5 Unique Time Management Activities For Managers

The workplace is full of pressure. From deadlines to constant work requests, finding time for ourselves is hard. But don’t worry – we’ve got your back! In this blog post, we list effective time management activities that managers can use to strengthen the time management habits of their team members. By incorporating these activities into your routine, you’ll better manage your time and achieve your goals. So don’t wait any longer – start working on improving your time management skills today!

Why is time management important in the workplace?

Managing time is essential in the workplace because it helps us to balance our work and personal lives. We need time to relax, recharge, and spend time with family and friends. It’s also important to manage our time to be productive at work. If we don’t have enough time to complete tasks, we’ll most likely spend more time doing tasks that are less important or too much multitasking, which will lead to less productivity overall.

Moreover, time management is an essential skill for managers and leaders as they have to ensure that their teams meet their deadlines and achieve goals as per schedule. If teams run behind, tasks pile up, and eventually, overwhelmed employees drop in the face of accumulated pressure. Efficient time management techniques are needed as an intervention here to achieve optimum utilization of the available time. In addition to aiding productivity and growth, it helps managers and their teams remain stress-free. Teams that are good at time management can face challenges and adapt to novel circumstances with greater ease than any other team which remains tangled in a mess of deadlines and incomplete tasks.

Without time management skills, teams significantly lose productive work hours. The tasks that would have ideally taken a couple of hours extend to grab more than that, stealing the space from relaxing and innovative activities which would have contributed to overall growth. Managers of such teams are prone to stress, indecision, and inefficiency – all of which hamper professional growth. That is why teams and managers need to look for time management activities that help them overcome this challenge.

5 time management activities your team needs to start now

Managing time is essential for any manager or team. However, time management can be complex when tasks are rushed, or goals need to be better defined. That’s why it’s important to start implementing time management activities now. Here are 5 time management activities that your team needs to start doing right away:

Pomodoro

This time management technique was initially designed to help people focus and work efficiently. The Pomodoro technique is simple: you set a timer for 25 minutes and work until the timer goes off. When the timer is finished, you take a 5-minute break. This cycle continues until your task is completed.

The simplicity of the Pomodoro method makes it super practical for professionals who have to sit at their desks for long hours. As time increases, our productivity tapers off, eventually vanishing to nil. The Pomodoro technique is designed to prevent this by introducing small breaks between work periods. These breaks allow us to refresh our minds and reorganize our thoughts before getting to work again. Instead of working at a stretch with monotony dancing at our shoulders, managers can ensure that they work with their body and mind fully invested in the task. It also helps managers avoid feeling overwhelmed and burnt out while improving efficiency.

Calendar blocking – Timeboxing

One time management technique that is effective for individuals and teams is calendar blocking. It involves setting time limits for tasks and specifically blocking time for working on those tasks. Once this is done, you must work on those tasks during the pre-decided period, neither before nor after. Doing this creates a sense of urgency and keeps you focused on essential tasks. It also helps ensure you get to tasks before deadlines knock on your door.

Another way to manage time is by using timeboxing-giving specific deadlines for completing certain tasks. For example, aim to finish 10% of your task list daily by 5 pm. If you miss your deadline the next day, you will begin your schedule with an extra hour. Managers and teams can use this technique to work on more significant tasks that require some effort every day but often grab the whole day if allowed to. Using time blocks prevents spillovers and the impact of one task on the rest.

Productivity journal

One of the best time management techniques is by using a productivity journal. A productivity journal is an excellent way to track your progress and stay motivated. By reflecting on what you’ve accomplished and acknowledging the challenges you faced, a productivity journal can help you to improve your workflow and achieve more success in less time. This can be anything from a simple notebook to an online tool, but it is vital that you keep track of your time and how it is spent each day. It will help you identify patterns or habits impacting your work efficiency and effectiveness. Additionally, once you have recognized these problems, you can start to work on solutions specific to them.

One of the underrated benefits of keeping a productivity journal is that it can help increase clarity in thought processes, which leads to better decision-making and improved performance for managers. Additionally, by documenting everything from start to finish, you will get a sense of where improvements need to be made. It will force you into action and help ensure long-term success.

Kanban board

Another time management technique that managers and teams can use is Kanban. Kanban is a workflow management system that helps to optimize tasks and workflows. Using visual cards or boards, you can easily see what tasks are currently waiting on materials, who is working on which tasks, and how much progress has been made thus far. It allows you to make changes as needed so that all tasks are completed in the most effective manner possible while minimizing disruptions to the team’s workflow.

The biggest strength of Kanban lies in its ability to show us the big picture. Managers and leaders can use it to see every part of their functions at a glance. Further, they can analyze and prioritize their tasks effectively while keeping their available resources in mind. By visualizing work into systematic flows, spotting and removing bottlenecks becomes easier.

The Kanban is one of the best time management activities for teams and managers dealing with multiple functions. Its power of visualization of workflows can help you draw seamless connections that facilitate smooth operations across the board. It will also help you identify patterns and defeat common problems plaguing your systems.

Eat that frog

The time management technique of eat that frog is great for managers who often find themselves stuck. It is explicitly designed to help individuals fight procrastination that results from the overwhelming pressure of work and a fear of outcomes.

The idea behind this method is that you should get done with the most troublesome tasks first – the ones that will take a lot of your time and energy and cause serious anxiety because of how critical they are to your team. Because otherwise, the task continues to grow, and not facing it adds to the stress borne out of anticipation. New managers who find themselves struggling at challenging aspects of their jobs can use this time management activity to jump over the hurdle effectively.

The eat-that-frog method begins with preparing a list of tasks. Out of these tasks, you need to identify your “frog” – that is your critical task. Then, you work on this task first thing in the morning. Afterward, you move towards more crucial tasks in descending order of priority. It helps managers wrap up challenging aspects of their jobs and ensure that they devote an appropriate amount of time to other tasks as well. Managers who use this technique develop a risk appetite and confidence that can define their careers.

While these are some popular and well-loved time management activities used by teams all over the world, you can definitely find more of them to discover the best for you. Additionally, you can combine multiple techniques to design a system that is made just for you and carries your uniqueness at its very core.

Conclusion

Managing time in the workplace can be a daunting task, but it’s essential to start small. In this blog, we’ve outlined five time management activities your team can implement immediately. From setting daily and weekly goals to delegating tasks, these activities will help to improve team productivity and collaboration. So, what are you waiting for? Start managing time in the workplace today!