As both our personal and professional lives become increasingly busy, it's more important than ever that we learn to effectively manage our time. A recent survey by the American Psychological Association found that 41% of US adults feel stressed about not having enough time to do everything they need to do, and this stress leads to increased anxiety and burnout over time.
Of course, this is true for people across all industries and professions, but its is particularly relevant to those of us working in tech. With hustle culture and the often-used 'crunch' approach to project management, burnout is increasingly becoming a problem for game developers, software engineers and, frankly, anyone working in modern technology.
Clearly, for those of us working in this kind of culture, juggling a full-time job with personal and family commitments has become more difficult than ever, making it a real challenge to fit everything into our schedule without becoming stressed and overwhelmed. However, by improving our time management skills we can ensure a much healthier work-life balance, and be better equipped to achieve our goals - both at home and at work.
In this article we will examine the benefits of this important soft skill, as well as giving you some tips on how to improve it in your own life.
Benefits of Time Management
You might think that effective time management simply means getting more done in less time, but the benefits go far beyond this. Here are some key benefits of proper time management:
Reduced Stress: One of the most significant benefits of good time management is lowered levels of stress and anxiety. When you have a clear plan for how you are going to spend your time, you can relax and focus on the task at hand without worrying about what other jobs in your schedule need completing.
Increased Productivity: Effective time management enables you to be more productive by helping you prioritize tasks and allocate your time accordingly - helping you to meet deadlines and achieve your goals more quickly.
Improved Quality of Work: When you have more time to focus on individual tasks, you can produce higher quality work, without needing to rush or juggle different jobs. Through having a clear and well-managed schedule, you can ensure that you each task has sufficient time allocated to it, allowing you to complete work to the best of your ability.
Better Work-Life Balance: Effective time management can help you strike a better balance between your work and your personal life. By planning your time more efficiently, you can make time for the things that matter to you outside of work - such as hobbies, self-care, family, and friends.
Tips for Improving Time Management
So, we understand the benefits of proper time management, but how do you go about achieving it? Here are some practical tips for improving your time management:
Set Goals: It's important to set clear goals for what you want to achieve, allowing you to effectively prioritize tasks and allocate your time more efficiently.
Make a Schedule: Proper scheduling allows you to see how required tasks fit into your day or week, and whether or not you have sufficient time to complete each job. You can create a daily, weekly or monthly schedule, depending on your needs, and ensure you allocate ample time for both work tasks and personal activities.
Prioritise Tasks: Spend time identifying and highlighting the most important tasks, and then prioritise them accordingly. Doing so allows you to re-allocate time from low priority tasks and ensures you're focusing your efforts on the most important jobs.
Minimise Distractions: Distractions will eat away at your allocated time, making it harder to stick to your schedule. Consider turning off phone notifications, closing unnecessary or distracting browser tabs and make sure you avoid multi-tasking - instead focusing solely on the task at hand.
Take Breaks: Breaks are important in helping you stay focused, reducing your stress levels and avoiding burnout. Aim to take a short break every 1-2 hours, and you can even add them into your daily schedule.
Delegate Tasks: If you're in a position to delegate tasks to other people within the business, then you should take advantage of this. It's particularly important to do so with low or zero value tasks, freeing up your time to focus on what's important.
Learn to say no: Admittedly, this is easier said than done, but an ability to push back against longer than normal hours, or crunching at the end of a project, will have significant benefits on both your mental and physical well-being. Try suggesting ways to avoid crunch early on in a project, or recognise when your time is being imposed on by others, and give yourself the freedom to say no.
Use Time Management Tools: There are numerous tools available to help with your time management, ranging from complex project management software to simple, everyday apps such as calendars and to-do lists. Spend some time experimenting with different tools and see which works best for you.
Conclusion
Effective time management is a crucial skill that can help us achieve our goals, reduce stress, minimise burnout and improve our overall levels of well-being. This is particularly true for people working in tech, and by improving our time management skills we can define our boundaries and improve our overall productivity.
By setting clear goals, making schedules, prioritising and delegating tasks, removing distractions, and using time management tools, we can manage our workload more efficiently and strike a better balance between our work and personal life.
