Plan your work ahead

According to one study, knowing what you want to achieve in a specified period already puts you on the right track. In his essay “The Impact of Planning on Project Success,” Pedro Serrador of the University of Toronto alluded to a relationship between planning and project success. After completing a literature review, Serrador determined that project success is closely related to project and cost-efficiency. It demonstrates that proper planning may increase the likelihood of a project’s success and make it more cost-effective.

So, what is the extent of “excellent planning”? Serrador claims that planning may account for up to 48 percent of all project management activities.

Making a to-do list with must-haves and wants-to-haves is a simple method to organize your daily tasks. However, when planning many projects, a high-level project plan will improve the visibility of needs across diverse assignments and aid in the establishment of project goals and criteria. So if you have more long-term goals, create a timeline, so you can break down your big task into smaller goals, and set a deadline for that. Keeping track of forthcoming chores can assist you in distributing your labor in such a manner that you are neither overworked nor stressed. You will be able to maintain a better organized daily schedule and be more productive over the week.

Another approach to creating a timeline is to make a detailed inventory of every single task or duty you have in your job.  After that, you may divide them into daily, weekly, and monthly activities

Plan your day first thing in the morning 

Even if your plans alter, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make them at all. To be effective, you may do this in various ways, so it may take some time to discover what works best for you. Many individuals find it helpful to set out a few minutes each night to organize their plans for the next day. But this is a little tricky because you don’t know what mood you will wake up in the next morning, or what might come up, so it is best to sit down, gather your thoughts and plan the day that very morning. And do this as soon as you sit on your desk to start your day, so you have a general direction to your day. 

Take a step back from your to-do list to consider who, what, when, where, what, why, and how you’ll handle any complex responsibilities you’ll be performing on that day. Make sure your daily calendar includes some empty spaces as well, don’t fill up your entire day with tasks. This will allow you to have some buffer period if one of the tasks takes more time than estimated while also allowing you to accept additional tasks if necessary.

Remove Distractions

Because the world is full of red herrings ready to lure your attention away from your work and other responsibilities. WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, and other comparable apps are prevalent distractions. You probably paused reading this article a couple of times because you got a notification on your phone. 

While you may not always have control over meeting schedules, you can control the other distractions that may cause you to be sluggish. To avoid your smartphone and the time-consuming world of social media, put it on silent and store it in a desk drawer while you work. Set aside time to browse your inbox 2-3 times each day to limit the number of times you check your email. While you should always be genuine and professional when talking with coworkers, it is OK to gently inform them if they are distracting you from your work and propose another time to speak. Same thing with family members, if you are someone who works from home. 

Delegate work when you can

When you’re overworked, look for ways to outsource your job, Divide and conquer with your team if you’ve been handed a project with a deadline you won’t be able to fulfill on your own.

This is especially important for managers and team leaders since your load will quickly pile up on your shoulders if you don’t delegate properly. To avoid this, make sure your position and the tasks of each team member are clearly defined, so it’s apparent who should be managing each task when it arises.

Also Read: Top 8 Time Management Strategies