Boring tips to manage your precious time.

Welcome to Crafting Careers Newsletter!

This is the 3rd edition of the series, where I am all set to reveal the awesome tips for your amazing career.

Today’s topic is something that keeps on moving, whether you take action or not.

Yes, it’s "Time". It passes by every moment.

Time Management is no joke, especially when you're working a demanding,

9-5 corporate gig. Between meetings, emails, projects, and all the other responsibilities competing for your attention, the days can slip by without getting your most important tasks done. Trust me, I've been there!

But over the 15 years, I've picked up some valuable strategies that have helped me take control of my schedule. I wanted to share what's been working for me. I am sure you can relate to these and find value.

In Corporate or anywhere, it is essential to do error-free work but also on Time. Doing the work with accuracy is important but doing it on Time is crucial too. Accuracy without meeting Timelines has no meaning. This can only happen if you follow some basic rules. I will be honest with you: these are boring tips, but they do the job. There is no need for fancy vocabulary to describe it; it is tedious work. Most importantly, these boring tips keep you on the right track and allow you to complete the tasks on time and without any mistakes.

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Here are 12 practical ways to manage your time better:

1 Analyze your day

Know where your time is going each day. We all get distracted, and an hour has gone down the tubes before you know it. Start tracking your time spent on tasks, you'll likely to see some fat you can trim in areas like emails or low priority stuff.

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2 Make a do list

This one is very common, but this one tip keeps me on the right path and allows me to keep track of all the tasks, their priority, the time they needed, specific goals, and urgent tasks in one place and with one click. I can re-direct myself when I go off track.

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3 Prioritize your tasks

Rank your tasks for the day based on importance and urgency. See what needs your urgent attention and tackle the most critical ones first. If things can be done in minutes, do it now; you know the low hanging fruit.

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4 Use A Calendar

Next, take control of your calendar. To be productive, block off chunks of time for your big projects or deep work. I schedule blocks for things like team meetings, replying to emails, making priority calls, checking with team members, calling all the clients, reading reports and datasheets, analyzing data, and all my work-critical priorities.

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5 Batch Similar Tasks

Group smaller tasks into time blocks, like similar tasks meeting with team members, taking their inputs, and giving feedback on something, can be done in one go.

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6 Take Breaks

You can schedule short breaks every 90 minutes to recharge mentally and stay sharp. Get up, walk around, grab a snack, or chat with a coworker. Our brains need rest, a give nap is a best advice to keep fresh and focused through the workday.

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7 Set Limits For Meetings

Try to cap most meetings at 30 minutes max. Be ruthless in evaluating whether you genuinely need to attend. If something can be done with just an email or a video call, do it now. Do not go and set up an entire meeting. Cut it short; keep it direct. Trim and optimize where possible.

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8 Manage Expectations

Always give your team a heads up for your non availability and let your colleagues and team members know when you are heading down on something and unavailable, so they don't expect instant replies. And make sure they have everything that they need.

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9 Always Delegate What You Can

Do not submerge into all the tasks, believe in your team, give them some of your work, and delegate effectively. Offload tasks that others could efficiently complete instead of taking them on. I understand people think they are the best people to do the job, but if you have someone to help you, let them do it. Build Trust.

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10 Plan Your Week Ahead of Time

I always take my time in planning and getting ready for the upcoming week. I set the tone during weekend for the whole week. Always identify your most important goals and assign time slots for when you will work on them.

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11 Say No Respectfully

I know this one is hard, and you think this is the wrong thing to do. Sometimes, you go beyond your ability and commit to something that is not your work. So, don't overcommit your schedule. It's okay to decline requests that don't align with your priorities.

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12 Review Daily

When you finish the day, then analyze how you spent your time and make adjustments where you need more efficiency. This is very important. This may take some time, but it will be helpful.

Finally, doing all this takes some trial and error but once you get in the habit, it's life changing. You feel so much less frantic and get a ton more of the meaningful work done each day. Give some of these strategies a shot - your future self will thank you!

Let me know if any of you have tips that have worked well for you, too. I would

love to hear them!

Your Best, Deepika Sohal