Innovative Time Management Strategies For The Modern Workplace

ZEN-it Team

05 Jan 2024

Man trying to outrun the hands of a giant clock.

Managing time, organising tasks and delivering responsibilities have always been issues to grapple with. However, decades ago, our professional and personal lives weren’t so intertwined. We didn’t literally carry our work and workplace around with us as we do now.

In this age of convenience, we can do much more, much more easily - but that also means we are always expected to do much more, in every sphere of our lives, in every way. The first resource crunch we face in attempting to be the best in every way, is time.

We don’t have a time machine to increase how much time we have at work - but we can offer some innovative time management strategies to use in the workplace.

1. Plan The Top Three

Every day, before you begin, list out the top three things you wish to accomplish for the day. These are the most important tasks you need to tackle, your highest priorities. Whenever you find yourself devoting more time to a non-priority task, check in on these and ensure that you’re still on track towards completing them.

It can be tempting to list many more high priority tasks, but starting with the top three ensures that you complete the most pressing ones before moving on to the next. As for how you choose to prioritise your tasks, this should depend on the importance and urgency of the task. You could use methods like the Eisenhower Matrix.

An info graphic explaining the Eisenhower Importance x Urgency Prioritization Matrix.

This approach suggests that you order tasks into a grid of four boxes along axes of urgency and importance: What is urgent and important is accorded the highest priority and needs to be tackled first. What is important but not urgent, is also kept in mind and attended to from time to time. What is urgent, but not important, is delegated (if possible). And what is neither urgent nor important is ignored.

Apps like ZEN-it can also help auto-prioritise your tasks for you too, so you don’t need to spend time grappling with this!

2. Micro-Schedule

A woman looking at two monitors - one that displays a calendar and another that displays employee data.

Micro-scheduling was quite the rage a few years back. It involves planning your day in great detail, down to chunks of fifteen (or even fewer) minutes. While many successful people claimed that this helped them manage their schedules in the best way possible, this may be difficult for most people to achieve, even if they can plan it.

There are places where micro-scheduling can be helpful. For example, it can be helpful in breaking a task down into micro tasks and limiting the time spent on each of those. Of course, it would also be important to ensure one remains focused during such micro-scheduled sprints. Micro-scheduling would also be helpful in planning breaks and meals, both to ensure we return to our scheduled activities within the allotted time, and to ensure we take breaks and time to have our meals. Lastly, meetings can be micro-scheduled to cover relevant topics and allow for discussion time but avoid tangential or irrelevant matters.

3. Schedule Email Time

Email - that wondrous invention that helps us communicate so effectively, but also lose all our time and perspective. A study by the University of British Columbia also found that checking email frequently resulted in greater distractions, while reducing the frequency of checks resulted in lowering stress.

Emails don’t have to be a time sink though - as long as you plan it right. The best way to avoid email distractions is to set aside specific time periods when you will tackle email, and stick to those. Let colleagues know that if anything is very urgent, they should independently let you know through other means, so you can tackle it (after assessing its priority for yourself). This will prevent ping-pong emails that make you feel productive while not letting you achieve much.

4. Leave Meetings Without A Value Add

A man dressed in formal wear leaving a spacious open floor office meeting.

It’s easy to find ourselves in meetings, having thoughts such as “Why am I here?”. Not every meeting we attend is relevant to us, and while we want to be team players and contribute, sometimes even this doesn’t justify sitting through two hours of irrelevant discussions.

Before getting trigger-happy about leaving meetings, though, spend some time to categorise meetings based on the kind of meeting (decision-making, update, team-discussions, brainstorming, etc.) and the reason your attendance is requested, first. Request the agenda of the meeting beforehand too, and analyse if you need to be present throughout the meeting or at all. If you intend to either miss the meeting or attend it only in part, communicate this beforehand to the meeting planner and discuss alternative options. This is a respectful way to schedule and conserve your time, while providing support to your colleagues.

5. Be Flexible

We’ve outlined some useful tips above, on scheduling, managing your time and becoming more efficient. All this, though, hinges on things working to plan. And of course, the best laid plans often go ugly. So, be flexible and resilient. Be prepared to make changes to your plans on-the-go, to keep your priorities in mind while handling unplanned tasks and requests, and to be assertive at times, accommodating at times. Take mindfulness and self-care breaks from time to time, especially when confronted with challenging or stressful tasks and schedule disruptions. This will give you the mental space to perform well, without getting bogged down or stressed about things not working out the way you wanted them to.

Ready To Transform Your Time Management Skills?

ZEN~It App Screens - Home Screen, Productivity Suite Screen and the Self-Care Suite Screen.

From prioritising tasks with ease to embracing mindfulness for enhanced productivity, ZEN-it is your partner in navigating the modern workplace. Start your journey towards effective time management today!

Download ZEN-it and start your Mindful Productivity journey today!

FAQs

What are the specific benefits of micro-scheduling versus more traditional scheduling methods?

Micro-scheduling offers the benefit of detailed planning, which can help in efficiently allocating time to tasks by breaking down the day into small, manageable slots. This method can increase productivity and reduce procrastination.

How can one effectively delegate tasks that are urgent but not important, as suggested by the Eisenhower Matrix?

Finding the right person to do these urgent yet not important tasks is the most crucial step. When you delegate the right person, you can freely focus on the critical tasks without worrying about whether the delegated tasks are actually getting done.

Are there any tools or methods recommended for efficiently handling unplanned tasks and requests to maintain flexibility?

To handle unplanned tasks, adopting tools like digital calendars for flexible scheduling and task management apps for prioritizing can be beneficial. These tools allow for adjustments and reminders, helping maintain focus and adaptability. ZEN-it contains both an integrated calendar and a Priority Wizard that automatically prioritizes your tasks into these sections - Now, Today or Later.

Ready to Redefine Productivity? Start your journey with ZEN-it today!