Time Management in the Workplace

Time management in the workplace is something that you have to deal with on a daily basis. In my opinion, there are very few people who manage their time effectively at work. A lot of this has to do with information overload. The amount of information being produced and consumed in the workplace is increasing at exponential rates, which in turn increases workplace stress. An overabundance of communication and the increased expectation of immediate feedback can create the following feelings:

Helplessness
Anger
Resentment
Anxiety

This is nowhere near an exhaustive list, but hopefully it points out some of the effects of information overload on time management in the workplace. A recent Salary.com survey on job satisfaction showed that 65% of employees are "somewhat" satisfied with their jobs while only 15% are "extremely" satisfied. Ouch! Given that we spend most of our waking lives at work, I think that we should all strive to be in a place where we are extremely satisfied with our work. This is why time management in the workplace is so important. Taking control of how you manage your time at work is an important first step in increasing your level of satisfaction with your job while also reducing workplace stress. If you have passion at work, you're much more likely to have passion for life in general. That's the goal.

Do you take a Reactive or Pro-Active Approach to Time Management in the Workplace?

Effective time management in the workplace requires you to be pro-active, but far too often I find that people manage their work reactively. For example, the day will start by going through all unopened e-mail. Then, as new e-mail comes through the person will immediately look at the e-mail and respond. This is a reactive approach to working. Since when did our work e-mail programs become the overlords of our existence? Are we merely just lab rats waiting for the pellet to dispense so that we can take some sort of action? In this section we'll give you some tips to better manage your e-mail.

How about meetings? Do you get meeting requests with vague titles and no agenda? Do you accept these meetings and if so, why? Part of the solution requires re-educating your fellow employees on proper workplace etiquette. It's not appropriate to set up meetings that give the person you want to attend no idea of what the meeting is about or why their input is needed. If you get requests like this, be pro-active. Don't just accept the meeting. Politely decline and ask for the agenda and why your attendance is needed. If you don't need to go to the meeting, especially if you feel there is nothing of value you can contribute, then don't go. It's a waste of your time.

Phone calls are another time waster. Do you answer every single phone call that comes through even if you don't know who it is? More importantly, do you answer phone calls when you are in the middle of doing something? Unless you work in a call center and your specific job description requires you to handle calls like this you shouldn't do this. Again, this is a reactive approach to time management in the workplace. If you're in the middle of something or you don't recognize who the caller is then let it go to voicemail. If it's important, the person will leave you a voicemail and you can respond when you have the time to do so.

This is not lazy and it certainly isn't a 'cop out' to get out of doing work. It's the opposite. It's the essence of time management in the workplace.

Manage your time to focus on what's most beneficial to you

Spend 80% of your time focusing on the most important projects that are integral to your job/personal development and career advancement. Spend the other 20% focusing on the mundane day to day tasks. Far too often I see that these percentages are reversed, which is why people are so unhappy with their work. Most people get bogged down in the never ending cycle of reactively responding to e-mails and going to meetings that are unnecessary instead of creating and working on challenging projects that spur personal development and growth in that person's given role.

Effective time management in the workplace is necessary for you to succeed and advance in your role. When you get to your annual review you want to be able to point out specific projects that you led or helped lead that had a direct positive impact on your division, your customers or your company as a whole. Pointing out that you can answer 1,000 e-mails in a day or spend all day in meetings even though there's nothing for you to contribute is not going to help you. In fact, I think it would benefit you to point out specific, actionable steps you took to reduce some of these time wasters.

Example: "By requiring my fellow employees to only send me meeting requests with a proper agenda and only accepting meetings where I knew I was required and could provide value with my input, I was able to reduce the amount of meetings I attended by X% and allocated that time savings to x,y and z projects which resulted in (enter direct division, customer or company result here)."

Are you focusing on action? Good. You're well on your way to becoming a time management ninja!

I think so many of us are attached to e-mail. It's a security blanket for us that keeps us safe and gives us the illusion that we are keeping busy at work, but in reality e-mail can be one of the biggest deterrents to effective time management in the workplace.

