Did you know that 26% of people’s office work is done outside office hours? This means that almost a third of the work that should be done within working hours is carried home or working professionals stay in the office after hours.

This causes poor work-life balance which leads to;

• Burnout
• feeling dissatisfied with life
• Lack of time for hobbies and other interests
• Poor social lives
• Troubled relationships
• Poor productivity at work

According to a work-life study done in 2019 by rescue time 21% of working time is spent on entertainment, news, and social media. This shows how much time we waste procrastinating instead of working on the projects that need to be completed in time to get home early and be with loved ones or work on hobbies.

When this becomes a cycle, stress sets in which decreases our productivity and before we know it we are in a spiral of poor performance, extra hours in the office, and mental health issues such as chronic stress.

Time management is one of the most crucial elements of productivity at work and a better work-life balance.

Harvest is a time-tracking tool that you and your team will love. It tracks time spent across different projects, curates instant reports, and allows you to bill clients based on time spent. This ensures productivity in your team while encouraging work-life balance.

Determine Your Priorities

The first step is set your to do list and establish clear priorities. Write the to-do list and clearly indicate the priority. This reduces stress on your brain as it does not need to remember what it needs to do next it can simply focus on getting the tasks done.

This is referred to as the Zeigarnik Effect, a term coined in 1920 based on research by Russian psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik.

The research was based on waitresses who seemed to remember all the orders that were not yet completed but once the order was served they completely forgot. This shows that half-completed or interrupted work will always be at the back of your mind causing tension.

When we write it down, the mind is aware that we cannot forget anything that needs to be done and therefore releases the stress. The more you complete tasks and strike them off the to-do list the more the brain releases the task and allows space for you to deal with the next task.

The ability to focus and work calmly is critical to time management and it will reduce procrastination and improve your productivity.

Use a Time Management System

A great to-do list could be completely useless if you do not have a good time management system. The tool will help you manage the priority of tasks and complexities, while a to-do list will only show what needs to be done.

Time management methods such as time boxing and the Einshower matrix and great tools to add to the to-do list and time management system. You will find that some time management tools actually use these methods.

The Eisenhower Matrix for example lets you set priorities based on what is urgent and not urgent as well as what is important and not important. There may be things on your to-do list that are urgent but not important for example a call coming in from a friend in the midst of a meeting asking if you are available for a girl’s night out.

By setting your priorities based on these 4 quadrants you become more efficient. This is a feature that you would find in a time management tool.

The time management system helps you handle and optimize different work issues such as how long you take to respond to emails or watch YouTube on the internet.

It also alerts you when a task should be completed which encourages you to stay on track and not be distracted by colleagues or other tasks that are not priorities.

A time management system will help you realize if you are overworking. It may seem like an obvious thing but many people do not realize they are overworking.

This is because we assume that as long as projects are not complete then we are not overworking. However, by tracking your tasks and the time you take you may realize you need to take your foot off the gas and take some rest before you burn out.

Conduct Time Audits

Conducting time audits will give you insights that are crucial for decision-making and creating change.

If you use a time management tool, ensure you take the time to go through the customized reports and analyze them. This means you should customize the reports to fit your unique situation and do it over and over until you get reports that are useful for you.

This will help you become a time management master. By time tracking what you have done within certain periods, you can tell what needs improvement. For example, perhaps you do not delegate enough tasks and you should start to free up more of your time to concentrate on important tasks.

The most important thing to remember is to use the reports as a way to improve not to judge and condemn. If you approach the process with an open mind it will be more beneficial for your work and for your team as well.

Do Not Be Too Rigid

Time management is a tool to help you be more productive, do not be too rigid. If something is not working then change it to suit your unique work environment.

Perhaps your concentration span is one hour after which you need a 15-minute break. Do not try to force yourself into working for three hours straight. This will be counter-productive and you will find your concentration will be deficient which leads to poor time management.

The aim is not for you to become a stressed slave to time management but rather to use it for your own advantage based on your preferences.

Take the time to figure out;

• What time frame you are most productive (morning, evening, etc)?
• What is your concentration span?
• How many time blocks should you have for resting
• What activities work for you when you can’t concentrate anymore (a walk, some coffee, a break to talk to friends, etc)

Once you have figured this out, then create a custom plan for yourself. If it still does not work out for you, go through the exercise again.

Effective Time Management is a Process

Remember effective time management is a continuous process, not an event. It requires discipline and practice. By setting clear goals, prioritizing tasks, planning and scheduling tasks, and tracking how you performed you will become a master at time management.

A master that is able to say no and manage distractions. This is how you will optimize your time and achieve higher productivity in your work and life as a busy professional.

The Harvest Time Management System is a great tool to add to this continuous process. It will offer you a platform to set your goals, create your to-do list and track your process. Start your free trial today.