Do you regularly wish you had more hours in the day? Just think of how much you could do, and how many things you could tick off your to do list whilst sat at your office desks!
The thing is, you can virtually give yourself those extra hours, simply by organising the time you do have better. It’s that simple!
This is called time management, and in order to achieve it, you first need to know what it is, and you then need to learn the time management tips that will help you get there.
So, what is time management?
As the name suggests, time management means the ability to organise your time to be efficient and hit your deadlines. It might sound complicated, but it’s actually not!
In order to achieve a state of time management you need to know a few rules and hints. Check out this video for a few you might not have thought about.
How many of those methods do you use currently? Are there a few you’ve never considered to work? Whilst time management is a personal deal to a certain degree, there are a few generic hints which may give you the extra hours you’re craving.
Let’s cover the ones which most people find useful.
Rule #1 – Look After Yourself And Start Your Day Right
You will be firing in empty if you don't get enough sleep or eat a healthy breakfast before you go to work! Look after yourself and you’ll feel a million times better and therefore be in a better state of mind. You can’t work with a rocky foundation, and this means ensuring that you’re comfortable at your desks too. Tick the basics and the rest will fall into place!
Rule #2 – Set Achievable Goals
Trying to do too much will only lead you towards failure. The goals you set yourself throughout the day need to be achievable, i.e. suitable for a human to achieve and not a supernatural! Remember that you only have one pair of hands.
Rule #3 – Prioritise Effectively
Write a list of the things you want to achieve in a day and then prioritise them in order to importance. The most important or most urgent task should be number 1 and that should the the task you focus on first. Also remember that tasks will probably come in throughout the day that need your attention and may mess your to do list up a little – be calm and readjust!
Rule #4 – Delegate When You Can
If you are in a position to do so, don’t be afraid to delegate tasks that you do not have time for, but which someone else could do for you, to a better standard. For instance, maybe you have a colleague who is great at writing reports, and in that case you could delegate a report you have to write and therefore free up your time to focus on another important task.
Rule #5 – Always Take Your Breaks
You might think it’s counterproductive to say stop working and take your breaks, but you need these breaks in order to focus better. If you simply continue working without having a small amount of time to yourself then you’ll just get brain fog and feel fatigued. Take your breaks and get away from your desk during your lunch hour – you’ll feel far more energised at the conference table or your desk as a result!
Rule #6 – Work in Time Blocks
Break your day up into time blocks, perhaps half an hour blocks or an hour, depending on how you need to work. Give yourself tasks to do in those blocks, but make sure that you’re realistic. Tell yourself you need to complete that task in that set amount of time and watch yourself go! A little competition within yourself can often yield great results in terms of getting more done. You should also think about where you’re going to do the tasks, e.g. is working with multifunctional office furniture more conducive, e.g. to collaborate with someone close?
Getting more done in the time you have is about organising yourself, keeping yourself energised and focused, and it’s also about the design of your office and how things are laid out. For instance, if your office furniture isn’t laid out in the most productive of ways, you’re going to waste time. This is something else to think about, as well as ensuring that you have quality office furniture in general, which is comfortable and supportive for those attempting to get more done in the time they have!