In order to be effective in your job role, time management and organisation are key. In this blog, we are going to discuss my tips to help you perfect your time management and organisation, inside and outside of the workplace!
We've all been advised to 'make to-do lists' and 'plan our day' but what can you really do with these lists and plans to be more effective?
Understand what you want before deciding how to spend your time
This first tip relates to how you plan and start your day. Before you make your to-do list for the day, it's important to understand what you actually want to get out of it. What do you want to achieve? Is there one specific task / job that you need to get done? If so, create your to-do list based on that project. Organise your time with the goal of completing this task.
Doing this will help you focus your time and ensure the work you're doing is working towards achieving the bigger goals. Without this, you could find that you end up spending too much time on smaller tasks that aren't as important.
Recognise areas you waste your time
This one isn't always easy, but it can make a huge difference in your time management and the amount of work you get done. This tip is to recognise the areas where you waste time or get distracted. This is different for everyone!
As someone that works in social media marketing, the hardest thing for me to recognise was how distracting social media can be. Even when I'm using it on behalf of a client or for a marketing strategy, it can still be easy to distract myself. That's why I always leave my phone on Do Not Disturb to only allow work notifications to come through.
However, distractions aren't always personal things, sometimes there are work jobs that can be distracting too. For example, last-minute meetings or someone handing over their task to you.
Some common distractions could include:
Eat your frog
One of the first things I was asked to do when I started my apprenticeship was read the book 'Eat That Frog' by Brian Tracy. The message within this book is telling you to have a mindset where every day, the first thing you do is eat your frog.
Your frog is the most important task. The task you've been dreading and avoiding. The task you've been hoping someone else will pick up. Yep, it's that one!
When you're putting off getting something done, you end up spending more time on tasks that aren't as crucial. It leads to you having less time to complete it, feeling stressed and overwhelmed and rushing it. It can also make you feel like you have something hanging over you every day.
So, to avoid that, change your mindset! It’s never easy but can make your time management and efficiency at work a lot better, and it will help you feel better about yourself and your productivity.
When planning your day or week, identify your frog. What are the tasks that you've been avoiding or the task that is very important to be done ASAP? Do it! Make it the first thing you do for the day, and you will feel so much more accomplished.
Plan your day and rank your tasks in order of priority
The final tip is slightly similar to the previous one, but it doesn't just apply to one task, it applies to your entire to-do list. When creating your list or plan for the day, number each task in order of importance. This will help you order your day in the most effective way possible!
When it comes to improving your time management and organisation, it's about being consistent. It won't change overnight but if you can work on implementing some of these tips you will quickly start to notice a difference!
