{"id":25066,"date":"2020-10-23T08:43:01","date_gmt":"2020-10-23T08:43:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/transfergo.wpengine.com\/how-to-brush-up-on-your-time-management-skills\/"},"modified":"2024-10-29T20:46:51","modified_gmt":"2024-10-29T20:46:51","slug":"how-to-brush-up-on-your-time-management-skills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/develop.wpvip.tgalpha.com\/gb\/how-to-brush-up-on-your-time-management-skills","title":{"rendered":"How to brush up on your time management skills"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Businesses are having to adapt like never before in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. With increasing numbers of employees working from home and dealing with fresh challenges daily, time management skills are essential. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re feeling the pressures of keeping on top of everything in these uncertain times, read on. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start the day the right way<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re working from home, you probably don\u2019t miss the early morning commute. However, it can help your mind transition into work mode. When you\u2019re starting the working day at home a little bleary-eyed having just got up, it can have a knock-on effect on your time management. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aside from the physical benefits, morning exercise can boost the brain\u2019s mental capacity. A run, brisk walk or yoga class in a nearby park are ways of getting some fresh air, a change of scenery and some time to think about your day ahead\u2014all of which will improve productivity. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you can find a workspace at home that\u2019s distinct from where you relax, it\u2019ll help your focus. If that\u2019s not practical, try finding laptop-friendly cafes or pubs nearby. While it might be costly to do every day, it can make a welcome change once or twice a week. Also, there\u2019ll be fewer distractions away from home which will help with your time management. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maker vs Manager schedule <\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The entrepreneur Paul Graham writes in his blog<\/a><\/span> about what he calls the \u201cmanager and maker\u2019s schedule\u201d, which has implications on our time management. Managers, he argues, are used to scheduling meetings. Their days are made up of them\u2014it\u2019s simply a case of finding the time to slot one in. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For makers\u2014defined as creative types such as programmers or writers\u2014it\u2019s different. The odd meeting slapped bang in the middle of an afternoon can write off half a day\u2019s work. Simply knowing the meeting is coming up will prevent the maker from embarking on anything ambitious, while the meeting itself will disrupt the flow of work. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you fall into the \u201cmaker\u201d profile and this sounds familiar, discuss the problem with your team. Can you arrange a time to meet when it\u2019s less disruptive? If you hold back on meetings until the end of the day, for example, you\u2019ve got plenty of time to get into a meaty slice of work. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Set realistic goals<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Time management is a lot to do with having realistic expectations. At the beginning of lockdown, you might\u2019ve had lofty ambitions such as reading <\/span>War and Peace<\/span><\/i>, learning to play the trumpet and getting fluent in Spanish. Six months later, the novel and musical instrument are gathering dust in your room, and you\u2019ve not got further than downloading the language app. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such ambitions won\u2019t be met as we\u2019re not being realistic in our goals or specific enough in our aims. The same principle applies to the work environment. If you have a big project to complete, don\u2019t expect to get it done in one go. Break it down into manageable components and decide what you can realistically do in a set time period. And set specific targets along the way. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make lists<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

From household chores to buying Christmas presents, lists are always helpful. For any given day or week, write down what you need to do and cross them off as you go. Even if it\u2019s a small task you can complete quickly and easily, add it on. You\u2019ll get a sense of satisfaction crossing it off, and it\u2019ll spur you onto the next item.  <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also helps with your time management to decide at the outset when you\u2019ll do certain tasks. If you\u2019ve got a number of tasks to do over the course of the day, it\u2019s tempting to begin with the easiest. But might that be suited to after lunch when lethargy kicks in? Take on the trickier project while you\u2019re full of morning freshness. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Short bursts work best<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The prospect of a 3 or 4-hour block of work can send even the most enthusiastic employee diving for the bed covers. The average mind can only stay focused for 45-60 minutes in one stint, so incorporating larger chunks of work time into your day may not be effective time management. Short bursts of focused attention\u2014even of just 30 minutes\u2014can work wonders. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One way of focusing for a set period of time is by working to music. Maybe not heavy metal\u2014but something ambient or classical can help focus the mind. Also, if you play an album or create a playlist lasting, say, 1 hour, you can challenge yourself to get a certain piece of work done in that time. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To help with your time management and to alleviate the monotony of a long working day, plan what you\u2019ll do during short breaks: have a coffee and a biscuit; walk around the block; even sort through recent post or tidy the kitchen. It might not sound like a barrel of laughs, but it\u2019ll get you away from your desk, allow your mind a brief respite from work, and help you return with renewed energy. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Avoid multiple devices<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It might be appealing to have your phone next to you while working\u2014anything to distract you, right?\u2014but ultimately it\u2019ll have a negative impact on your time management. Your family won\u2019t know if you\u2019re half-way through solving a work-related problem when they send that WhatsApp message about Christmas plans. Half an hour later, no-one\u2019s any closer to deciding who\u2019s hosting Auntie Mable, and crucially, you\u2019re no closer to solving that work problem.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If it\u2019s too much to ask to have your phone in another room, put it on airplane mode. Then after a period of intense work, turn your data back on and enjoy a 2-minute dancing monkey video guilt-free.  <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you doing too much?<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If time management persists as a problem, it may be that you\u2019re taking on too much. We\u2019re often reluctant to speak out if we can\u2019t cope, but it\u2019s important for our mental health to be able to talk to someone if work becomes overwhelming. Is what you\u2019re being asked to do reasonable? Does it fit your job description? Can it be delegated to someone else? These are all questions worth asking when things get on top of you, and any manager worth their salt should be sympathetic to your problems. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

______________<\/section>\n\n\n\n

We hope these time management tips will make your working day a little easier. And at TransferGo making your life easier is our raison d\u2019etre<\/em>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make a low-cost, hassle-free money transfer now by <\/span>clicking here<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Businesses are having to adapt like never before in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. With increasing numbers of employees working from home and dealing with fresh challenges daily, time management skills are essential.  If you\u2019re feeling the pressures of keeping on top of everything in these uncertain times, read on.  Start the day the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":25067,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1498,1500],"tags":[],"business_case_studies_tags":[],"class_list":["post-25066","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-business-tips"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/develop.wpvip.tgalpha.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/makerormanager1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/develop.wpvip.tgalpha.com\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25066","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/develop.wpvip.tgalpha.com\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/develop.wpvip.tgalpha.com\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/develop.wpvip.tgalpha.com\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/develop.wpvip.tgalpha.com\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25066"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/develop.wpvip.tgalpha.com\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25066\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/develop.wpvip.tgalpha.com\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/develop.wpvip.tgalpha.com\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25066"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/develop.wpvip.tgalpha.com\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25066"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/develop.wpvip.tgalpha.com\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25066"},{"taxonomy":"business_case_studies_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/develop.wpvip.tgalpha.com\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/business_case_studies_tags?post=25066"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}