You're juggling long-term projects and daily office tasks. How do you ensure both are done efficiently?

Use the Eisenhower Matrix: Categorize tasks into four quadrants. Urgent and important, important but not urgent, urgent but not important, and neither. This helps you focus on what truly matters and allocate your time accordingly. Time Blocking: Dedicate specific blocks of time to long-term projects and daily tasks. For example, reserve mornings for strategic work on long-term projects when your energy is high, and afternoons for routine daily tasks. Set SMART Goals: Break down long-term projects into smaller, manageable tasks with specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals. This makes it easier to track progress and stay on schedule.

Prioritise tasks then use time blocks to dedicate specific time to tasks. Setting SMART goals will help to stay on schedule and track progress. Look to delegate tasks to others to enable you to concentrate on the tasks you are unable to delegate.

Work with purpose! Find your purpose, make your goals, and ask questions. What may be a priority in your mind, may not be a priority to the business owner. Seek out true understanding of the industry’s initiative and long-term goals. This will allow more appropriate prioritization.

Prioritizing wisely ensures that your efforts are focused on tasks that have the greatest impact. Begin by assessing each task’s urgency and importance, using tools like the Eisenhower Matrix to categorize them. Break down long-term projects into smaller, manageable tasks and prioritize these based on deadlines and their contribution to overall goals. Consider the 80/20 rule to focus on high-impact tasks that yield the most significant results. Regularly review and adjust priorities to adapt to changing circumstances and emerging needs. This strategic approach helps manage both daily tasks and long-term projects efficiently.

I block out my schedule in advance. I have certain days of the week I do certain things, and the same with monthly duties - most are recurring. I plan out my month via a spreadsheet I've customized as tech and business and my roles have changed. It has monthly, weekly, and daily tasks that I need to make sure to get into my planner. Then, whatever projects I'm working on, I'll add as needed with reminders for follow-ups, etc. I have a system for marking ugent items and non-negotiables so I don't have to spend a lot of time prioritizing every day. I just do the list, only having to prioritize a few things, and not worried I'm going to miss or lost track of something. I notice a lot of time can be spent prioritizing if we let it.

Time management is crucial for balancing long-term projects with daily tasks effectively. It involves planning and allocating specific time blocks for different activities to ensure productivity. Using techniques like time blocking or the Pomodoro Technique can help you focus on individual tasks and avoid multitasking. Prioritize tasks based on their urgency and importance, and create a daily schedule to track progress and meet deadlines. Effective time management also includes setting aside time for breaks to prevent burnout and regularly reviewing and adjusting your plans as needed. This structured approach helps maintain productivity and manage workload efficiently.

Factoring in the unexpected is a must! Although I would block off time for uninterrupted work, going completely on DND on a regular basis was impractical. I would, however, close Outlook and my Teams app and check it a few times throughout the day. Also, on my agenda I made sure not to schedule each hour of the day, but rather 1 - 3 things in the morning and 1 - 3 in the afternoon.

Identify which tasks are most critical and time-sensitive. Assess team members’ strengths, weaknesses, expertise and their workload. Delegate tasks to team members whose skills and experience match the requirements. Define the goals and expected outcomes for each task. Ensure team members have the necessary tools, resources, and authority to complete the task. Set realistic deadlines and milestones to track progress and allow flexibility for unexpected challenges. Allow team to make decisions and solve problems independently. Review completed tasks to assess performance.

Balance your communications well. Under communicating can cause tasks to be overlooked and deadlines to be missed. Over communicating will get your emails passed over and your calls unanswered. If you feel a backstory will help people understand and get you more buy in, try including both a "Long Story" and a "Short Story" in an email. The Short Story should be exactly that! Short and to the point. The Long Story can give more of a background in case anyone wants to know the Why's or How's. Also, keep the project management plan updated and available for everyone to see, and have regular meetings to make sure everyone is still on point

Develop a communication plan. Choose the appropriate communication methods (emails, meetings, reports, etc.), the frequency of these methods and the content according to stakeholder preferences and needs. Implement your plan giving regular updates and holding consistent check-ins and progress meetings. Lastly, keep records of all communications for reference and accountability. If there is a risk that deadlines might be missed or if additional resources are needed to keep long-term projects on track and ensure daily office tasks are not overlooked, voice these concerns early. Being communicative will enable your team to remain in sync and allow for efficient project and task management.