Tips To Beat The 5 Time Management Problems Holding You Back

As a manager or leader, you know that time management is key to success. However, sometimes life gets in the way, and you find yourself struggling to get things done. This blog is designed to help you overcome common time management problems and manage your time more effectively. By identifying your time management problems and learning tips on overcoming them, you’ll be on your way to becoming a more successful manager.

What is time management?

Time management is the process of organizing your time in a way that allows you to accomplish your goals efficiently. The key is to maximize productivity and get optimum output from the time invested in tasks. It can refer to tasks such as setting priorities, planning and tracking progress, and creating timelines. Taking these steps allows you to manage your time more effectively and achieve remarkable results for your team and yourself without becoming ineffective due to time management problems.

Time management skills are essential for anyone who wants to be a successful leader. If you’re unable to manage your schedule well or if things get out of hand frequently, it will be challenging to focus on anything other than work. Moreover, it can lead to a disrupted work-life balance and several other problems that hamper managers’ well-being. Instead of letting stress control your life, learn to organize yourself so everything falls into place effortlessly.

Time management can be pretty challenging, but it’s worth it to be more productive and achieve your goals. To be successful, it’s essential to understand the five common time management problems and how to overcome them. To overcome them, you need to develop a good work ethic and set realistic goals for us. It’s also helpful to have systems in place, like task lists and calendars, so that you can stay organized throughout the day. Time management can be a breeze for busy managers with a little effort!

Why is time management important for managers?

A skill that is essential for any modern manager or leader is time management. Because managing multiple tasks and deadlines simultaneously can be complex, effective time management skills are vital for completing and meeting deadlines. Additionally, good time management also enables you to stay organized and focused on the task at hand.

First of all, managers need to manage their own time to meet deadlines and goals effectively. This habit of meeting deadlines is then followed by your teams as well. Secondly, good time management skills can help you lead a balanced life. If everything falls into place smoothly and you can get more done in less time, it will likely result in increased productivity and better outcomes for your team. Finally, effective time management skills can assist with developing healthier work-life balance habits, which are mentally and physically beneficial.

Keep reading here for proven time management strategies for managers struggling with poor time management!

What are the common time management problems managers face?

Distractions & procrastination

The most common time management problems faced by managers are distractions and procrastination. If you often miss deadlines, these issues are plaguing you. Distractions come from many different sources, some of which can be unavoidable. For instance, email notifications can jump out at you brightly and unexpectedly in the midst of a task, making it difficult to focus on your work.

Similarly, if you have a lot of tasks that need to be done urgently but aren’t due for several days or weeks yet, it can be hard to resist the temptation to put them off until later. Procrastination is also an issue that often plagues busy managers; we tend to put things off until later instead of taking action immediately. It leads to missed opportunities, decreased productivity, and a less-than-satisfied team. Moreover, your team can get lethargic, too, if you are not putting your best foot forward every day.

How can managers solve it?

• Recognize and manage distractions in your workspace
• Understand the underlying emotions of fear and stress that cause procrastination
• Find your purpose at work

Lack of a plan

Starting your day without a plan is one of the time management problems you face as a manager. Many managers need a plan for how to spend their time. Prioritizing tasks and knowing when enough is enough becomes incredibly challenging. Without an organized approach, you may also find yourself taking on too many projects at once or spending more time on unimportant errands than necessary instead of focusing on the important tasks. In totality, your day is spent without a set direction. This time management problem often happens when managers have not developed a vision they want to achieve with their team. At the end of the day, you might find yourself overwhelmed with a huge pile of pending tasks.

How can managers solve it?

• Learn how to set SMART goals for yourself and your teams
• Follow through on deadlines
• Use tools like To-Do lists to set your priorities

Team members take too much time to report

Another common time management problem is teams taking too much time to report back to their manager. When this happens, it can be difficult for the manager to keep track of what is happening and where things are at. It causes confusion and a lack of clarity on how tasks should be prioritized or completed. Managers must set clear expectations for their team members so that communication flows smoothly between them. In the absence of a manager using effective delegation techniques, one error or delay can delay the whole team’s work.

How can managers solve it?

• Identify the right tasks and people to delegate
• Build a habit of exchanging feedback with your team
• Grow your guidance ability to train team members
• Ensure that your delegation skills are up to the mark. Take Risely’s free self-assessment now to check!

Miscalculating the time and energy needed for tasks 

It’s not just how much time a task will take but also how much energy you need to complete it. Unfortunately, it can be easy to underestimate the time and energy required to complete tasks. It happens when managers allow personal goals or distractions to get in the way of completing important tasks on time.

By taking these factors into account, you can more accurately plan your day and work towards meeting your goals as a manager. Moreover, some tasks appear simple from the get-go but take up too much of your time. A manager’s challenge here lies in identifying the precise amount of time any particular task will take. Otherwise, their whole schedule is set to run on a delay.

How can managers solve it?

• Identify the needs and requirements of every task on your list
• Account for time wasters and manage them
• Do not multitask goals that need a single-focused mind
• Try time management activities that take the burden off your shoulders

Equating being busy with productivity

We often equate being busy with productivity. It is a dangerous mindset to have because it can lead to us overworking ourselves and not achieving our goals. To be productive, we need time for tasks that are important to us and time away from work too. We should also set boundaries on what qualifies as “busy” and ensure that we’re taking the right amount of breaks between tasks so that we don’t burn out or lose focus from what actually matters to the team. Managers and leaders need to ensure that they are not just spending time but producing valuable input during work hours.

How can managers solve it?

• Do not work for long hours. Instead, take breaks that help you remain motivated
• Focus on deep work that enables high productivity
• Build a workplace conducive to working

Time management problems can be more than these. If you struggle to manage time effectively with your team even after repeated attempts, a time management coach might be the panacea to your woes. You can work with a time management coach to identify where your time management skills are faltering and what you can do to make them up to the mark. 

To make things easier, you can sign up for Risely to get customized guidance on overworking time management problems and any other people management challenges you face as a manager. In addition, Risely offers learning journeys that help you collaborate with your team in a move toward growth. Equipped with toolkits and assessments for managers, it makes management a breeze! 

Conclusion

Time management is a critical skill for any manager to develop. By understanding how time and energy affect tasks, managers can set realistic goals and plan their day accordingly. Additionally, setting boundaries on what counts as work and taking breaks between tasks can help to prevent burnout or distraction from important work goals. All in all, managers should identify the time management problems hampering their productivity and work to overcome their impact.