Time Management | How to balance priorities and productivity
Time Management
Time management is a valuable skill necessary for all career paths.
Upon first entering a professional setting, you may have to juggle multiple tasks and projects at a new standard or pace, so a bit of overwhelm is understandable. Fortunately, there are many tactics and tools that can assist in the development of your time management skills, from prioritization methods to workspace improvements.
Reset your time management expectations
Time Assessment: In order to determine which tools or tactics will work best for you, you need to first understand how you spend your time.
Try to spend a few full days of work tracking your time, including administrative responsibilities and commuting time. From there, you will need to take stock of your time: how much is spent being productive and non-productive? What are your major tasks and how do you work best to complete them? Are there any patterns over a longer period of time (ex. A month or a business quarter)? Are you taking breaks for your mental health?
Once you have some answers to these questions, you will be able to see where your time is being spent and if this output aligns with your daily workload and role expectations.
If not, perhaps there is an opportunity to reshuffle your action items, delegate if possible, or map out your calendar to tackle particularly time-consuming projects. It may also be helpful to pre-schedule long-term meetings (such as reviews or professional development conversations), or create a custom agenda template that can be used for meetings with recurring items or status updates.
Simple changes, big impact.
Eliminate distractions: One of the most important changes one can make in their workspace to improve time management is eliminate distractions during work hours, including silencing personal social media alerts, closing unnecessary browser tabs, or even removing clutter from your workspace.
Give yourself a breather: Scheduling breaks between meetings can help you complete and set aside your previous thoughts to refocus on your next task. By building in a buffer of your time between meeting, or carving out time as Admin or Do Not Disturb, you are able to better control your schedule and minimize the overwhelm of a new role. According to Nina Gass, try a short walk, meditating, or performing a mind clearing or breathing exercise. Even just a few minutes can help prepare you to tackle your next action item with renewed energy.
One of Slack’s 10 Tips for Mastering Time Management at Work suggests batching similar tasks. By batching tasks and working on similar action items together, you can minimize time reorienting to different tasks. Try using your calendar to block time for answering client emails, conducting narrowly-focused research, or generating key reports.
“10 Tips for Mastering Time Management at Work.” Slack, The Team at Slack, 13 Sept. 2021, https://slack.com/blog/collaboration/mastering-time-management-at-work.
Which tasks, and when?
One key aspect of time management is prioritization.
While there are many methods to assist you in prioritizing tasks, a popular matrix tool is the Eisenhower Matrix, which was introduced in the infamous 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey. Explained in much further detail in this article published by Todoist, we see Laura Scroggs unpack how breaking down tasks into Not Urgent/Urgent and Important/Not Important can maximize productivity.
Scroggs, Laura. “Avoid the ‘Urgency Trap’ with the Eisenhower Matrix.” Todoist Productivity Methods, https://todoist.com/productivity-methods/eisenhower-matrix.
Another prioritization tool is the Eat The Frog method, named from Mark Twain’s old adage, “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning.” According to Asana, this strategy, “encourages you to tackle big or complex tasks first before working on your less important or less urgent work. This strategy is particularly helpful if you split your days between regular, daily work and high-priority tasks.” At FGPM, we believe a frog a day keeps the procrastination away.
On the complete opposite side of the time management scale is the Pareto principle. We again refer to Asana: “[T]his strategy encourages you to get quick tasks out of the way, so you can feel more accomplished and motivated as you head into your day.” By knocking out small tasks (or even your batched tasks!), you build momentum by making small achievements, eventually leading to larger or more complex projects or correspondence.
Martins, Julia. “18 Time Management Tips, Strategies, and Quick Wins to Get Your Best Work Done.” Asana, 8 May 2022, https://asana.com/resources/time-management-tips.
Say no, professionally.
As a young professional, one of the most important (and difficult) time management skills to learn is how to decline an opportunity (i.e. say “no”) respectfully and professionally.
While it would be ill-advised to reject projects and directives from your boss, perhaps there is an opportunity to politely decline work-related social events in the interest of work-life balance. Participation in company culture is essential to your corporate success, but you must also consider your mental bandwidth. Sleeping is important too!
Politely setting boundaries for non-work hours also includes open and honest conversations with friends and family about your energy level or new areas of focus.
If you believe you can add unique value to a project, or the extra work will help you stand out, work with your loved ones to figure out how best to support you during the new challenge.
Time management is a valuable professional skill developed over time and experience. While these are some of our favorites, we encourage you to find the right tools and strategies that work best for you.
Gass, Nina. “15 Time Management Best Practices for Greater Productivity.” Calendar, 16 June 2019, https://www.calendar.com/blog/time-management-best-practices/.
“10 Tips for Mastering Time Management at Work.” Lucidchart, Lucid Content Team, https://www.lucidchart.com/blog/time-management-at-work.
Rampton, John. “Manipulate Time with These Powerful 20 Time Management Tips.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 1 May 2018, https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnrampton/2018/05/01/manipulate-time-with-these-powerful-20-time-management-tips/?sh=4558b5ce57ab.
