Time management is something almost all managers and leaders hear about, talk about, and learn about. It is a skill set that not only desired by top leaders, but is practically essential among business owners. Without time management, businesses don’t succeed, and neither do their staff. So—what is time management? According to Psychology Today, time management is a “process of planning and exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities; a process of organizing a day, to increase effectiveness, efficiency and productivity.” Here are some tips that you can share with your employees to help them better utilize time management.
Prioritize
Prioritization is probably the biggest habit to nail down when learning time management. Listing and categorizing each job or task according to urgency is important. Many employees take a lot of time doing things that are not a priority at that given moment, and are not focused on things that “must” get done right away. This results in lowered productivity of the company. When you teach employees how to prioritize their work, they will save a great deal of time that they would have otherwise used to do tasks that are not important. However, in order for this to be effective, it means communication has to become the bed rock of your skill set as a leader. Employees can’t always determine on their own which tasks are priorities and which ones are not. Communicating with team managers what needs to be prioritized, helps them communicate to their staff. This is a strong first step in teaching and utilizing time management.
Uniqueness
We are a world of unique and diversified individuals. Businesses thrive on people bringing their own experiences and skill sets to a work atmosphere. However, business leaders and managers tend to forget that the very thing they rely on when hiring is also what makes an employee so effective at their job. A habit among many managers is the mentality of “I do things this way and so should you.”Some employees work best by tackling unpleasant tasks while others work best when they start from the middle of a set and work backward. You should learn to appreciate that each member of your staff is unique, and each perform their work differently. One important aspect of time management is giving employees freedom to be themselves. As long as the job gets done in timely manner, it doesn’t matter which steps are done first. Studies show that employees perform their best when they are given freedom to do things their way or by trial and error. This technique is not so much a teaching method as it is a trusting method. Trust the steps your employees take and it goes a long way in your time management implementation.
Procrastination
One of the biggest set-backs in effective time management is procrastination. For some it is a bad habit, for others it is more of a mind-set that they will fail and so therefore do not try or put the task off. Disorganized personalities tend to procrastinate. For effective time management, you should teach your employees the danger of procrastinating and how and why it can jeopardize not only their job but the progress of the business as a whole. Trainings are offered all the time to help employees tackle this hurdle and learn better habits for thriving in an atmosphere where they do not fear getting big projects done.
WorkSource has found that leaders and managers that follow the techniques that they instill in their employees, build a much healthier and happier work environment and stronger business in the end. As a premier staffing agency, we can offer the tools to get your organization where it wants to be. Contact our team at WorkSource today.