10 Tips for Mastering Time Management at Work

Having trouble keeping on top of all the things on your plate at work? We’ve all been there; we’re human after all. However, when you get into the office and realize that you didn’t even manage to eat breakfast, you know it is time to change your habits. The good news is that there is always time to change the way you work to make it more efficient. Keep reading to discover 10 time-saving ideas and ways to improve your time management skills.

How to Master Time Management at Work 

1. Figure out where you spend most of your time

When it comes to time management tips to improve your personal productivity, you must create a time estimate for everything you do during a day at work. This includes both your professional life and your personal life. You should: 

• Figure out how much you can realistically achieve in a day
• Identify time sucks from day-to-day activities
• Track time spent on routine activities 

If you track time, you’ll get an idea of how much of your life is taken up by unproductive thinking, talking, and doing. It will also give you insight into whether you’re most effective at certain times of the day. 

2. Create a schedule and stick to it

This step is absolutely critical if you wish to learn how to manage your time. Do not begin your daily routine without creating a list of your most important priorities or tasks for the rest of the week. When you finish working at the end of each week, review the list and make any necessary adjustments before beginning the following week.

Writing down your schedule will help you avoid sleepless nights as you will be more organized and checking off items on your to-do list will give you peace of mind. Don’t wait until the last minute to create a plan for the next day and create SMART goals. You can even use an online calendar to make your life easier.  Using a virtual timesheet will help you stick to the schedule you have set for yourself. Apps such as Mobile-Punch allow you to track the work you do easily from your mobile phone.

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3. Prioritize wisely

When organizing your to-do list and online calendar for effective task completion, prioritize your activities so that you complete the most critical ones first. Then focus on completing the rest of your priorities.

Make sure you evaluate your to-do lists and organize them by their importance instead of their urgency. Assign time blocks for each individual task and then rank them. Important tasks help you achieve your professional objectives, whereas pressing tasks need immediate action and are related to someone else’s priorities. 

Once you learn how to prioritize your tasks, management becomes a whole lot easier. You can use apps such as Mobile-Punch which have an electronic agenda to make prioritizing easier. You’ll be able to spend your time wisely during those days when there just isn’t enough time for everything. 

4. Group similar tasks together

Another great tip for effective time management is to avoid trying to do everything at once. If you break down each task into smaller tasks, then you’ll find it much easier to get them done. You may feel overwhelmed and your stress levels will likely rise with too many things to do at once, but if you break down each task into small steps, you’ll find it much more manageable. 

5. Avoid multitasking

When working on a project, focus on the task at hand and ignore everything else around you. It can be tempting to accommodate everything on your plate on a daily basis, but jumping between tasks means you are not giving anything your all. This will not lead to successful time management. Don’t let your mind wander off into other tasks as this will increase your stress levels. Stay focused on what you’re doing and complete each step without interruption.

By blocking out distractions, you’ll increase your productivity and get things done faster. Don’t get overwhelmed by a to-do list that stretches for miles. Trying to complete everything on that list won’t shorten it; instead, just focus on completing each item one at a time. A time tracking app will help you better manage your work schedule. 

6. Set deadlines for tasks

When scheduling tasks, consider setting deadlines for each task rather than simply working until they’re completed. Giving yourself a time limit will help ensure you do not get overwhelmed with too much work all at once. The Pomodoro technique is one of the best tools for time management as you set aside blocks of time for specific tasks, with real-time deadlines. It also gives you a chance to take regular rest periods throughout the day.

When you’re trying to finish something, it helps to know what you should do next. A to-do list helps you stay organized and focused. Mobile-Punch comes with a built-in project management app that makes it easy to schedule tasks, manage your projects and optimize resource planning. Companies can track the progress of their projects thanks to real-time reports.

The best time tracking app

7. Take breaks

One of the most enjoyable ways to manage your time at work is by making breaks a regular aspect of your day. Integrating buffers between tasks will ensure you still get to enjoy some obligatory time for yourself. Whenever you complete a task, take a break to relax and re-energize, it’s the hidden key to the art of time management.

What you do during this time is up to you. You can catch up on personal phone calls, go out for lunch or sneak in a little power nap. Something as small as a 5-10 minute buffer time between tasks will give you that additional time you need to re-focus your energy on your work. 

8. Be comfortable with saying no

If you want to become an expert at managing your time at work, you must learn to say no. Only you truly understand what you’re capable of doing, so if you feel that taking on a task is not something you can handle right now, don’t hesitate to tell someone else who might be able to help out instead. 

Instead of doing lots of demanding tasks that don’t add any value, focus your effort on completing fewer but more valuable tasks. Delegating is not easy so if you can’t say no to something,  give it a go. When you’re able to successfully handle things yourself, you can start delegating them to others.

9. Get organized

To keep your workspace organized, create a system where everything is filed into categories. You may find yourself filing documents based on what they’re about rather than where they were found. Little details can add up to big results so keep your files organized. Don’t miss out on important messages and unsubscribe from newsletters you no longer read. You only have to do these tasks once, but you’ll reap the rewards forever.

Find out how an advanced time tracking app can help you

10. Eliminate distractions

Social networking sites, email, texting, phone calls — the list goes on and on. These days, we’re constantly connected to our friends and family online, which can prevent us from completing assignments on time. It’s important to take control of your life and learn how to manage your time effectively. Time management software can be a big help with keeping you on track.

Here are time management tips to help you to do just that:

• Set aside specific periods of time each day to focus on one task. When you sit down to work, put everything else out of your mind. Don’t check your emails, respond to texts, or read social networks until after you finish what you came to do. Something as simple as setting your phone on silent mode can have a huge impact.
• Identify the top 2 daily spare time activities that distract you from working and then set yourself a challenge to conquer those for two consecutive days. Remember that getting at least 8-10 hours of sleep a night, drinking plenty of water, and consuming healthy meals can all help you keep focused throughout the day.

Time Management App

The obligatory time that you have to dedicate to certain jobs and the seemingly endless list of tasks that you are presented with at work can make it difficult to accurately track the time you are spending at work. Thankfully, Mobile-Punch is here to help you. Our app allows you to seamlessly clock in and out of work at the touch of a button, making it easier for employers and employees to track time at work. 

Here are key features of our time management solution: 

• Timesheet calculator
• Mobile punch
• Staff geolocation app
• Project management app
• Work schedule app
• Electronic agenda
• Dynamic distribution
• Work order app
• Employee time tracking app

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