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Time management is many managers’ number-one concern. There are always more tasks on the to-do list than hours in the workday to do them. Yet all the gadgets and gimmicks in the world won’t help unless you understand why and how they’re meant to work.

Here are four time-management strategies to help you take control of your productive time – and how they work:

Focus.

What is your very first work task each day?

For a lot of managers, it’s checking email or hitting the “play” button on voicemail. To guarantee a more productive day, however, it’s time to push that task back in favor of a more valuable one: getting focused.

Start your day by answering two questions:

  • What’s the number-one thing I want to achieve today?
  • What’s the number-one thing I must achieve today?

Jot down your answers where you can see them. Then, start your workday.

This task takes less than five minutes, yet it allows you to prioritize every other task you do that day – which can make you more productive at all of them.

Think biggest.

Managers deal with a lot of people, problems and projects. To maximize your productivity, think “biggest.”

  • What’s the biggest thing my team/client needs right now?
  • What’s the biggest contribution I can make right now?
  • What will cause the biggest problem if it doesn’t get addressed right now?

Making the largest impact in the shortest time maximizes your productivity while simultaneously improving your team’s functionality and morale.

Delegate.

While you’re deciding where your biggest impact is, smaller tasks might be piling up. When will you get to these lower-value tasks?

The answer may be “never.” Instead of assuming all the low-value tasks on your list must be done by you, consider which ones can be passed off to other members of the team. Taking a few minutes to decide what to delegate can free up time you can spend making the biggest impacts only you can make.

Team up.

Delegating allows you to “team up” with your staff. But your staff aren’t your only allies in the fight against wasted time.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to others who can help you improve efficiency. Your recruiting partner, for instance, can turn a 30-minute phone call into hours of saved time when you’re looking for a new sales or marketing staff member. Often, the biggest impact you can make is to ask a trusted professional to help you.

At SMR Group Ltd, our recruiters help medical device, pharmaceutical and biotech companies find the sales and marketing talent they need to reach their goals. Contact us today to learn more.


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