BeyondJobers, despite all our time-saving devices, many of us still find ourselves wondering, “where did the time go?” Here are some tips to help you increase your productivity at work.
1) Establish Your Technology Reliance Level
Laptops, cellphones and other technology are an asset. For example, a King Pharmaceuticals Market Researcher says when she and her husband were building their house, he took pictures of things with his iPhone so she could view them at her convenience and give him her feedback. That way, she didn’t have to go running to meet him at stores or on-site.
2) Re-Examine Your Teamwork Skills
If you’re at an upper level of the company ladder, be more open to delegation. Also, consider acting as a facilitator. For example, get the two immediately below you together and ask them to determine the priorities. That saves you from constantly making decisions and they are less likely to be asking their direct reports to handle an “urgent” project.
If you are the underling and your supervisors both drop “must-have” projects on your desk, ask for guidance and don’t see it as imposing on someone. Instead, look at it as finding better ways to manage your own work.
3) Create a Daily Plan – For Guidance
Make a list of daily tasks and long-term goals. But don’t let yourself get locked into that agenda. Then at the end of the day, determine what you need to carry over from your to-do list to the next day.
Also, schedule down time into your calendar and block out segments in your online calendar to signal co-workers when you’re unavailable. For one marketing manager and a mother of two, that means getting up at 5 a.m. for “her time” to re-coop or exercise.
4) Consider Trading Dollars for Time
Accept that sometimes, there just isn’t enough time to get everything done. For example, invest in a housekeeper to keep your home beautiful so you can get more work done. Or here’s a creative one: Consider hiring a car serve for certain occasions instead of driving yourself, so you can do some work on your laptop during the drive.
5) Go with the Flow
Life doesn’t stay organized. Sometimes things happen that change your plans. When something disruptive happens, most of us tend towards rigidity as a form of control. Instead, acknowledge the mess and deal with it. Be more flexible. If your child gets sick, grab your laptop and smartphone and work outside the office, if possible.
