of over-estimating our own capabilities from time to time. We’re only human at the end of the day and overloading ourselves can lead to tiredness and stress. When working on long projects, break them up by setting mini-milestones; once a milestone is reached, have a short break before moving on to the next one.
Just Get on With It – Stop wasting all that energy worrying about your workload and trying to meticulously plan every second of your day. All you can do is get on with it and try your best!
As one of Europe’s fasting growing time management companies; helping our clients get the most out of their time at work is what we’re all about at ELF Productivity. Our award-winning Time and Attendance and Human Resource Management Software solutions have revolutionised traditional Payroll and HR administrative processes. If you would like to learn more about Ceequel® Employee Management Software, please contact ELF Productivity.