Efficiency + Effectiveness = Productivity
This formula is something that people unknowingly disregard these days. Do you sometimes feel that you always run out of time? Are you overloaded with responsibilities so much so that it seems like the hours in a day are not enough? In one way or another, all of us have felt these things.
The best solution for this is time management. You might have heard it many times but it’s true. Efficiently managing your time is a powerful tool to complete daily duties and long-term projects. Being able to perceive and prioritise work tasks according to their importance and urgency will keep you resourceful and well-ordered, hence produce amazing outcomes.
Here are a few tips on how to be a better timekeeper:
Have a ‘to-do’ list
This may sound silly for some people, but having a time log or a diary helps in keeping track of important details as you go throughout your day. This can be a simple checklist of to-do tasks which you check from time to time. Don’t forget to arrange your tasks in order, from the most urgent/important to the least pressing.
Have an action plan
Checklists alone are not helpful if you have not set your goals. Pursuing an action plan is simply planning things in advance and setting the amount of time you would like to dedicate to a certain task. By having an action plan, you’re able to map out the steps required to accomplish each task. The action plan will also help you assess if you’re allotting a reasonable amount of time to a particular step.
Be optimistic even in trying times
Happy people are positive people. They never allow themselves to be discouraged by obstacles that come their way. It’s true that being able to manage your time effectively in a continuous way is rather challenging and sometimes difficult. We might stumble at times, but it is important to always remember that if you can do it once, then you can definitely do it again and again.
Strong time management cannot be acquired overnight. It is a process of possessing the right skills and attitude as well as maintaining them. This, in turn, makes you achieve professional and personal growth.
What are the benefits of becoming a better timekeeper?
- You become results-oriented and an overachiever.
- You learn how to take control of pressure because proper planning defeats stress most of the time.
- You are able to accomplish multiple tasks and optimise your effort because you decrease your usage of time.
- You develop the right mind-set for your long-term goals.
- You become more efficient and effective with your work and thus, you increase your productivity.
Contributed by Joanne Ng, Regional Business Support Manager, SALESWORKS GROUP ASIA.