The importance of time management (and how to improve your skills)

In a fast-paced work environment, it is not uncommon to feel the workday getting away from you. While this is something everyone experiences from time to time, consistently chasing the clock can have a detrimental effect on everything from productivity to mental health.

What is time management?

Time management is about organising workload to meet productivity and deadline targets. It aims to break down activities so as to finish tasks efficiently, effectively and on time.

Why is time management important at work?

Time management is one of the most desirable skills for employers in all professions. With the average UK worker spending more than two hours procrastinating each day, while another 47% feel overwhelmed by their workload.

The primary purpose of time management is to stay organised in a way that maximises output. Time management offers a range of career benefits to employees, including:

• Lower levels of stress.
• A reduction in distractions and procrastination.
• Increased productivity.
• Opportunities to take on more work.
• The ability to prioritise.

Good time management can deliver the perfect balance of increased productivity and positive wellbeing – something which is beneficial for both employer and employee.

How to improve time management skills?

Plan time and goals
Spending time planning can result in saving time. Whether at the start of the day or finishing up, making a clear plan enables a proactive approach to time management.

Learn to prioritise
Prioritising to-do lists is crucial to planning time. Get to tasks before they become ‘urgent’, as too many urgent tasks can become overwhelming. Start each day by assessing the importance of tasks and structure a to-do list accordingly.

Avoid multitasking
Multitasking can slow people down and affect the quality of work. Attempting multiple tasks at once, or bouncing quickly between them, has been shown to be mentally challenging and not necessarily time-effective – in fact, it can cut productivity by 40%.

Take a break
Not only does taking a break give employees a chance to recharge batteries, which will in turn maximise productivity for the rest of the day, it also enables managing the day into more manageable sections.