Practicing time management wisely is an important skill to embody for personal and professional success, especially if you are in the human resources department. Being a human resource employee, you are tasked to place workers, train and develop, manage performance, handle employee relations, and coordinate the administrative functions of an organization. On top of it all, you are tasked to observe and maintain the time productivity of the rest of the organization.
You have to be tactical when it comes to sorting and managing your tasks as a human resource employee. Here, we have put together some of the most effective time management tips to help you get through your jam-packed schedule.
1. Create a to-do and do-not-do list
Making a to-do list is the most convenient and conventional tool for time management and organization. Even though nothing about it is ground-breaking, you can improve your way of making to-do lists by being more specific with your tasks. As much as possible, each task should be achievable within a day. You can do so by breaking down one big task into smaller, specific modules.
When you are creating the list, it is important that you sort the tasks by priority level. Determine which tasks are the priorities and allocate realistic amounts of time and deadline to each. Setting deadlines will more likely help you follow through and complete each task.
Another fun way of assembling a to-do list is sharing it with your coworkers to keep each other accountable and to be on the same page as everyone else.
By creating a do-not-do list, you are freeing yourself from the insignificant tasks that would only burden your schedule. Your do-not-do list is a collection of things that might hurt your productivity. You need to identify these things. Examples include reading and answering personal emails, getting caught up in office drama, and complaining in front of your co-workers. You can also list down personal shortcomings and how you can improve them.
Your do-not-do list will help instill the things that you need not do and to set your sight on tasks that are far more important.
2. Practice time blocking
Time blocking is a calendar-like, proactive process of arranging your tasks into the hours of the day in order to reach productivity. With time blocking, you are dedicating hours to a crucial task so you can concentrate on your priorities. There are various applications online where you can make your own time blocks.
You can make your own plan using this simple three-step process:
- Determine your most productive time of the day and maximize it.
- Create your schedule and stick to it.
- Your most important task should be placed in your 60-minute slot.
- Try stand-up meetings or huddles
A stand-up meeting or huddle is a brief meeting between a team that is held on foot. The goal in stand-up meetings is to talk about the finished tasks, in-progress tasks, and impediments. Establishing a daily 15-minute stand-up meeting will help cut the fluff and let you talk about the most important details of the tasks due to the time limit of the meeting. By doing a daily stand-up meeting, the employees are reminded of the tasks that they have to accomplish for the day so that they have something to share for the next stand-up meeting. It also helps achieve better alignment among teammates and keep everyone focused on the same direction.
- Plan a specific time for reading and answering emails
Reading and answering emails has become time-consuming in the modern workday. While it is a major part of business, sometimes it can be a distraction. Getting obsessed with reading and responding to emails consumes the time when you are supposed to perform far more significant tasks.
Only choose a block of time each day to focus on email. Turning off the notification will help you sidetrack from opening your emails. It’s okay not to respond to them immediately; if someone urgently needs you, they can set aside time to see you or call you.
- Clean up your desk
Keeping your desk clean is a good way to avoid stress. Having a well-organized desk helps elevate the mood in the workplace so you can manage your time efficiently. If you have some spare time, try tidying up and decorating your office space.
- Take quick breaks
You owe yourself a quick break after accomplishing a nerve-wracking task. A quick break clears your mind and boosts your productivity by encouraging creativity and problem-solving. Of course, what you do during your break is important. Try doing a 5-minute stretching or listening to relaxing music!
- It’s okay to say “no”
Being in the human resource department, you will expect a lot of employees to ask for a favor. Most of the employees are relying on you for something.
You must know that it’s okay to say “no” sometimes, especially when the requests aren’t the best use of your time. You can still be helpful though by suggesting ways for the employees to resolve the issues on their own.
8. Set milestones and plan for the future
It is important to set milestones and celebrate them. Big or small, accomplishments should be acknowledged. At the end of the day, you can create an all-done list where you can put all the tasks that you were able to accomplish. In this way, you are reminding yourself that did well today and you can do better tomorrow.
You are now one step closer to success. Feel free to share these tips with your coworkers and make your company a more productive place!