Take Back Control of Your Time: Reduce Stress and Increase Productivity

How important is it for you to control your time? How often do you find yourself spread too thin?

It can happen without you even knowing it.  You start a project and get distracted either by a co-worker, emails, phone calls and or text messages.  At times, those interruptions will make you completely shift gears onto something that has nothing to do with your original project.  Before you know it, you have moved on to 3-4 more projects. Although you may be able to jungle all of them well, it adds a bit of a stress factor when you are trying to answer everyone.  It is quite possible that you have become so use to juggling tasks that you have become a pro however nonetheless it still can be stressful.

Being able to manage your time well is an important skill for service professionals to master.  One huge bit of advice that I give to everyone is to take small bite size pieces of your task and group them together.  As you finish each small task you get closer to completing the big task.  Also, you can check off steps of progress and you feel confidant knowing that you covered all bases.  This process helps with small projects as well as large project.

Below I will offer some strategies to help reduce stress and increase productivity during your day. 

How well do you currently manage your time?

Answer the below strategies with: Not at all, Rarely, Sometimes, Often and Very Often.

Strategy 1: Prioritize Tasks

• The tasks I work on are the ones with the highest priority.
• I know how much time I spend on each of the various task I do.
• I know whether the tasks I am working on are high, medium, or low value.        
• When I am given a new assignment, I analyze it for importance and prioritize it accordingly.
• I prioritize my To Do list or Action Program.

The importance of prioritization is key in managing your time.  You must understand the core objective that must be accomplished before moving to the next step.  Some people say start with the end in mind.  Which is a technique that you must still prioritize to do it effectively.  Be certain to break out the tasks by high, medium and low value.  I always say take on the biggest task first, knock it out.  Most times the biggest tasks will take more time and requires more attention.

While you are prioritizing, it is good practice to allot adequate time to properly focus on each task.  You must become clear on your objective and decide on a project timeline.  Once you map out the objective and prioritize each task, decide how much time will be needed to complete each task.  This will help to keep you on schedule.  It won’t hurt to eliminate all distractions like your cell phone and social media.

Strategy 2: Create a To-Do List

• I set aside time for planning and scheduling.

There is a saying that goes, if you fail to plan you plan to fail.  This is so true, and it will ring true each time you do not properly plan.  The importance of planning your day is vital to feel accomplished.   Having a list of items that you need to complete keeps you on track and as you complete tasks you can cross them off your list.  Being able to free up time to either relax or move on to the next item on your list allows you to regroup.

Being mindful of your To-Do list and referencing it throughout the day is a must.  Technology helps tremendously and allows you to automate reminders.  I use my Outlook calendar and set reminders to go off at specific dates and times.  I also use the reminder application on my phone which does the same thing.  I will never move completely away from my planner which I have been using for over 20 years.  Pick a method you can use but just make sure you are using one of them to create a To-Do List daily.

Tip – Respectively, look at your week-to-week and your day to day list a week or day prior to doing the task. This will help to gauge whether you need to update your lists. Don’t wait until the week or day of the task activity.

Strategy 3: Stop Procrastinating

• I find myself completing tasks at the last minute or asking for extensions.
• I am stressed about deadlines and commitments.
• I take work home in order to get it done.      

Procrastination is the mother of all evils and the only cure is to create positive habits.  You procrastinate because you don’t know where to start or because you just don’t want to tackle the task at hand.  So, get over it!  Deal directly with what is causing you to shut down.  Is it the size of the task, the details required to complete, lack of knowledge, unrealistic expectations, not enough time in the day?  All of these reasons you can overcome with the right strategies.

You have already learned two strategies to manage your time better: Prioritize Tasks and Create a To-Do List.  If you have already prioritized and created a to-do list than you are halfway there.  If you have a comprehensive list that is broken down into bite size tasks that are ordered from highest to lowest value than you have no reason to procrastinate.  You now need to move into the doing phase of each task. 

Tip – It won’t hurt to call in some help – delegate.  At this point, you should know what each task will involve and have a realistic time frame to completion.  The one thing that causes failure when struggling is not knowing when you need help.  It is okay to ask for help and it is wise to delegate assignments as needed.  This will allow you to focus on the most challenging tasks.

Strategy 4: Schedule Your Day & Minimize Interrupts and Say No

• I find myself dealing with interruptions.
• I leave contingency time in my schedule to deal with “the unexpected”?      
• Distractions keep me from working on critical tasks.                                   

Yes, I get it, you cannot control people walking up to you with questions, coming over to socialize, or emails and phone calls.  I get it, you can’t control any of that, right?  Wrong! You can control traffic to your desk by sticking to your schedule and making others stick to your schedule. 

How?

Post it!  Yes, print it out and tape it to your cubicle.  Block out times on your Outlook calendar or company shared calendar that people can see which shows that you are busy.  If you have a door close it.  Although I keep an open-door policy, I still control my time.  If people walk up and invade your time and space, let them know that you would love to help them however you are working on something that you need to complete.  Let them know you will get back to them if they send you an email than you can prioritize it.  There are ways to say things without coming off rude.

It is also okay to say the above to your superiors if they interrupt you.  You may want to be more specific by letting them know what you are doing and your timeline.  That way you are being transparent and giving them insight into your schedule.  Sometimes supervisors/managers overlook how much is already on your plate.  It does not hurt to remind them so they can determine whether you are using your time well.

Strategy 5: SMART Goals

• I use goal setting to decide what tasks and activities I should work on.       

Every professional has heard of SMART goals.  Be specific with your time management.  Don’t just say I want to close 10 deals a month.  Set a goal of calling 10-20 people daily.  That gives you a measurable and achievable goaltowards accomplishing 10 deals a month. 

When you set goals, they must also be realistic.  Making $10,000 a month in your new online business just might not be realistic, unless you have a high-end in demand item to sell.  Being consistent in setting a goal is important and helps to reduce stress and allows you to manage your time better. But having a time frame provides an end game and clarity.  With every SMART goal setting you must be clear to achieve each objective.

Strategy 6: Take a Break

You time.  You must set aside time for you otherwise you will not be any good to anyone.  Eliminating stress has much to do with how well you take care of yourself.  Are you taking the time out of your day to get away from your desk?  Going for a walk?  Meditating?  Eating?  Better yet, how is your work/life balance? 

I am no good to anyone if I do not give my mind time to rest and reset.  Allowing yourself 15-20 minutes to do nothing work-related will help you to reboot and become energized.  If you can take a nap during the day that is even better.  I know, not everyone can nap in the middle of the day, but you can go sit in your car or find a quiet place to relax your eyes.  You must find you time at work.  This also applies if you work from home…take a break.

Apply these 6 strategies and you will reduce stress and manage your time better.

The feeling of accomplishment is great and being able to have a stress-free day is important for customers, co-workers and mainly for you.  You are better and produce more effectively when your environment and mental state is clutter free.  Being able to take back your time and become clear daily will create positive repeatable habits that you won’t have to think about.  It will become second nature and you will find after months have passed you are less stressed and more organized.

Take back control of your time today!

Jacqueline Michele Ridley is a board-certified problem solver (aka board-certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt), Customer Alignment Strategist (aka Customer Service Expert) and workflow strategist with over 25 years of experience in Customer Operations and Quality Improvements in multi-million-dollar businesses.

For information, visit JacquelineMichele.com

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