Prioritising and managing time as a leader

The nature of the modern world of work makes it difficult to fit everything into the standard nine to five. Prioritising and knowing what really needs to be focused on can be tough, and it’s only compounded in leadership positions.

Minimising time wasted and staying on task is one thing individually, but keeping a team on track is another entirely. Here are the things to keep in mind if you’re looking to brush up on your time management skills:

Keep records

Being a scatterbrain will quickly pose issues no matter what your position in the company. Taking vague notes or trying to remember everything off the top of your head will quickly lead to your schedule becoming one big mess.

Keep a diary and make sure that everything that needs to be done is split into daily or even monthly targets. If you’re tech savvy, digitise your records and streamline any emails and calendar invitations so you can keep track of them on the go.

Furthermore, some email clients will even allow for the merging of schedules between multiple parties, making it easy to keep your team on track too.

Plan for the unexpected

Stringently laying out your working day will present problems if you don’t have room to breath. If meetings run over or deadlines change, your whole day will be thrown out of balance.

Schedule a spare half an hour to go over issues that you weren’t aware of before you got to the office. This on-the-fly approach will make it easier to amend any problems as and when they spring up.

Encouraging your team to do the same can also encourage productivity. Rather than having them work within the strictest of guidelines, setting aside some time for conversation and collaboration will likely keep them engaged throughout the working day.