By Sam Ast, Re-Entry Workforce Development Specialist, Goodwill of Western Missouri & Eastern Kansas
Many of us struggle to finding enough time at work to get everything done. This blog covers the importance of time management and communication in making your job more manageable. How can you implement these skills in the workplace? How and why should you use these strategies? Will they even be helpful? What about the impact on your work performance? To learn more, keep reading.
Why Time Management is Important
Renowned stand-up George Carlin once said that at some point, a “time machine will be built, but no one will have time to use it.” This quote, like many comedic statements, is funny because it is rooted in elements of truth that many individuals commonly experience and can relate to.
These days, people always seem to be in a rush — even if their destination is nowhere particularly important or exceptional. Carlin’s sentiment can be translated to what life may look like for you at a particular job: busy, chaotic, disorganized, etc. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Time management techniques can give you more control over your work, reduce the possibility of burnout, help you complete work tasks and improve your ability to communicate in the office. All these factors can help you and your employer feel better about your performance throughout the workday.
Avoiding Burnout
Burnout, or the accumulation of work-related stress, is an occupational phenomenon prevalent in many industries that often leads to a person quitting their job or providing subpar work results. However, there are ways to ensure this risk is contained.
Minimizing the number of surprises at work will enable you to remain on schedule and less likely to be overwhelmed by deadlines. By having more control, employees can structure their days in ways that make sense. Organizing work tasks and prioritizing those that are either more important or that need to be completed sooner results in better outcomes. In this way, you can work smarter, not harder. Good mental health can do wonders in the office or any work setting. If you’re able to successfully reduce or limit your stress, prevention of burnout becomes easier.
How Communication Helps
Relatedly, efforts to maintain strong and open communication channels between you and your supervisor can lead to effective expressions of what you can and cannot handle in terms of labor assignments.
One way to increase this function is to be honest about your abilities. Have you ever heard the saying, “Don’t bite off more than you can chew?” What this means in a work setting is that you’re likely to experience better outcomes and have better performance if you and management both understand how much is too much for you to handle.
It is not a sign of weakness to let your boss know that you are struggling. In fact, it shows maturity. Managers will probably appreciate knowing you may need extra help rather than being left with unfinished work or work that is lacking in quality.
More Efficient Planning
Planning, like organizing, can help you and your employer look to the future and set clear and attainable goals. This process can aid in decision-making and serve as a guide for what needs to be done, how things should be done and when endeavors need to be completed. To do this, an understanding of how long various functions take will need to be considered. Efficient planning is not a fruitless effort. Regularly it will lead to on-time project completion and help to bolster your reputation as a good worker.
As usual, I wish you luck in your journey to find work, be a better employee and live an all-around healthy and fulfilling life. Check back for more tips and updates.
Works Cited:
Aeon B, Faber A, Pannacio A. Does time management work? A meta-analysis. PLOS One. 2021 Jan 11;16 (1):e0245066. PMID: 33428644; PMCID: PML7799745.
