What’s Trending: Time Management in the Workplace

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Sometimes the days just rush away, and you feel like you can’t catch a break. Like there is always some fire you need to put out, and by the end of the day, you feel both exhausted and like you achieved nothing. This is not and should never under any circumstance be normal. Sadly, when you’re living at the highest pace, we normalize always being under pressure.

So, is there anything we can do to get back on track in a timely manner? Why is time management important in the workplace? Are there any steps you can follow to manage time and maximize productivity? Read the following short article to find out.

Adobe

In an article penned by the Adobe Communications team for their blog, the importance of time management and 17 tips on improving it are thoroughly explored.

“Time management is the process of planning, coordinating, and controlling the amount of time you spend on tasks and activities to maximize results.”

According to their experts, time management at the workplace has many benefits. If you’re constantly left wondering, “why is time management important in the workplace?”, they list these reasons:

·  It helps with stress management

·  It increases productivity

·  It allows for more time for other tasks and a good work-life balance

But how can you maximize your time management? You can use several methods, from simply finding different ways to prioritize tasks to more complex systems you can utilize. Below you can find five of the seventeen tips the team at Adobe compiled on how to manage time in the workplace.

1.    Learn to prioritize: What is urgent? What is important? Learn what and when you need to put things forward to

2.    Use the 20/80 rule: 80% of results are from 20% of effort. Recognize those tasks that can get done in a single swing.

3.    Group-related tasks: Find tasks that can be completed in succession to create momentum.

4.    Set time limits: Find the best balance between tasks by setting when you’re going to get them done.

5.    Use SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound goals.

Forbes

Rachel Wells writes for Forbes about how time management is a skill one should acquire before vying for a promotion. In the article, Wells cites the research and findings of Zippia, a job board website, regarding time management in the workplace.

They found that 82% of people don’t even have a time management system. This translates to the average worker spending 51% of each workday on low-value tasks, which, in turn, cost businesses around $588 billion every year. This only worsens as people move up on the ladder, as Wells points out that 72% of a leader’s time is spent weekly on meetings.

“So if you are struggling to keep your time under control now, consider how little you’ll be able to actually get done each day should you be considered for a promotion.”

Wells suggests trying the Pareto Principle, or the 80/20 rule, as it is commonly known. As noted before, this rule says that 80% of results come from 20% of effort. This can help those who are set back by little things within their control, such as time spent scrolling on social media, procrastinating, and disorganized workspaces.

To make the most of this principle, they suggest these four steps:

1.    Track how long you currently spend on each task

2.    Identify those high-value tasks

3.    Delegate and outsource low-value tasks

4.    Eliminate tasks that only waste time

Indeed

Time management is a soft skill comprised of other highly valuable skills that can really make your CV stand out, Hanne Keiling argues for Indeed. Time management can be broken down into nine different skills, which you can improve and accomplish your goals in less time.

“Being well-organized might mean maintaining an up-to-date calendar, being able to locate certain documents easily, having a tidy environment, and taking detailed, diligent notes.”

The nine skills that can help you improve your time management at work are organization, prioritization, goal-setting, communication, planning, delegation, stress management, problem-solving, and note-taking. None of these immediately mean that you’re an excellent time manager overnight, but improving on each one will help you with the different aspects that can be used towards your productivity.

Mastering these skills will help you in the workplace, but knowing how to sell and prove them to hiring authorities is vital for growth. According to Keiling, adding them to the “skills” section is fine but a little too predictable; meanwhile, expanding upon them in the “Experience” section will allow you to add percentages and other hard data to sell your point.

The takeaway

Time management skills at work are crucial for growth and development. It happens if you’ve lost these skills as you’ve moved up, but you can regain them by strengthening other skills and trying out the right method for your current necessities. And if you’re planning to move up, mastering these tools and techniques is really vital as your time will most likely be occupied by something else.