We all love to be productive and get the most out of our day, but sometimes you may feel overwhelmed at the number of tasks you have or perhaps can’t help but get easily distracted. To help identify why you, or your employees, may not be optimising your productivity, here are 5 of the most common time management mistakes people make and our suggestions of how best to overcome them!
1.Waking Up Late
Starting the day bright and early will make you feel accomplished and positive that you have enough time in the day to carry out all your daily duties. If you start your day late, you’ll feel rushed and anxious that you don’t have the time you need to get what you want done. So set yourself an early alarm, giving yourself time to engage in some early morning rituals leaving you bright and refreshed for the day’s events.
2. Procrastinating
Procrastination is productivity’s worse enemy. Making excuses to not get on with tasks you dread for more simple and enjoyable tasks leaves you in a poor position where tasks become overdue. If a task is making you feel overwhelmed or you are delaying starting it, then try setting aside a small amount of time to begin to tackle the task. This will stop you feeling anxious at the thought of tackling the whole task start to finish, instead carrying it out in reasonable and manageable sections.
3. Not Taking Breaks
You may feel like putting in the hours means increased productivity, but skipping breaks will actually harm your output in the long run, making it impossible to produce consistent and high-quality work. Research has shown that human minds can’t think clearly for longer than 90 minutes (Inc), therefore it is unreasonable to attempt a full work day without giving your brain time to recharge. It is important to take regular short breaks, providing valuable down time, taking time to eat or go for a short walk will help you to reenergise your mind for the tasks ahead.
4. Lack of Prioritisation
It can be hard to prioritise your tasks, especially when you have a heavy workload where everything is seemingly urgent. However, by creating a to-do list, you can code tasks by their priority, from low to high, allowing you to manage your time much more effectively and have a stable productivity output.
5. Not Keeping Track of Time
Once you have prioritised your tasks, it is important to then decipher how long you wish to dedicate to each task. Knowing how long your tasks will take will allow you to plan your day and not leave you scrambling for time at the end of the working day. Be realistic with your goals and keep an eye on the time or set reminders of when it is time to start your next task.
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