Never Fall Behind Work: 5 Ways To Make Your Day More Productive
- Dec 13, 2016
- 3 min read
Time management is an important skill to have as a Leader. Not using your time wisely and being unorganized could have great effects on you and your organization.
I can remember when I started working as a Flight Commander in the United States Air Force, back in 2009. I was nervous about the job because of the increased level of responsibility but excited to start work and learn something new. My day was filled with meetings, reviewing performance appraisals and overseeing aircraft maintenance actions on the flight line. My schedule was busy, and I couldn’t keep up because meetings consumed my day. I found myself working extended hours just to get everything done.
My time management skills were not great. I couldn’t keep up with the workload. I needed to make changes in my schedule to increase my productivity. So, I started studying time management processes to become more efficient in planning my daily and weekly calendar. And I learned a lot! I develop a daily plan and established goals for each day which allowed me to complete my tasks promptly and eliminate the need to work extra hours.
How I Became More Productive
The steps below prepared and enabled me to use my time more efficiently. The key to time management is to develop a plan and track your progress. As my mentor once told me, “People fail not because their plan failed, but because they failed to plan.”
1) Plan out your day the night before: Developing a plan for the next day is the first step to a productive workday. I suggest you write out all the tasks you need to accomplish during the following day. Get a notebook, list your tasks with the highest priority at the top of the list and use this as a daily checklist to get through the day.
2) Set goals for work: All Leaders should establish daily goals. These goals are the building blocks for conquering major goals and milestones. As you are planning your goals, make sure you include all the steps the need to be accomplished to reach succes
3) Choose the ONE task: Usually, Leaders has that “One” task that if you complete it will bring the most success. So take advantage of this opportunity and knock it out. I’ve found the best method is put the highest priority tasks and work them first. People tend to be more focused in the mornings. Therefore, this will allow you to tackle the hardest and most important task while you’re at your sharpest.
4) Eat breakfast: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. After a long night of rest, it’s important for you to provide your mind and body with the proper fuel to push through a vigorous workday. Studies have shown that eating a healthy breakfast can you give you incredible energy and improve your concentration and performance throughout the day. A Leader’s mind should always be sharp for decision making.
5) Track progress of your tasks: Many of your tasks will take lots of time to accomplish, and it could be easy to lose focus and motivation to complete them. Therefore, it’s important for you to monitor and track the progress to the end. Set up progress checkpoints to evaluate your schedule and make adjustments, if needed. If you do not execute this function properly, the likelihood of success is low.
What are some ways you stay organized with your tasks? How do you plan out your daily routine and stay on track? Please leave your comment below or on my Facebook or Twitter page.
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