Here's how you can balance managing your own time and supporting your team to meet deadlines.

The time you spend in training your team members is the time you save in managing them. Invest time in training your team well and create an environment where they feel confident to handle their responsibilities. This reduces dependency, allowing you to focus on your tasks. Automate repetitive tasks to save time for both you and your team. Set specific times to address team concerns, enabling you to work without interruptions. Use instant communication tools like Slack or MS Teams for managing minor issues efficiently. Clearly define expectations and deadlines, and encourage your team to make small decisions independently, this prepares them for larger responsibilities in the future.

Encourage team members to adopt prioritization methods similar to yours, empowering them to manage their workload autonomously.

In addition to the Eisenhower Box, consider implementing a "time-value matrix" to prioritize tasks not just based on urgency and importance but also on their potential long-term impact. Some tasks may seem urgent but have minimal long-term value, while others may not be urgent but could significantly contribute to your team's goals. By incorporating this additional dimension, you ensure that your time is invested in activities that yield the greatest return on investment for both you and your team.

Balancing managing your own time and supporting your team to meet deadlines requires effective prioritization and delegation. Allocate specific time slots for personal tasks while also scheduling regular check-ins with team members to monitor progress and offer assistance. Utilize tools like task lists and calendars to stay organized and ensure that both your individual responsibilities and team support activities are addressed efficiently, ultimately contributing to successful deadline achievement.

Situational leadership is a great model to follow in such situations. It helps you understand what kind of support, involvement and coaching you require based on your team member's ability around a particular task. The more aware and conscious you are about your team ability, you can priorities task by distributing to right and able colleagues and that can also support your need to prioritize and manage right balance for time management.

Communicate clearly the objective of delegation, else you will be accused of shirking from your work and responsibilities. It will keep people motivated to finish the task.

While matching tasks to team members' strengths is essential, don't overlook the importance of stretching their capabilities through strategic delegation. Encourage team members to take on projects slightly outside their comfort zone, providing the necessary support and resources for success. This not only fosters professional growth but also builds a more versatile and resilient team capable of tackling a diverse range of challenges.

Learning from Situational Leadership, once you know right capability for right task you can be more effective and efficient to delegate tasks among your team. Most of the times, we feel that we are more comfortable to do tasks ourselves than to pass on to team, but being a leader you have to ensure that you keep right balance and don't keep everything to yourself for this reason. It will ultimately cause more stress and pressure on yourself.

Delegation can seem scary at first. You let go. You give permission to someone else. You allow your team to grow, feel trust, acceptance, and support. Delegation is empowering for you and your team. It allows you, and them, to grow, move forward, and expand. Scary is good for everyone!

Recognize and celebrate milestones along the way to keep motivation high and reinforce a culture of achievement. Acknowledging progress not only boosts morale but also serves as a reminder of the team's collective capabilities in meeting deadlines.

Be honest with your priorities and commitments with your team. Don't be the hero. If you need help ask for it, remember leaders are role models, if you demonstrate a behaviour it gives others permission to follow. If the workloads get too much, team mates should have each others back this will prevent burnout and stress and ensure the work get done every time.

In addition to regular check-ins, consider implementing asynchronous communication channels for non-urgent updates and inquiries. Platforms like project management software or team collaboration tools allow team members to share progress, ask questions, and provide updates at their convenience. This reduces the need for constant synchronous communication, freeing up everyone's time while still ensuring transparency and accountability.

Keeping your team involved and aware of your tasks and their deadlines is very critical. So, the more communicative you are with the challenges, objectives and tasks more effective you would be as a leader. It's good to plan regular feedback and check in sessions with team as well individually because both arrangements have their own pros and cons. So again, it's about balance and keeping things clear and open.

Regular Check-Ins and Communication: Schedule Regular Meetings: Hold regular team meetings to track progress, address issues, and adjust plans as needed. Use Communication Tools: Leverage communication tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or email for quick updates and clarifications.

Tine Blocking is a very effective and important technique to follow if you are struggling to manage so many tasks at a time. Allocate time for yourself, your team and as usual keep right balance to allow adequate opportunity for yourself to be on top of your own activities as well allow team to have enough to seek your support.

Time blocking is a great tool to give yourself the opportunity to break down some tasks and avoid burnout. My diary is planned in weeks in advance the teams can move or cancel their catchups as needed but. A see when I am available for an unscheduled catch up. Admin time is set aside every week, an if I am falling behind on a project I block out a sensible amount of time a the team respect that.

While time blocking is effective for structuring your own time, consider implementing a shared calendar system for the entire team. This allows team members to see when you're available for support or collaboration, streamlining communication and reducing the need for back-and-forth scheduling. Additionally, encourage team members to incorporate their own time blocking practices, fostering a culture of intentional time management and productivity across the team.

In addition to personal milestones, consider implementing peer review systems where team members provide feedback and support to each other throughout the project lifecycle. This not only reinforces accountability but also fosters a culture of continuous improvement and collective ownership. As a leader, your role shifts from simply tracking progress to facilitating collaboration and removing obstacles, empowering your team to achieve their goals autonomously.

Turn this into a collaborative and enjoyable activity! Use the Roses, Buds, and Thorns method for team reflection. After reaching a major milestone, gather your team to discuss what went well in meeting the deadline (roses), the challenges faced (thorns), and opportunities for improvement (buds). Utilize a visualization tool like a whiteboard or a digital platform like Mural and use post-it notes to make the process more engaging and interactive.

Don’t assume someone knows how to do any of this. If you’re doing a project with someone who hasn’t got that much experience ask them what they need to succeed. Give them and opportunity to speak and ask for help.