Time Management Tips

How do you stay organized and efficient?

Time management is a critical skill for all administrative assistants as we face tight deadlines and multiple tasks during our working week. There are so many tips, tricks and suggestions, but we have focused on the below for now.

Prioritization: Identify and focus on high-priority tasks to meet deadlines effectively. Try grouping similar tasks together to minimize context switching and increase your productivity.

To-Do Lists and Planners: Utilizing effective tools to plan and organize daily activities is one Crodie love to use. It helps us stay on track, and the app-based task trackers allow you to copy and paste swiftly into a “weekly round-up” document; you can show your manager or Executive to demonstrate visually exactly what you have achieved. Time Blocking is another great personal discipline to allow specific time blocks for different tasks to maintain focus and manage time effectively. However, remember, we also have to be reactive when something pressing comes in.

Minimizing Distractions: If you can and do have the moment of no anticipated reactive work coming in (maybe the team are OOO or most are on leave), turn the phone to silent, close distracting tabs, grab a drink and get down to that task that you know needs attention and get it done.

Setting Realistic Goals: Establishing achievable goals to stay motivated and on track is key to your ongoing learning and development. Crodie collates “CPD Points” (continuous professional development) to remain on top of achievements made through reaching goals personally and professionally. This, in turn, will help you formulate appraisal reviews and annual goal-setting.

Delegating Tasks: Knowing when and how to delegate tasks to optimize productivity is a hard one to get over for Administrative Assistants. Don’t we just love to hold on to everything that comes our way and take ownership? This can be counterproductive when the heat is on. Crodie likes leveraging apps and software to automate repetitive tasks and streamline workflows, as well as communicating with teams or Managers about the work they have on to understand the priorities better. It is ok to delegate tasks that are better suited to a colleague. It will not look bad on you.

Taking Breaks: The importance of rest and rejuvenation to maintain productivity is vital. Self-care and knowing when to give yourself that mental and physical break must be mastered. Try suggesting the entire team adopts this approach and voice the “ there is no badge of honour” statement for doing the most hours worked.

Continuous Improvement: Recognise the need for regular evaluation and adjustment of your own time management strategies, see what has been working well and adjust the approach to those that could have worked better for you. This may change frequently, so allow yourself time and be open to change.

Overall - Not all strategies may work for everyone. Experiment with different approaches and adapt them to suit your learning style and preferences.

Consistency and discipline are key to mastering time management as an administrative assistant, with the adaptability to try something new if it proves not to be working for you and your team, and never stop learning!

Craig & Jodie

The Crodie Files Podcast- A Podcast for Administrative Assistants by two Career Executive Assistants, currently working in the role.

We get you, we understand you.

The Crodie Files Podcast Listen Here