7 Keys to Time Management (for Managers)

One of the most critical areas of management is time management.  If you had an infinite amount of time to organise work weeks, handle administrative emails messages,  aid colleagues, and mentor and  evaluate staff, you would likely be a much better leader. The unfortunate reality is that there are almost always more tasks than time. The solution is to better manage your time in order to become more efficient overall.

1. Educate Your WorkersIt is a necessity to properly inform your employees about your time management agenda. Proper information will empower your team and make them feel able to realistically succeed. The more tasks your staff can complete, the fewer demands are made on your time.
2. Don’t Answer To WorkersRemember who the boss is! Do not allow workers to present grievances to your personally. If there are minor office issues, do not take on the responsibility of addressing these problems yourself unless necessary because it can quickly become time consuming.  Make sure your workers are proactive when there are issues and give them the liberty to solve typical problems on their own without your involvement. If you are presented with any, delegate the issues to others to handle.
3. Don’t Accept ExcusesIf you have clearly identified your objectives and your staff has agreed that they are fair, hold them to their word. If performance slips, make sure to hold them accountable.  Accept no excuses why things are neglected. Only accept earnest agreements to improve.
4. Give IncentivesIt helps to give incentives to the most efficient workers. Find ways to treat and give bonuses to those that perform at the highest levels. People love to be rewarded and friendly competition is great for the group. This helps boost the morale of your staff overall.
5. Don’t MicromanageIf you have clearly outlined your goals and objectives, then give your employees the space and freedom to accomplish the tasks at hand. If you trust your workers enough to do the job, it will benefit everyone if they are able to feel like they are trusted to perform their duties.
6. Handle Issues QuicklyYour workers and customers will appreciate your decisiveness and expediency if you are able to quickly handle issues. This also frees up your time to handle more pressing matters. Letting issues linger lowers expectations from those you interact with and may lower morale, leading to even more overall issues and time sinks.
7. Keep DocumentationIt doesn’t matter whether you are using a notepad or software to keep track of the goals and progress from the team. Obtain daily progress reports from your staff and encourage improved efficiency. This will help minimise time because you can see real-time status updates for projects and tasks on a daily basis without needing to check in with each employee individually.

Utilise these time management strategies to manage your personnel and make them more effective. Time management is an important factor in creating an effective team.