Photo by Ono Kosuki from Pexels Introduction
Whether you're a manager juggling multiple projects or an individual contributor with a heavy workload, effective time management is key to avoiding stress and delivering quality work on deadline. Here are some practical tips that can help you better prioritize tasks and make the most of each workday in a busy work environment.
Plan Your Day in Advance
Start each morning by taking 15-20 minutes to carefully plan your entire day. Review your to-do list from the previous day and schedule new tasks that have come in. Evaluate the priority and urgency of each item to determine the best order to tackle them in. Consider allocating specific time blocks for different types of work on your calendar.
Break Up Large Projects
Big, nebulous projects can seem overwhelmingly daunting. So take 10 minutes to break them down into specific, actionable subtasks or milestones with deadlines. This makes progress more achievable and motivates you to chip away at the project piece by piece. Assign deliverables to others on the team when possible to further divide the workload.
Learn to Say No Gracefully
While being a team player is important, taking on too many extras when your plate is already full leads to stress and missed commitments. Politely decline additional responsibilities if they don't align with priorities or are unrealistic given your bandwidth. Delegate work to colleagues when you can in order to lighten your load as well.
Minimize Distractions
Turn off notifications on your phone, close distracting apps and mute non-essential chat channels for blocks of time when diving into intricate work. Consider using apps or browser extensions that block time-wasting sites for set periods. Limit breaks to every 90 minutes to maintain focus on the task at hand.
Tackle Toughest Tasks First
As willpower decreases throughout the day, save hardest projects for your most productive morning hours. Switch to easier tasks like responding to emails if energy flags in the afternoon to still feel a sense of accomplishment before logging off.
Track Your Time to Find Inefficiencies
Use a time tracking tool like Rescue Time for two weeks to learn where your minutes truly go. Reports provide insight on time sucks like browsing the internet or inefficient meetings you can then address...
Be Realistic about Capacity
Factor in contingencies when committing to deadlines to avoid stress from unrealistic expectations. Learn to say no to extra projects if your workload appears unsustainable long-term for the sake of quality work and wellbeing.
Conclusion
With diligent planning, focused work sessions, delineating priorities and tracking productivity, you can drastically reduce workplace stress and feel a greater sense of control over your working hours even in the busiest seasons or assignments.
