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Take a moment and think about your typical work day, think about the tasks that you do on a daily basis. If someone were to stop and ask you right now how much time it took you to do each task, would you have a good grasp it? Do you ever feel like there just aren't enough hours in the day for what you have to accomplish? Do you find that you're completing tasks JUST before they are due and stressing out that you may miss deadlines? In my past days of management, I noticed that many people pride themselves on how busy they appear to be. When somebody tries to offer them solutions or ways to try to manage their time better, they tend to brush them off. Sometimes people will even get downright defensive or insulted. It's almost as if they think that the busier they appear, the more important they are. They may feel threatened that if they don't seem busy all the time that their job would be on the line. Or they may be insulted because they think that you're implying that they're not working hard enough or fast enough (definitely not the case). If any of these examples apply to you, I'm here to change your theory and give you more peace of mind at the end of the day. If this does not apply to you, then still continue to read and get great tips on how to manage your time better.
I will be the first to admit that many years ago I fell into that first category of people. I would rush around all day long, unwilling to ask for help, ending my day in a stressed frenzy claiming that I simply had too much to do and not enough time in the day to do it. Now, let me clarify, I really BELIEVED that I had too much to do and not enough time in the day to do it. I never thought that I was doing anything wrong or that there was anything I could do to change that. The day came when I had finally had enough. I stepped back and analyzed my day, the approach I was taking to the tasks I was completing and the order in which I was completing them. I asked coworkers for an unbiased opinion as to how I was going about things. Asked them for any suggested shortcuts that they used on any programs, processes or procedures that we both used in our daily tasks. I took all of this information and restructured, reorganized and refocused with a clearer vision. I realized that if I made a few adjustments to my day, it might just give me some breathing room. Best. Decision. EVER! Now I jump on the opportunity to meet with someone that says they can help me better manage my time. I will no longer be the person so unwilling to seek out advice from someone else. Let's face it, if you can shave even 15 minutes off of your workload, it's still worth it! After all, you're "so busy you can't even breathe until the work day is over"...so 15 minutes would be fantastic, am I right?!
Are you sitting here right now rolling your eyes and thinking that you're so impossibly busy that you can't take time out of your day to revamp your functional system that you have worked out? I thought maybe you might be...just keep reading. I recommend for you to start keeping a journal, spreadsheet or other document and record your day. I'm sure you've heard of food journals, or dream journals. This will be your work journal. Start out by listing your goals for the day to keep yourself on task. As the day progresses, try to note how much time you spent on each goal and add in anything else you spent time on during the day. I would recommend trying to break things out into 15 minute increments so it doesn't get TOO specific (you don't need to notate that you took a break to get a glass of water).
Sidebar: Those of you that follow our blog posts regularly know about my list obsession. You can read more about writing an effective to-do list (the list of threes) in our blog article here.
There are also a lot of productivity killers out there, the time wasters that take away your focus and end up sucking up your time before you know it. Things like social networking, games, reading articles online, chatting with friends, etc. Obviously you want to be very conscious about how much time you're spending on these things and try to cut back or eliminate them altogether. There will always be some things that take time away from your goals are things that you can't avoid (bathroom breaks, taking breaks for meals, sleeping). Even so, you can still optimize the time to get the most out of it. As an example, while your meal is cooking, take a moment to quickly update your social network sites or check your emails. Everyone needs downtime, but you can take just a few minutes out of your break to do these things and you'll be less likely to wind up spending hours perusing social network sites just for fun.
There are ways that we set ourselves up to be less efficient without even realizing it! How many of you listen to music as background noise when you're working? Many people find they actually are more distracted by background noise than they would ever anticipate. If you find yourself creating playlists, looking up lyrics or burning a CD for a friend when you only thought you would be having music as background noise, you should avoid listening to music during your day or learn to control your train of thought! This theory can also apply to television. One of the perks of working from home is to be able to have a mobile office. Have you ever found yourself working from the couch because you want to be comfortable? Before you know it you have the TV on and are watching reruns of a show you never watched even when it was originally on TV. If you have a hard time maintaining focus, you should avoid any distractions you can!
Take full advantage of the technology you have! I can't tell you how many times I've walked by a colleagues work station and seen them staring at their computer screen as the computer works to complete an update or download a large file. They don't even realize that they are wasting time that could be spent organizing their files or updating their to-do list! If your computer isn't fully busy working, you can run certain updates in the background and continue to check emails or work on documents. Don't underestimate this powerful machine!
Once you use these tips and analyze your workday, I hope that you'll be able to free up time! Changes begin small, so even if you manage to free up 10 or 20 minutes in your day, it's still a step in the right direction. Don't stop looking for ways to free up even more time by multi-tasking or restructuring your day. If you're constantly looking for ways to manage your time better, you'll always be working toward the most productive workday you could have!
That's it! Right? We're not quite finished yet. Now that you've managed to find a few extra minutes in your day, do not decide that you can add a large amount of work to your plate. The whole point of this exercise is so you don't get burned out from working or overly stressed out. Don't just undo all of the hard work you went did to get to this point!
If you feel like you've tried these methods but still can't seem to free up any time in your day, don't forget that there are professional consultants that get paid to do just this for a living! Of course, it all depends whether you can afford one or not. Having an unbiased opinion about your time management is a wonderful way to get a professional look at your workload. When all else fails, if you just keep struggling to manage your time, I would sincerely consider hiring a professional consultant. Now, of course, this all depends on your budget. I firmly believe that having a professional unbiased opinion about your workflow is a great way to analyze your workday. Don't worry, they won't judge you and they'll ultimately help you out enormously with their expertise! They'll probably just sit back and watch you work for a few days and then conduct a meeting to discuss ways for you to save time by streamlining your workday in different areas. They may offer different programs or applications that will be better at helping you multitask. I have had the pleasure of working with a few different consultants and they are worth the money for what you get in return!
