According to Donald Wetmore, a professional speaker and author of “Beat the Clock,” people use an average of 13 methods to manage time. Popular time management strategies include delegating tasks, creating deadlines and writing down to-do lists. Often, however, the volume of tasks employees must complete on a daily basis overwhelm them, and overall productivity and employee morale suffers. With the numerous distractions that modern offices and technology present, it’s not uncommon for employees to lose focus and fail to accomplish their tasks.
To prevent these problems, it’s important for managers to educate employees on time management techniques. Doing so helps prevent stress, foster employee satisfaction and boost productivity. With that goal in mind, here are four effective methods that you can teach employees:
1. Plan Ahead
Planning ahead allows you to mentally prepare for anything that could come your way. Encourage team members to map out each day’s tasks the night before, creating a list in any order, regardless of importance.
This activity will help prevent employees from procrastinating when they arrive to work the next day, since they will already have an idea of what their schedule is going to look like.
2. Prioritize Tasks
There’s nothing more satisfying than crossing off items on your to-do list. However, employees must be able to identify which tasks are a priority. Being able to recognize which items will help them move the needle on their goals is important. One helpful tool is the Eisenhower Matrix, which sorts tasks into four quadrants based on urgency and importance:
