10 Tips for Time Management

If there’s one thing that all humans get equally, it's time. And how wisely we use and manage our time is the biggest indicator of whether we will achieve our goals or not. That’s why the importance of time and time management cannot be stressed upon enough. To help you make the most of your time, we’ve dug into our bag of tested and trusted time management tips.

Here are 10 tips for time management:

1. Plan your tasks better.

One of the biggest flaws with time management is not planning your tasks and time properly. What does this mean? We’re talking about things like underestimating the time needed to finish something and the time that you actually will need to finish something. Sure, your neighbour can bake a cake in one hour tops. But remember that it takes you one hour to just sort out the ingredients needed! We guess it all boils down to self-awareness - understand your strengths and weaknesses and make your plans accordingly.

2. Leave scope for chaos.

As we all know, the best made plans can go to waste. After all, there are so many factors that you cannot control, like the weather, economic climate, the behaviour of others or their general availability. So, do yourself a favour and bake in some buffer into your perfect plan. Will save you a lot of headaches later!

3. Make to-do lists for tomorrow.

We don't know about you, but our idea of a perfect day ends with us making a list of to-dos for the next day. At a psychological level, it helps humans control or at least seemingly control their environment and all its variables. It helps you get some closure at the end of a day and come back better prepared for the next day.

4. Do less, but better.

This is the number one thing that most high-achievers do. They spend more time on the few, but important tasks. The tasks that will make all the difference. Some people even attest to the power of getting the most important task done during the beginning of the day itself. Keeps procrastination at bay as well.

5. Embrace remote work and telecommuting.

With the pandemic going on, more and more people around the world are working from home. This also helps them cut down on the time and energy spent in simply commuting to and from work. It also means you get greater focus and energy levels. Oh, and it’s so much easier for you to work from home given the abundance of remote working and collaboration tools like Slack, Zoom, and Notion.

6. Find your productive time zones.

Some people swear by sitting down to work the minute they get up, or as soon as they’ve had their morning coffee. Whereas others get into the productive ninja mode only after half the usual work day is done and dusted. Thankfully, a lot of offices and gigs let you keep your own hours and work when you are most productive. Whatever your productive time zone is, we do recommend sticking to a routine and building daily habits

7. Build up your focus superpowers.

How well you focus makes all the difference between good and best. No matter how hardworking or talented you are, if you are unable to focus, you will struggle to succeed. But easier said than done, right? Well, one of the best ways to build up focus is to train your mind, move your body, and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

8. Say no to distractions.

Raise your hand if you are guilty of opening multiple tabs on your browser, surfing Instagram and forwarding WhatsApp messages all at the same time? We get it. Sometimes we get distracted because we are bored with the task at hand, are anxious about the outcome, or just have a hard time focusing. Whatever be the reason, in addition to getting to the root cause, try and set yourself up for success. This means decluttering your workspace, banishing all social media notifications, and stowing away your phone for later. Whatever helps you focus better.

9. Look for hidden patterns in your work and output.

One of the best things you can do is actually log the time you spend on various activities and then review your time sheet at the end of seven days. This will help you check whether you’re actually sticking to a time management plan and whether the plan is working. From there, stick to the good stuff and mend the rest.

10. Rinse and repeat.

Rome was not built in a single day and neither are good habits. That’s why it’s important to follow the same routine and follow these steps until you get the perfect bake!

What do you think? Will you make the most of the time you have? Only time will tell - if you manage it well!

Meetings are a mainstay of modern workplace communication, and for good reason. Done right, meetings aid collaboration, creativity, innovation, and inclusivity among teams. A study1 by ResearchGate reveals that over 50% of respondents considered their meetings productive and only 15% complained about them being a waste of time. Yet, many of us hear superiors say, “If you’re invited to a meeting, we expect you to speak up. Don’t wait for someone to ask you.” So, when you can’t find your voice in a meeting or if you’re getting interrupted too often when you try to speak, here are a few ways to make yourself heard in meetings.

7 Ways to Make Your Voice Heard in Meetings.

1.Do your research beforehand.

Walking into a meeting with no idea about its purpose or agenda is like going to war without guns. It’s imperative that you study the agenda before the meeting and arm yourself with ideas, questions and suggestions. If there are topics on the agenda that you can contribute to, convey the same to the host in advance and request that they set aside a few minutes in the meeting for you to speak. And if public speaking gets the best of you, practice your speech before the meeting with a friend or a trusted colleague, and invite questions and suggestions. Remember, practice makes perfect.

2.Arrive early to a meeting.

Reach the meeting room 10-15 minutes ahead of time and start conversations with those who are already present. It’s astonishing how even experienced people shy away from contributing in meetings because they fear what others will think of them. Being assertive in your communication with attendees gets easier if you’ve already spoken to them and built a rapport before the meeting. And if small talk is not your thing, just pull out the agenda and ask for someone’s opinion.

3.Consider questions as contributions.

Questions spark curiosity, curiosity creates ideas, and ideas lead to innovation. So never hesitate to stand up in a meeting and ask your questions. But don’t ever use questions to draw attention towards you. If your question doesn’t have merit, you’re only wasting your and your entire team’s time—a crime too grave to commit when everyone is already pressed for time. Don’t have questions but want to contribute? Make your voice heard by answering questions or summarizing the meeting based on your understanding.

4.Make sure your ideas get the attention they deserve.

When you’ve finally won attention in the meeting, hold the floor until you’ve made your point. Sometimes, even though you’ve made an important contribution, another attendee might think that they’ve come up with an idea of a lifetime and your idea will get lost under their enthusiasm. To avoid this, right after you make your point, engage others in a conversation by asking them “Do you think we can work with this idea?”, or “How can we make this work for your team as well?” to make sure your idea gets the attention it deserves. And if someone interrupts, politely tell them that you’d like to hear their opinion but have just two more points to make. After you’ve completed your dialogue, remember to ask the person what they were saying.

5.Respond in agreement or disagreement.

If you agree to a point, ensure you voice your agreement with facts or reasons for the same. And if you disagree, speak up and explain why. Never apologize for disagreeing with someone, instead be assertive in your communication without being disrespectful. Avoid starting with phrases like “I’m sorry but I think...” or “I don’t want to interrupt, but…” and start with these: ● In my opinion, we have a better solution if we…. ● I understand Sheetal’s point, but that could lead to… ● I see it differently because…

6.Ask yourself why you want to contribute.

You either have something important to say that will change the course of the meeting, or you’re worried that you’ll be at the receiving end of the “If you’re invited to a meeting, we expect you to speak up.” comment. If your contribution is driven by the latter, begin by asking yourself why you care about your role, your organization and the project at hand. Answering these questions will help you develop a sense of connection to your work, so you can find new ways to contribute instead of just making your presence felt.

7.Leave your emotions at the door.

People complain that they get “shut off” or “spoken over” in meetings. The only way to get past this is to leave your emotions at the door before a meeting. If you’re being spoken over, or when your idea isn’t being accepted like you wish it to be, staying in a neutral emotional state will help you cope with the feedback. If you have an important point to make that was interrupted, stand up and assert it; if it wasn’t, let it pass. Remember, the point of the meeting is to find solutions to a problem, and not to hear you out. Making yourself heard in meetings can be tricky, especially when you’re stuck in a workplace that doesn’t notice your contributions. Give these suggestions a go, practice ways to be more assertive in your communication, and you’ll soon find it easy to be heard in meetings!