Manage Your Time at Work Effectively

Ways to buckle down and be more efficient

Though you may be present at work for eight or nine hours, you may not be making the most of those long hours day-to-day. However, by prioritizing your time, you can start managing your time more wisely and get more done (in less time, too).

Ways to Manage Time Wisely

• Determine your priorities. These will be the things that are most important and bring the most value to your job. These are also items that have rigid deadlines and/or involve commitments to and by others.
• Take action on priority items first.
• Identify your best time of day to get priority work done successfully.
• Use a paper or electronic day planner and place your calendar, to-do list and important contacts inside. Carry this with you whenever possible.
• Manage your calendar by consolidating unnecessary meetings, establishing time limits for tasks and following up immediately.
• Organize your important contacts by assigning them a category or group. Then, type or write in notes concerning additional information about each one.
• Consolidate future appointments that are related, either by date or topic.
• Create a deadline for each task.
• Avoid placing to-do items on sticky notes and placing them all about. They can be easily lost track of or misplaced.
• Track incoming voicemails on a master call list.
• Make all of your phone calls during a specific time of day, and establish a time limit for each call before making it.
• Leave clear and detailed voicemail messages for others so you receive the responses that you were aiming for when they call back.
• Consider email responses as opposed to phone calls.
• Make sure your workspace is organized and important information is easily accessible.
• Create a filing system that works for you and is easy to manage and understand.

Ways to Reduce Interruptions

• Place a sign on your door or cubicle that alerts others when you are busy and should not be disturbed.
• Use tactical body language to send the message that you are busy, such as standing up.
• Move the position of your desk or computer monitor so it faces away from potential visitors.