How Time Management Can Help Your Career

It’s no exaggeration to say that time is the most precious commodity any of us can possess. At the risk of getting too philosophical, it’s important to note that it’s the one thing that can’t be manufactured or bought. Time is precious, and people who learn to use it efficiently and effectively generally enjoy more success in their careers and happiness in their personal lives. That sounds great, but managing time effectively is often easier said than done in our busy, fast-paced world. Here are some tips to use your time wisely at work. 

Log Your Time

In any problem-solving endeavor, whether it’s determining how to manage your time wisely or how to fix a broken dam, it’s critical to begin with observation. For a week or two make detailed notes of your days. Log how much time you spend doing your various required tasks as well as how much time is spent with distractions. Be objective and honest. This log will help you identify time-sucking tasks that can be delegated and bad habits that can be eliminated.

 Make To-Do Lists

If you survey a hundred successful people, you would be hard pressed to find one that doesn’t check their to-do list at the beginning of their day. In these days of smartphone technology, you can easily choose an organizational app to help you build one. While it may seem overwhelming at first, knowing what lies ahead is the best way to prepare for it. If you’re able to start your list for the next day at the end of the previous one, you’ll be well ahead of the game.

There’s an adage in business that you should kiss the ugliest frog first thing in the day. While that may sound quaint, the concept is simple: identify the thing on your to-do list that you’re dreading the most and get it over with as quickly as possible. Do you need to have a difficult conversation with an employee? Do it first thing in the morning. Do you need to tell a vendor that you’re unhappy with their work? Do it right away. The reality is that humans are wired to push these difficult conversations off as long as possible. The offshoot of this is that the dread we feel about them grows and grows until we are done dealing with them. Better to get them over with as early as possible and leave the rest of the day open for new possibilities.

Keep a Calendar

A calendar is the most simple and readily accessible organizational tool you could possibly ask for. It is also, at the same time, the most helpful. Calendars don’t really change across platforms or mediums, so feel free to keep yours in the program or format you prefer. The important thing is that you have one. A to-do list is critical to know what you need to do. A calendar shows you when you need to do it. Tools like Microsoft Outlook will enable you to color code appointments, meetings, and tasks as needed.

Reward Yourself with Breaks

 Think back to your first job. You probably had a break or two structured into your day. If you’ve risen to the management or executive level, the need for breaks hasn’t changed.  You need to give your body and mind a little time to relax and recalibrate. While it can be dangerous to fall down the rabbit hole of poring over social media or playing smartphone games, it can also be extremely beneficial to take a little time to step away from tasks and procedures and embrace some mindless distractions, like playing a quick game of 2048. The trick is to make it a reward for a time well spent and not an excuse to avoid work.

 You only have so much time in a day, a week, a year, and a lifetime. Plot out how you use your time at work efficiently and you will make time work for you, rather than be a slave to it.