Time Management for New Professionals
Congrats on your first job! Now that you have completed all your on-job training and the orientation sessions and are into full-time work, how does it feel? You will probably have a list of tasks to complete each day, mails and messages with instructions and updates, reports to complete, audits to do and lots more. One major rookie mistake that new professionals tend to make is allowing work to spill over their personal time. While it is good to be fully committed to the job, you also need to remember to make time for yourself. If you want to do your best at work and still manage the work-life balance, you need to learn time management.
The term “time management” is a misnomer. It doesn’t teach you to manage time, but to manage yourself in the available time, which is 24 hours a day. Learn to best manage your time early in your career and chart your career growth and development.
What are the benefits of time management?
- Helps you get more work done with less stress
- Helps you plan and organize your work
- Helps you prioritize work
- Better work-life balance
- Improves your reputation at work
Tips for time management
Listed below are basic time management tips that can help you make effective use of the work hours
Set the goals
Set your short term and long term SMART goals. All your plans will depend on your goals and when you want to achieve them.
Plan the tasks for the day
You can do the planning the first thing in the morning or the last thing the previous day. When you list the tasks, classify them based on priority, so that you will know which ones you want to complete first. You are more likely to get more accomplished when you plan ahead.
Make a to-do list
Make a list of the task that you need to complete in a day, week or month. You can use an organiser planner or a digital diary.
Have a time limit for the tasks
When you are planning your day, set a specified time limit for each task. One problem most people face is that they spend too much time on one task, allowing no time for the remaining tasks.
Set aside time for relaxation
Make sure you take breaks between tasks. It will relax you and allow you to focus better on the next task. Make time in the evenings and on weekends for your hobbies, family and friends.