Do you panic and feel stressed when your work begins to pile up? Does it feel like there simply isn’t enough time in the day to get everything done? Before throwing in the towel, try these tips to improve your time management skills. By changing the way you approach your day, you may find that you are suddenly able to tackle everything on your to-do list – and more.
Organize Your Day
Begin with your list of things you must do each day, and schedule them out, starting with the tasks that you least enjoy doing. Getting those out of the way first will help you be more productive the rest of the day.
Turn Off Phone Notifications
Our phones are our biggest distractions. From social media alerts to group texts that drone on too long, we waste a lot of time each day reading messages and falling down black holes. Put your phone on do not disturb or completely turn it off. Check it only on breaks, and respond to only the most important messages and calls during the workday.
Do Not Procrastinate
If something can be done today, do it today. This is the number one rule of time management and productivity. If you find yourself with down time at the end of the day, start the next day’s tasks. It’s easy to put things off, but the feeling of walking into work on a Friday with little to do is much better than walking in with a feeling of dread because of procrastination.
Set Boundaries
Everyone has coworkers you enjoy chatting with and may even consider a friend – but often, these people waste a lot of your time. It can be difficult to set boundaries with these coworkers because after all, you enjoy talking to them. But it is important to set boundaries and try to limit lengthy conversations to the lunch hour. You don’t have to be rude in order to set boundaries. Simply tell your friend that you are slammed right now and you can’t wait to catch up over break time or at the end of the day.
Delegate Tasks
We often think that delegation is reserved for supervisors and managers, but we can all find something to delegate to others during the day. Don’t delegate just to get something off your plate you don’t want to do, choose tasks that you know someone else could do better, and ask them to help out.
Find A New Job
If you master time management and you still feel burned out, it might be time to look for a better job with managers and leaders who are more adept at assigning work equally. If it’s time to move on, talk to the recruiters at Medical Professionals, or apply online to one of our current openings today.
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