As we approach the end of the year, goal deadlines are coming up quickly. It is easy to feel the pressure as the number of weeks left in 2022 dwindles. Especially for the management team, days seem to get eaten up by meetings, emails, and calls. I know I’m not alone when the workday ends and I haven’t crossed off nearly enough of my to-do list. If only there were some steps I could take to increase my productivity.
I am a true believer in leading by example. I know I want my team to work efficiently and effectively, and I expect the same of myself. This time of year is the perfect time for a little reminder on how we can use our time better. Here are some tips on how to work the most efficiently to get those tasks crossed off of your to-do list and your team following your example.
Take the time to learn about yourself
This is such an important aspect of being both a leader and an employee. Everyone is different: Some of us learn through visuals, and others learn through listening. The same goes for productivity. I know that some people get up and get going, and their most productive hours are the first hours of the day. Whereas some of us take a while to kick off. If you can analyze and pay attention to the days when you feel best, and when you feel productive and effective, you might learn how to continue that success. Encourage your employees to do the same. Schedule calls, meetings, or out-of-office tasks to get done during the hours of the day you struggle with. Save your most important tasks for the hours you are confident to take them on.
Delegate
I almost made this title trust, because really delegation and trust go hand in hand. You need to trust the people you work with or you will never be able to delegate. And without delegating, you will become overworked and overwhelmed. Delegate anything and everything you can–this frees you up to do what matters most to you, and probably to your company. The other important piece of delegating is to remember that it doesn’t mean you are shrugging off your responsibilities. It means you are empowering your team to do what you hired them to do.
Schedule shorter meetings
There is nothing wrong with scheduling a meeting for 15 to 20 minutes! Having a quick turnaround time will force the conversations to get to the point quickly. To help keep the meeting on track and finish as scheduled, assign homework before meetings. If a list of action items is sent before the meeting, you don’t need to waste time with the initial explanation and can instead go right into answering questions and giving feedback. On this same topic would be to make sure a meeting is even necessary! Could this be accomplished with an email or a call? If so, let’s avoid interrupting the workflow.
Stop multitasking
Switching between tasks costs us time and energy. Multitasking can create chaos on your desk, on your screen, and in your mind. With your brain firing in several directions, it can be hard to actually start a task and see it through to completion. Schedule your day in boxes that are committed to one task each. To help you move on from one task to another, schedule breaks in between. Get up and walk around, go outside, grab a coffee, and call a loved one. Just five minutes will refresh you enough that you can get started on a new project with focus and energy.