Workplace Time Management Exercise

Let's see if you're really following the 80/20 rule. Go an entire day without looking at your e-mail. I can hear the screams already. Oh, I can't possibly do that! I get too many e-mails I need to respond to! How will I know what's going on!? My life is nothing without my beloved e-mail!

Having any of the above thoughts or variations of these thoughts should clearly indicate that you are spending too much time focusing on one of the biggest roadblocks to effective time management in the workplace: e-mail. To get the most out of this exercise I want you to actually do this, not just think about what you would do without e-mail for a day. Here's some help in how to go about accomplishing this exercise.

Caveat: If you are closely monitored by a superior, which I hope you're not, or are concerned about any negative ramifications in doing this exercise, then discuss with your boss first.

The night before doing this, set up an automatic response to incoming e-mails. Sample: I will be unable to respond to your e-mail today due to an important project that I am working on. If the matter is urgent and you require a response today please reach me via the following phone number: (enter appropriate work or cell phone number here). This should keep any direct communication limited to strict emergencies.

Ok, so now the day of reckoning is here. You may be hit with some initial feelings of anxiety and fear as the urge comes over you to check your e-mails. Don't do it. Instead, ask yourself these questions:

Am I fully up to date with what's going on in my industry? Are you reading any trade magazines, newsletters or blogs related to your industry? If not, are there any that you can subscribe to online via an RSS feed or an e-mail subscription? I generally block off the first half hour of my day to read about current events in my industry. It's sort of like reading the morning paper to get a quick pulse of what's going on in my area of expertise.
What can I do right now in order to grow and learn in my current role? Do you constantly focus on the same tasks day after day, year after year? If so, you aren't growing in your current role or managing your time effectively. Take this time to think of some ways to challenge yourself. Is there a pressing need in your group or even your company that's not being met? If so, how can you address this need or solve this issue? Don't worry right now if you think it has nothing to do with your current role. Write it down and come up with an action plan to present to your boss tomorrow.
What tasks can I eliminate or delegate? To improve your time management in the workplace, figure out which daily, weekly, or monthly activities are eating up a significant amount of your time. Can you eliminate or delegate any of these activities? Make a list of all these tasks and take action now. Either (a) decide if you can stop doing the activity if it is no longer providing any value, (b) delegate the work to another resource (e.g. a direct report to you or a person in another area if this task truly shouldn't be handled by you) or (c) make the decision that you do need to continue doing the activity and specify why.

There are some other benefits to taking this one day hiatus from your e-mail. Are you highly dependent on other people to get answers to questions? You may not even realize this. By not having the ability to quickly shoot off an e-mail to someone else to ask a question, you force yourself to come up with the answer. Don't sell yourself short. You most likely have the knowledge to answer specific questions on your own or you know where to look to find the answer without going through a co-worker. What if you do need to contact someone? Good. Now that you don't have access to e-mail for a day you can either call the person or visit them in person to ask the question. You'll find that this is a much easier and more efficient way to get an answer to your question rather than sending multiple back and forth e-mails where the likelihood of something being lost in translation is greater.

A Blessing in Disguise

There is another possible outcome from this exercise. You find that you really have no interest in what you're doing and you don't have the desire or motivation to succeed in your current role. Maybe you have no passion at work. Obviously this is not the most desired outcome, but it's better that you realize this now rather than 5, 10, 15 years down the road. If you do find that this is the case then take action now. Are there other areas or roles within your current company that interest you? See if there are any openings in that department. Do you have another passion that is completely unrelated to what you are doing now? Read up on the subject or take a night class at your local community college so that you can gain some expertise in the field. It's never too late to continue learning. Whatever you do, never expect that someone else is going give you the magic answer to what you should do with your life. The answer is within you.

Final Comment

Print out and post Steve Jobs' quote to the 2005 graduating class at Standford that I mentioned here on your cubicle or office wall. Make it your mantra. You must have passion at work if you want to be happy with your life. With a focus on effective time management in the workplace, you'll be able to concentrate on your passions rather than the mundane and tedious tasks that add no value to your continued learning and advancement in the workplace.

Time Management in the Workplace

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