5 Common Time Management Mistakes

@KateMagrath  @MeetTheBossTV

Time management can be considered an art in the professional world. With the right methods and techniques in place, you can take control of your time in order to use it more effectively. Yes, effective time management can help you to prioritise, plan, organise, schedule and balance tasks. But is it really that simple?

Sadly, we all know it’s not. So instead of writing endless lists and wasting precious time creating unachievable targets, it’s important to recognise where you might be going wrong.

Here are five common mistakes that we are all guilty of making, but once recognised can lead to a more productive and stress-free work environment.

A common mistake for any professional is to begin tasks without a plan in mind. For some, organisational skills don’t come naturally and tasks like these become a bit of a chore. Without a plan, there is no bigger picture. Without a bigger picture, there is no focus.

Tip: Your daily schedule will impact your ‘bigger picture’ schedules. Organise your daily schedule to fit your weekly and monthly schedules and you’ll see the improvement. Assess deadlines and prioritise time according to goals and targets and eventually it’ll all make sense.

The following vital areas impact our lives: health; family; financial; social; intellectual; spiritual and professional. It is said that if you do more of one thing and less of another, certain areas will suffer. Are you spending every minute of your time completely immersed in your professional life?

Chances are your health and social lives aren’t getting much of a look in. Partying it up in the local every night on the other hand isn’t going to help your professional standards either. Of course, this is all entirely subjective, but you get my drift.

So, what’s the solution? Well, practicing a good balance of the seven vitals will certainly help. Watch where your time is going and switch a few things around – this will definitely aid any uncertainties.

Tip: Where it is good to be passionate about your job, make sure there is a part of your day, preferably once you’ve left the office, when you are focusing on life outside of work.

Agreeing to take on too much work can only be a downfall. Although there are methods to prioritise your workload, having too much to do will only create stress and more than likely take your results down a peg or two.

Tip: Simply agree to do less work. Where most people might think that agreeing to manage multiple projects and multitasking is productive, it’s more than likely to leave you worse off in the long run. Overloading yourself is bad for your stress levels whatever prior state they were in. It’s better to manage fewer projects and do them well than to take on too much and not be able to give your all.

It is easy to get completely snowed under with projects and deadlines that taking a break might seem ridiculous. Rest assured, its not. What is ridiculous, however, is expecting your brain to work at full-speed without any respite. If Mozart took breaks, then you can too.

Tip: Everybody needs a break, so if you have allocated breaks in your workday, make sure you use them. Taking ten minutes every couple of hours could help you find an easier solution to something or simply just help clear your head and give your synapses a breather.

Wasting time by not planning or setting yourself goals will see your work suffer.

Tip: Set yourself goals and prioritise your workload. Use methods like the‘ABC Analysis’ method that ranks tasks in the order of urgency and importance, ‘A’ being the most important and ‘C’ being the least.

With these points and tips to mull over, (take them or leave them) you’ll be racing through the ‘unfinished’ pile on your desk in no time. Got something to add? Drop it in the comments and we’ll add it to the list…