Effectively Manage Your Time

Effectively ManageYour Time in 2021

If you are slammed every second of the day, your personal and professional growth is at risk. Own your schedule with a few ideas.

Like many of us, you probably spend your week devoted to staff meetings, planning sessions, or working on replying to never-ending calls and emails. If you do not take control of your schedule, and therefore your life, it can quickly be overtaken.

As we all know, during the pandemic, most people are working remotely. Many co-workers expect or even assume that people are available at all hours of the day and night. Though you might not be in a strategic session, do not allow your time to be fully consumed. Try using three straightforward ideas to take back control of your schedule and build a more productive routine for yourself and your co-workers.

Schedule time on your calendar. It never looks good when you decline a meeting or state you have a previous engagement on shared calendars when yours seems wide open. Just because you are not in meetings one after the next does not mean you have plenty of free time. Make sure to shield yourself from the common question, “can I run something by you?” requests, and arrange the actions you have, separate from meetings, onto your calendar. A good step when properly set up your calendar includes building specific blocks of your day and week when it is impossible for co-workers to schedule time with you. Everyone needs time on their schedule to work on the projects being discussed in all these meetings! So, set up your calendar for uninterrupted time to accomplish and finalize these tasks. If possible, during this blocked time, additionally set all communication platforms in silent mode. You will be more effective and productive with fewer interruptions.

Now and again, schedule time in the likelihood that something will come up during the week. You never know when you may need a couple of extra hours set aside to focus on something new or to catch up on project task work returning calls or emails. Blocking this concentrated time on your calendar will create a safety net for your valuable time and provide you with a little wiggle room when adjustments are needed.

Set communication expectations. Some people set a specific time for tasks and make it known as such. For example, we have seen co-workers include a note within their email signature that states they only read email at 8:00 am and 1:00 pm. This could be a challenge based on your specific organizational role, but it works for some. Doing so sets a pattern of what folks can expect. If a colleague sends an email at 8:30 am, they know not to expect a reply until after 1:00 pm. Creating this level of clarity sets everyone up for achievement while safeguarding you from the influx of emails. Be sure to create an “out of office” email autoreply if you need significant time away from your inbox, attending an offsite meeting, or are fighting to meet a project deadline. Setting expectations for success by being transparent can make all the difference when dealing with co-workers and clients. Stating your outlook is exceptionally productive and can be especially useful. Though once setting an expectation, you must then follow through. It can be easy to point the finger at others, but often, we can be the very cause of our diminished productivity. However, “do what you say, and say what you do,” so do not set an expectation that you are not checking email and then spend a substantial portion of a day responding to your inbox. Doing so decreases trust and directs your co-workers to believe you are not following through on your communicated expectations.

Create a weekly plan. On Sunday or first thing Monday morning, decide when things are going to be performed. Typical organizational patterns include, Mondays and Tuesdays are jam-packed with department meetings. At the same time, the week’s balance remains open for client meetings, project tasks, and other requirements that alternate based on the time of year. Flexibility in time management is particularly advantageous, as it allows you to be present with what is on the horizon and permits you to concentrate on opportunities that may arise. If your day is booked with meeting after another, there will be zero growth capacity, new endeavors, or time to be creative and think. Try these tools, look at how much and how well your output grows and stress levels reduce.