We all know and recognize how being at the top of the hierarchy and working as a project manager can be really tough and exhilarating. Managing all of your responsibilities within a day is really complex. Regardless of the kind of project you are working on, all of us have the same number of hours in a day. A busy executive has various roles to play, from being a mediator to a planner. All the important responsibilities are to be handled by the executive sitting at the helm of an organization.
With responsibilities looming over the head, you have two paths. You can either falter under the pressure and self-destruct or you can rise above it and manage time to your own advantage. Realizing the imminent nod of your head, we have listed some tips you can follow to be on the top of your time management game at all times.
Refrain from Multi-Tasking
Most project managers assume that multitasking is part and parcel of what they do. While multitasking might save time, it reduces the quality of what you do. The quality is compromised, and you eventually end up wasting even more time in making up for the poor quality. To ensure the continuity of quality output, try to refrain from multitasking.
Prioritize your List
Prioritizing your work is one of the most common and rarely followed tips for time management. Busy executives have a lot planned for a day and need to prioritize and address all issues. Issues that require urgent attention should be a high priority and should be handled before the rest. Make it a habit to prioritize your list according to the urgency of the tasks.
Learn to Delegate
You don’t have to do it all. Trust the employees under you and learn to delegate tasks to them. You can start the process by handing over a task when everything within your list is urgent. This way, you can reduce the responsibilities looming over your head and also gauge the productivity of your delegates. Once you have formed a team of experienced and helpful delegates, you will reap the fruits of trusting them.
Take a Break
Taking a break can be helpful in making your mind active and fresh (Take our word for this; you don’t have time for research). A short break for 15-30 minutes will direct your mind towards resolving the issue and ensure that you return with rejuvenated spirits and motivation. Failure to take breaks for elongated periods can result in decreased efficiency and undue stress.
Block Distractions during Urgent Tasks
Urgent tasks call for complete attention from your side. In this urgency, notifications from other spheres of life can be nothing less than a hassle. You can inform your assistant beforehand to ensure that both of you are on the same page. Give yourself a limited period of time ‘off-grid’, after which you can resume your daily routine. By following this strategy, you can cater to an urgent task without being distracted from calls and emails.
Leave Time Consuming Activities for the End
As an executive, you must have an idea of the activities, which consume more time than others. Such activities, which suck time like a hungry bee, should be left till the end of the day. Cater to more urgent and profitable activities during the peak hours.
Track Your Time
Lastly, you should always track your time. Executives who have a track of time tend to do better in time management than those who don’t. Make sure to not exceed the time you have allotted to a specific activity, as failure to comply with time can leave your schedule in tatters.
Set Shorter Deadlines
Deadlines are known to work like a charm when you are working on a project management task. Deadlines can help you do work that you otherwise thought was not manageable within the time frame you have set.
Project management is all about ensuring that you meet the time limits you have set for yourself and that you go on to exceed them. With such deadlines, you can ensure that the team works when they can to get the desired outcomes from the process.
The team can come together to work and get the outcomes you want. You can also get people from the team to review the quality of the work being delivered once progress on it is being delivered. The review process would ensure the right outcomes without delays.
Summarize Each Day
It is always good to look back at your progress and summarize the work you have done each day. This is necessary to ensure that you get your outcomes and have something to take home with you. Summarizing each day can also help you identify days you underperformed and days you overperformed. This can be helpful in the grand scheme of management.
Project managers have a tough job on their shoulders. We hope these tips are helpful and can get you to achieve the outcomes you want.