Time management can make or break a project, so it’s important to master this before you start. There are many ways to manage your time. Invest in a day planner to write your tasks down so that you don’t have to keep track of everything in your head.
This is very important. Furthermore, write yourself a list each day so that you can be organized and you don’t have to try to remember everything while you’re rushing through your day at work. This will make your life so much easier.
MAKE YOURSELF A LIST
Create a list. This will help you keep track of each task for the day. You’ll be a lot more organized as a result, and you won’t have to keep everything in your head. Get yourself a notepad that you like so that you want to use it more and then stick it on your computer so that you can glance at it throughout the day.
ORDER YOUR LIST FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT
What’s the most important thing you have to do? List that first, then the second most important task, etcetera. This will ensure that you complete all of your urgent tasks immediately. Even if you don’t get everything on the list done, you’ll get the most important tasks completed first, which means that you will probably be finished with all of your projects sooner than later. Always take your deadlines into account.
DO ONE TASK AT A TIME
It’s natural to multitask in this day and age: people have so many things to do, and they want to complete everything as quickly as humanly possible. However, it’s actually quite inefficient to multitask. Think about it.
No human being can actually do five things at once. You’re merely stopping and starting a bunch of different tasks. The truth is that you risk completing some in a mediocre manner because you are not laser-focused on them.
This could result in subpar work. Instead, you should focus on one task at a time so that, when you’re done, your work can shine. You’ll likely complete each task much faster, so it’s a win-win situation.
If you do one task at a time, you will likely submit higher quality work because you will be more focused. Furthermore, you’ll probably get quite a bit more work done. Zeroing in one task really helps.
GIVE YOUR TEAM A DECENT LUNCH BREAK
This may not seem that important, but it really is. People need to fuel their bodies so that they can be as productive as possible. You might even want to bring snacks in as an incentive. They’ll love this and feel appreciated for their work, therefore, they’ll be more likely to put their best foot forward: It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved. Just make sure you don’t spend too much money on snacks: make them yourself or get the cheap ones.
If everyone is well-fed, they will likely be way more productive. Give your team a thirty-minute to one-hour lunch break, depending on the urgency of the tasks that need to be completed. This will result in a happier and healthier workforce.
DELEGATE
Who doesn’t remember that school project where one person did all the work and then the group took credit for it? Many people might be wary of this type of situation, so it’s important to make sure that the work is equally distributed. You’ll want to assign projects to your team according to what responsibilities they already have and what their schedules look like so that no one gets overwhelmed.
Make sure that each person on your team has a fair amount of work. The last thing you want is for one person to have to carry most of the weight. Assign workloads according to peoples’ other projects and schedules so that you can avoid burnout.
PROVIDE EACH PERSON WITH FEEDBACK
You should definitely avoid waiting until the project is completely finished in order to provide your team with feedback. Instead, check in at each phase during the project. Is everything going according to the plan? Is there room for improvements?
Have there been any miscommunications? Are your team members collaborating with one another effectively? It’s important to make sure that all of these questions are answered sooner than later.
If you check in right away once before the project starts, this will help you avoid as many miscommunications as possible. Always mention that you are open to questions so that you team feels comfortable clarifying if they don’t understand something. After this, check in when the project is about 25% complete and let people know right away if anything is problematic.
This will help them meet the deadline faster and it will ensure that they produce high-quality work. It will also save them from having to do hours of extra work when they thought they were finished with their project: they’ll be able to incorporate your feedback right away and save quite a bit of time and energy. You will also not have to deliver the bad news that an entirely completed project is not up to par.
Check with them again when they’re 50% finished and when they’re 75% finished. This will help you make sure that they’re on track, and they’re producing what you would like them to. If someone is really struggling, consider providing them with extra training, especially if they’re new.
As everyone is working on this project, check their progress consistently. It’s important to tell them if something isn’t working early on so that they can fix it. This is especially important if they are on a deadline.
SET STRICT DEADLINES
It’s important to set up and stick to strict deadlines. This will motivate people to work hard and turn everything in on time. Everyone will probably start projects faster and turn them in more quickly.
HOLD REGULAR MEETINGS
It’s important to hold regular meetings about what is and isn’t working. If the collaboration could be better, say so. If the work that’s being done is excellent, but needs to be done faster, mention this. Doing so will give you transparency with your team. They’ll really appreciate knowing where you stand, and the project will probably be much better as a result because everyone will understand how important it is and follow the directions.
PROVIDE INCENTIVES
Everyone loves being rewarded for hard work. Perhaps you want to mention that the person who completes their work the earliest gets a gift card. It will definitely motivate your team to succeed and work hard.
REWARD EXCELLENT WORK.
Everyone loves to be recognized for their accomplishments. This type of reward does not necessarily have to be monetary. In fact, it could simply mean that you mention someone’s name in a meeting who is doing extremely well on the project. This will help them feel seen and recognized. It will also encourage them to continue doing their best because they feel valued and appreciated.
GET CONTROL OF YOUR TIME AND INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY
The world is full of resources. If you would like to further develop your knowledge on project management, you can enroll in the University of Dayton Project Management: Practical Skills and Applications program. This course, led by industry expert Bob Jewell, will help you improve your skills in project planning, project execution, project control, and much more.
Enroll in the Practical Skills and Applications program, which was created in collaboration with GetSmarter, today! The certificate of completion that you receive from this eight-week course will serve as proof of your acquired knowledge. It will also provide you with a great deal of confidence in project management. You can discover more opportunities such as this one by visiting GetSmarter online or contacting us.