We would love to hear methods you've used to streamline your day! Have you used any particular software programs or applications to help your workday? What has worked best for you so far?
I will be the first to admit that many years ago I fell into that first category of people. I would rush around all day long, unwilling to ask for help, ending my day in a stressed frenzy claiming that I simply had too much to do and not enough time in the day to do it. Now, let me clarify, I really BELIEVED that I had too much to do and not enough time in the day to do it. I never thought that I was doing anything wrong or that there was anything I could do to change that. The day came when I had finally had enough. I stepped back and analyzed my day, the approach I was taking to the tasks I was completing and the order in which I was completing them. I asked coworkers for an unbiased opinion as to how I was going about things. Asked them for any suggested shortcuts that they used on any programs, processes or procedures that we both used in our daily tasks. I took all of this information and restructured, reorganized and refocused with a clearer vision. I realized that if I made a few adjustments to my day, it might just give me some breathing room. Best. Decision. EVER! Now I jump on the opportunity to meet with someone that says they can help me better manage my time. I will no longer be the person so unwilling to seek out advice from someone else. Let's face it, if you can shave even 15 minutes off of your workload, it's still worth it! After all, you're "so busy you can't even breathe until the work day is over"...so 15 minutes would be fantastic, am I right?!
Are you sitting here right now rolling your eyes and thinking that you're so impossibly busy that you can't take time out of your day to revamp your functional system that you have worked out? I thought maybe you might be...just keep reading. I recommend for you to start keeping a journal, spreadsheet or other document and record your day. I'm sure you've heard of food journals, or dream journals. This will be your work journal. Start out by listing your goals for the day to keep yourself on task. As the day progresses, try to note how much time you spent on each goal and add in anything else you spent time on during the day. I would recommend trying to break things out into 15 minute increments so it doesn't get TOO specific (you don't need to notate that you took a break to get a glass of water).
Sidebar: Those of you that follow our blog posts regularly know about my list obsession. You can read more about writing an effective to-do list (the list of threes) in our blog article here.
There are also a lot of productivity killers out there, the time wasters that take away your focus and end up sucking up your time before you know it. Things like social networking, games, reading articles online, chatting with friends, etc. Obviously you want to be very conscious about how much time you're spending on these things and try to cut back or eliminate them altogether. There will always be some things that take time away from your goals are things that you can't avoid (bathroom breaks, taking breaks for meals, sleeping). Even so, you can still optimize the time to get the most out of it. As an example, while your meal is cooking, take a moment to quickly update your social network sites or check your emails. Everyone needs downtime, but you can take just a few minutes out of your break to do these things and you'll be less likely to wind up spending hours perusing social network sites just for fun.
There are ways that we set ourselves up to be less efficient without even realizing it! How many of you listen to music as background noise when you're working? Many people find they actually are more distracted by background noise than they would ever anticipate. If you find yourself creating playlists, looking up lyrics or burning a CD for a friend when you only thought you would be having music as background noise, you should avoid listening to music during your day or learn to control your train of thought! This theory can also apply to television. One of the perks of working from home is to be able to have a mobile office. Have you ever found yourself working from the couch because you want to be comfortable? Before you know it you have the TV on and are watching reruns of a show you never watched even when it was originally on TV. If you have a hard time maintaining focus, you should avoid any distractions you can!
Take full advantage of the technology you have! I can't tell you how many times I've walked by a colleagues work station and seen them staring at their computer screen as the computer works to complete an update or download a large file. They don't even realize that they are wasting time that could be spent organizing their files or updating their to-do list! If your computer isn't fully busy working, you can run certain updates in the background and continue to check emails or work on documents. Don't underestimate this powerful machine!
Once you use these tips and analyze your workday, I hope that you'll be able to free up time! Changes begin small, so even if you manage to free up 10 or 20 minutes in your day, it's still a step in the right direction. Don't stop looking for ways to free up even more time by multi-tasking or restructuring your day. If you're constantly looking for ways to manage your time better, you'll always be working toward the most productive workday you could have!
That's it! Right? We're not quite finished yet. Now that you've managed to find a few extra minutes in your day, do not decide that you can add a large amount of work to your plate. The whole point of this exercise is so you don't get burned out from working or overly stressed out. Don't just undo all of the hard work you went did to get to this point!
If you feel like you've tried these methods but still can't seem to free up any time in your day, don't forget that there are professional consultants that get paid to do just this for a living! Of course, it all depends whether you can afford one or not. Having an unbiased opinion about your time management is a wonderful way to get a professional look at your workload. When all else fails, if you just keep struggling to manage your time, I would sincerely consider hiring a professional consultant. Now, of course, this all depends on your budget. I firmly believe that having a professional unbiased opinion about your workflow is a great way to analyze your workday. Don't worry, they won't judge you and they'll ultimately help you out enormously with their expertise! They'll probably just sit back and watch you work for a few days and then conduct a meeting to discuss ways for you to save time by streamlining your workday in different areas. They may offer different programs or applications that will be better at helping you multitask. I have had the pleasure of working with a few different consultants and they are worth the money for what you get in return!
We would love to hear methods you've used to streamline your day! Have you used any particular software programs or applications to help your workday? What has worked best for you so far?
About the Author:
Such A Voice currently offers straightforward voice over training in locations all over the US. Visit us today to sign-up and start on your path to getting paying voice over jobs with your natural voice.
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