The work culture
Recent years have massively changed the way we work, for men, women and techies alike, especially for those of us who used to work in an office environment 24/7. Our work culture has now evolved into an outcome-based effort more than ever and thus time management has never been as important as it is now.
Are you ready to become a time management techie legend? Well, first you need to focus on some key skills.
Mastery of time management skills will allow you to complete your daily obligations swiftly and effectively. If you're a professional who struggles with time management, knowing several ways to improve your time management abilities might be beneficial in increasing your performance. We'll go through the skills you need to master to become a time management legend as well as five strategies to better manage your time in this article:
Time management key-skills you need to learn:
Planning skills:
The evaluation of each of your responsibilities for priority is one of the key components in good time management. There are many ways to give priority to what you need to achieve. You can decide to complete fast, simple elements followed by complex ones. Alternatively, you can prioritise your tasks based on when they are due.
Organisational skills:
Staying organised can help you keep track of what you need to do and when you need to do it. Maintaining an up-to-date schedule, being able to access certain documents quickly, keeping a clean atmosphere, and taking comprehensive, attentive notes are all examples of being well-organised.
Prioritisation skills:
Being a competent time manager requires you to prioritise each of your tasks. There are several methods for prioritising your tasks. You could opt to start with quick, easy tasks and work your way up to longer, more intricate tasks. You may also prioritise your tasks by starting with the most time-sensitive and working your way down, or a mix of both.
5 Strategies to improve your time management:
Tip 1 - Start your tasks sooner rather than later
If you have the time, commencing a task before you're supposed to start working on it might assist you to get through the first phases of an assignment's preparation. This allows you to start planning your approach ahead of time, which might help you avoid procrastinating.
Tip 2 - Prioritise the right tasks
Determine the importance of each of your tasks to each other. By prioritising certain tasks, you can focus on the things that require the most time. As you practice prioritising tasks, you can learn how to better create schedules and see which tasks are worth delegating.
Tip 3 - Make sure your tasks are scheduled and deadlines are set
Take the time to compose a detailed schedule for each of your active tasks and set firm deadlines. This can help you visualise which tasks require more effort and can give you a better idea of how quickly you can get your job done. Get in the habit of keeping your schedule up to date, as a well-balanced schedule can be the basis for developing your planning and prioritisation skills.
Tip 4 - Use technology to keep you in check
The use of software for time management is becoming ever so more common in the workplace every year. Time tracking software lets you calculate how long it takes you to complete individual tasks, and daily management software integrates your time tracking results into your schedule. Together, these tools will allow you to create more realistic and accurate schedules and can help you make up for it before you get distracted or procrastinate. But you probably knew this already.
Tip 5 - Focus on one task at a time
You may think that multitasking is an effective strategy for performing various tasks faster. However, those who focus on the production of tasks one after the other generally complete each task faster and with more quality than by multitasking. Passing your time focused on achieving a task at a time will also help you reduce the potential for distractions.
For more tips have a look at one of our previous articles.
Do you think you’re ready?
Now that you’ve read our top tips for maximising your time management skills and improving your every day performance at work or otherwise, explore using these methods in an IT role that will suit your abilities and allow you to become the best techie you can be.
