“It’s not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?”
– Henry David Thoreau
We live in a world where folks put too much emphasis on hyper-productivity. Whether it’s rushing from one task to another, running random errands, and reading and replying to emails, we’ve become obsessed with the idea of being busy. It projects a notion of hard work and dedication.
Being hyper-productive, while helpful to a certain degree, may lead to plain busy-work.
If this is how you go about your day at work, today is your time to choose to do things differently. We’re on a quest to help you be the best juggler you can possibly be, at least at work. We collected our thoughts on how we work smarter, not harder at our office.
Self-Management is the New Time Management
In this digital age, people focus more on time, data, and analytics, and forget to focus on the enjoyment of completing a task or solving a problem.
Time management is how individuals utilize time to maximize their productivity. But managing time isn’t about cramming as many tasks in a single day unless you prefer quantity over quality. To be clear also, managing time is close to impossible. You can stuff your day with tasks, but you’ll forever only have 24 hours.
But you know what you can manage? Your self.
Knowing you have the ability to manage yourself is empowering. You can lift the weight off your shoulders by organizing, planning, and committing to an adaptable timetable.
Before diving into the bulk of things, one professional, but friendly tip… try getting 7-8 hours of sleep. You know when your body needs some rest. Listen to it.
Organize. Plan. Commit.
Create a daily schedule.
Whether it’s a calendar app or a physical one, start your day by jotting down a to-do list. Color code your tasks to identify which ones are a high-priority or least important.
Prioritize sensibly.
In relation to your color-coded tasks, subcategorize it to important/urgent, important/nonurgent, and other variations to identify a task’s importance. Evaluating your tasks helps you set achievable goals.
Group similar tasks.
You will work more efficiently when you learn how to group together similar tasks. Set your morning as the time to read and reply to emails or making phone calls.
Focus on the task at hand.
Put your office group chat on silent mode, close all unrelated browsers, and hide your smartphone. Give all attention and effort to the task in front of you. Play your jams, if it helps with your concentration.
Work-life balance.
Some of the most successful professionals are the ones who can incorporate their personal life in their to-do list. Adding this to your daily schedule ensures you that work and important family matters don’t overlap.
Less is more.
Doing less is a tactic suggested by Leo Babauta which simply helps you to focus in on the most important things on your to-do list.
Try not to multitask.
Yes, it’s tempting to fall into the trap of multitasking, but you’re defeating the purpose of organizing, planning, and committing to your work schedule.
These tips help us balance our time and effort when it comes to managing the projects and campaigns with all our clients.
Did we miss out on anything? What other time management tips have worked for you?
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