How better time management can help your career

We live in a world with plenty of distractions like social media, meetings, and ads, where there are just never enough hours in the day. Tasks pile up, obligations get in the way, and sometimes, you just can't get everything done in those eight hours at work. This can be frustrating, but don't worry. This is actually a skill that you can improve. It's called time management, and it can help you get the most out of your days by planning more effectively. It's also an important resume skill. Let's take a look at what time management is and how to improve it.

According to Liz Cannata, VP Human Resources at CareerBuilder, "Effective time management is critical to success in any role; you must be able to prioritize and maximize your time to handle the day to day but also the more strategic initiatives."

What is time management?

Time management is a phrase you've probably heard before. Gurus, high-profile professionals, and teachers preach about organizing time to clients and audiences. But what is it, anyway? Simply put, time management is the effective organization of your time in order to maximize what you can accomplish within a given time block, whether you're completing a project, uploading a resume, or responding to emails. For example, if you want to maximize the next hour of your time, you might assign a different small task for every 15 minutes to tackle your to-do list.

Organizing your time is a concept that can be a challenge. We constantly know what time it is, how much daylight remains, and where we need to be in the next hour, but that doesn't mean all of us have mastered the art of making the most out of our hours. Learning this skill can have many benefits and may help you feel less stressed out. It's also an important skill for those in the workforce.

Why is time management important for work?

Organizing your time is an important skill to have if you're in the workforce because you probably have multiple tasks each workday that you must complete before those eight hours are up. And while eight hours might seem like enough time, if you're not managing those eight hours effectively, you might find that they go too fast and what you thought you'd accomplish becomes a backlog to finish tomorrow or another day. Soon, you're behind on your work, you're stressed, and your employer is asking why you're not finished.

Being an efficient time manager might also make you a better leader in the workplace. Not only will it help you set a helpful example of how to plan and run a workday, but it can also help you address all the little things that often pile up during the workday. You can find time to answer your email backlog, finish that pressing project, and communicate with other employees.

How to improve your time management skills

Of course, if you want to get better at this skill, you'll have to start with a few simple steps to determine where your current skill level is. Let's look at some helpful tips for improving your time allocation skills so you can make the most out of your workdays.

Recognize how you manage time

The first step to solving any problem is realizing there is one. So, it's time to be honest with yourself. Are you a good time manager? If the answer is "no" or "I could be better," you're on the right track. Recognizing how you manage time and where you can improve lays the groundwork for that improvement. So, how do you manage your time? Maybe you use project management software or a physical calendar to track daily activities and obligations. Some of us just hope we'll remember everything, while others use notes and timers.

Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize

Sometimes, it's the little tasks that take up most of our time. For example, you might spend significantly more time on emails than you thought you did. Suddenly, an hour has disappeared and you're an eighth of the way to end of the day. This is where prioritization becomes a necessity. By prioritizing your most important tasks, you're ensuring that you accomplish your most pressing tasks before addressing smaller ones. For example, you might prioritize delivering the marketing project that's taken you six weeks to complete, working on it for the first three hours.

Learn from others

Someone at your workplace likely has this skill mastered and can teach you a few things about being more efficient. It's important to recognize the talent around us and learn from it. Don't be afraid to ask questions about their process. They're probably more than willing to help, and you could learn some new methods that you couldn't learn from researching on the internet. This can also be a great way to help improve work relationships and enhance communication. Find the person you work with who's a master of organization and ask them about their process.

You can also speak to your manager about task prioritization and clarifying expectations. Understanding what the company leaders think is most important can help you plan your day and learn more about how the managers prioritize tasks. They can also provide resources like interns, training programs, and more.

Push through discouragement

Mastering a new skill won't happen overnight, and you'll probably encounter some frustration along the way. This is all part of the learning process, so it's important to learn to push through any discouragement you feel and remember why you started. Mastering time allocation can help you think more clearly, maximize your workdays and reduce your stress. These are all rewards that are worth a bit of discomfort. Try different approaches until you find what works and stick with it until you've mastered it.

What are 5 time management strategies?

You can use established techniques to make your day more efficient and maximize your time. Here are five options:

• Pareto analysis: The Pareto analysis technique suggests that 20% of your actions are responsible for 80% of your outcomes, so you need to prioritize tasks by identifying the root cause of problems and grouping problems together by cause. Then, you assign each problem a score, add up those scores, and see which groups need the most attention.
• Pomodoro: The Pomodoro technique uses a timer to break down tasks into more manageable blocks of time. Each task has a timer and once the timer rings, you stop what you're doing and take a short break before continuing; there's even a Pomodoro timer available online!
• Eisenhower Matrix: This method is built around urgency and importance, creating a matrix you can use to prioritize tasks. Create a 4x4 table with urgent and not urgent at the top and important and non-important on each side, then fill in your daily tasks to prioritize each one.
• Parkinson's Law: This method revolves around a "law" that states the amount of time you dedicate to a project is the exact amount of time it will take to complete it. Effective use of this method means setting more strict deadlines or using unconventional techniques like unplugging your computer and using its battery life as your timer.
• The GTD method: The GTD method, or getting things done method, is simple: You record tasks you need to accomplish, break them into smaller blocks and tackle them one block at a time instead of all at once.

The benefits of effective organization of time

Time management offers many benefits that might help inspire you to stick with it. Here are some examples:

• Less stress: Having less stress is something all of us can appreciate. Managing your time better might help you feel less stressed about deadlines and the general sense that there aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done.
• Better performance: When you have a rigid schedule in place, you might also find that you perform better at work. A schedule may help you better understand what you can accomplish throughout the day and help you and your employer have more realistic expectations.
• Accomplishing more goals: If you manage your time more effectively, you can reach more of your goals quicker. This can feel great and helps boost your personal and professional confidence, especially with major goals like completing education, training, or getting a promotion.

So you've finally taken the leap and want to improve your organizational skills. You're on a path to lower stress and greater efficiency that may benefit both your career and your personal life. Remember that time is your most precious resource, and it's not infinite. Making the most out of each hour can help you achieve more and leaves more time for the most important things in life.

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