You're part of a team that's struggling with time management. What can you do to help?

To assist my struggling team with time management, I need to identify the root cause of the issue. For example, while I was in graduate school, I was faced with the challenge of balancing my work, studies, family, and social life. To overcome this, I prioritized tasks based on their importance and scheduled my time accordingly. I adapted to the situation, communicated with my family and friends, and found a balance to avoid stress. I believe that I can use this experience to help my current team. It's important to understand the situation thoroughly before taking any corrective measures.

I organize a meeting to talk about our problems. We figure out where we're losing time and come up with solutions together. Using things like setting priorities and to-do lists, along with tools like calendars, will help us stay on track. I make sure we talk openly about workloads and deadlines, and we'll check in regularly to stay motivated and responsible.

To improve time management in a team, open communication, identify obstacles, set clear goals, create a time management plan, use tools, provide training, encourage collaboration, limit distractions, set a positive example, and regularly evaluate and adjust. By fostering a culture of accountability, minimizing distractions, and providing support, you can foster a more productive work environment and improve productivity, efficiency, and overall satisfaction among team members.

It's important for me to be in touch with my team. In addition to business meetings, in our Program, we have Office Lunch hours, where whole team presents what they work on and also what their lives are outside of work. You learn about your colleagues' interests and cultural background, and it's fascinating. Also, I do check in with my team members if I notice they are stressed, sad or happy, this is part of Emotional Intelligence. I sometime offer help and ear, shoulder to cry on. We need to remember that we are humans, not just office workers :)

This is what I would do to address time management challenges within the team: 1. Pinpoint the root causes of inefficiency, whether it's unclear priorities or inadequate resources. 2. Define clear objectives and prioritize tasks accordingly. 3. Establish realistic deadlines and ensure team members adhere to them. 4. Foster open communication to facilitate problem-solving and idea-sharing. 5. Delegate tasks effectively, avoiding overburdening any one individual. 6. Implement time management tools such as project management software or shared calendars. 7. Offer training and support to enhance time management skills. 8. Regularly assess performance and adjust strategies as needed based on feedback.

As an individual, it's always best to have actions set in place for ways you want to save time (for example, dedicated time for emails, or turning off social media notifications). The same should be for a team. After setting up the goals and priorities for the team, everyone should have actionable items in place for how they are going to save time moving forward.