As times are growing uncertain and things might be a bit chaotic it’s time to start getting a handle on the situation. You should never allow your situation to control you but rather you control the situation. You can start to do this by thinking of a good memory and then start to feel how you felt at that time. It’s a great way to bring back a great feeling at a much-needed time like now.
Depending on your current work situation and home life, being you are working remotely with your family close by or maybe if you are at a small company you are alternating days whatever the situation maybe you should have some control over your time in a national situation like Coronavirus. Now is a great time to become more organized when things are quiet to get more done.
5 strategic steps you can take to increase productivity and time management are:
Know What’s Expected of You – Before you can start to organize anything you must know what is expected of you be it, you’re remotely or onsite. If you are remotely what are the deliverables that you are responsible for, and how does this relate to the overall business goals. How can you incorporate quiet time so you can fulfill your obligations? Do you need to wake up before everyone else or should you stay up late? This is strategic in being successful.
Create Effective To-Do-Lists – You can create a to-do list specifically for your work and home deliverables putting the most impactful things at the top of the list and eliminate things you don’t need so you do not get overwhelmed. It is imperative to keep your home and work like separate as much as possible so that you can be fully present when you are in each role.
Time Management – Once you have perfected your to-do list schedule the things you need to do in your calendar. This way, you know that you have enough time to get things done before your deadlines.
Set Deadlines and Time Limits – Don’t just make a list and schedule it but put deadlines and time block your most important things. For example, if every morning for work, you must check your email, give yourself a limited amount of time. Organize each email immediately by answering it, filing it, or deleting it.
Stop Multitasking – Multitasking is genuinely a killer of creativity and organization. Studies show that people cannot multitask as they thought. Even people who report being excellent multitaskers if tested find out they are not. In fact, some researchers suggest that multitasking can actually reduce productivity by as much as 40%.
Once you let go of trying to do everything for yourself and everyone else and end the problem of multitasking, you’ll be shocked at how organized you become. That organization will rub off into the rest of your life so by the time we are back to business as usual. You will have developed a new characteristic that will carry you far in your work and home life.