Time management is the process of planning and exerting deliberate control over time spent on specific activities, with the goal of increasing effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity. Employees spend 10–12 hours each day at work, and there is a lot to be done within that very limited time, but those tasks must be completed. Therefore, the only option is to strategize and manage your time between activities.
According to a Dovico stat, the average person gets one interruption every 8 minutes or approximately 7 an hour, or 50- 60 per day. The average interruption takes 5 minutes, totaling about 4 hours or 50% of the average workday.
When you master the art of time management at work, you will become more productive, less stressed, and have additional chances for promotion and growth.
Here are some time-management tips from the GetFundedAfrica team. These will definitely give you the inspiration you need.
“I create a daily to-do list of what I want to do for the day, 3-5 items per day, and schedule 3–4 hours to execute these tasks. To manage my task time and focus, I use the Pomodoro technique.
I also rely extensively on tools to organize my to-do list and be productive and effective with my time. For example, I use Calendly regularly to plan all my meetings, but I only allocate a few hours a day for meetings to ensure that I have time to execute my own tasks. My emails are managed by the 4Ds concept: delegate, delete, do, and defer (with specific timeline via snooze function).”
Diana Teoh
Product Manager, Investors Lead
“I get to work before 9 a.m. By 9 am, I’m well settled for the day. I go through my work schedule for the day, which was already done the previous day, and I start with the most difficult task before moving on to the simpler ones.
I tick off each milestone crossed from my to-do list for the day. When I’m done with the complicated ones, I relax a bit before starting on the easy ones.”
Sarah Okpokam
Associate, Media Production
“Managing time for me involves having a schedule set out and ensuring that I am accountable to everyone included in that schedule.
I also use my calendar on my mobile device to remind and alert me of tasks at least 15mins before they are scheduled. It’s not always 100% as life happens but I am intentional about making it work so I keep at it and make the best use of my time as each day permits.”
Efe Ogundowole
Product Manager, REMSANA
“I make sure to start my day with a to do list. Listing out everything I must do even down to people I need to reach out to. I then group my to do in order of importance.
I tend to use colors for grouping, for example wine is for urgent and important, red is for important and not so urgent, yellow is for done and awaiting approval etc. So, when I’m done with wine, I know what next, I’m doing.”
Omolara Akinlabi
Associate, Graphics and Design
“Time management is the key to effectiveness and efficiency. Some simple ways I manage my time are to set reminders for all my tasks and to create a daily planner. Give each task a time limit. As much as possible, I block out distractions and establish a routine.
Ultimately, set SMART goals.”
Adekunle Adebimpe
Product Manager, Startup/Investor Relations
“I start by creating a list of tasks I intend to achieve for the day or week. Then I itemize them in terms of priority and importance, and I start from there.
I also go a step further by eliminating distractions that would hinder me from accomplishing this. Distraction for me at the time could be from my phone, so what I do is to turn it off or put it on silent so that I won’t be constantly drawn to it when there is a notification or call.”
Elizabeth Mbanuzue
Senior Associate, Programme Coordinator
“I put things in categories, from easy to hard, boring to fun…… easy and fun always come first. I work remotely so my schedule is flexible, and I work in media so most of what I do is fun.
In conclusion I don’t manage time, but time manages me.”
Nichole Manhire
Product Manager, News and Content
“How I manage my time is to figure out how I’m currently spending my time.
I then create a daily schedule—and stick with it. Prioritizing wisely is also key to me. When tasks are similar, I group similar tasks together and finally avoid the urge to multitask at times.”
Josephine Erhaboh
Associate, Data and Insights
“Personally, time management is one aspect I had to improve on. It enhanced my productivity.
Being a creative, planning is always important, no matter what I do. I take a few minutes in the morning to plan my activities for the day. For a hectic schedule or day, I minimize distractions as much as possible.
I plan my schedule before the week starts. The easiest way to prioritize my tasks is to make a to-do list on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, depending on your lifestyle. I rank the items on my list based on priority as high, medium, and low. I execute and mark off the highest priorities first.
Finally, I differentiate between commitment and interest; doing things that are interesting makes time spent far more enjoyable.”Abike Adetokunbo
Associate, Digital Marketing Strategy
“I plan out the list of things I need to do, be it a project or daily tasks. I then prepare a timeline (it can be in a note or a document) and assign a deadline for each of them. I try as much as possible to meet the timeline, and if I am not able to meetup, I come up with a revised timeline and make sure it is done by then.
I also try to avoid distractions such as social media.”
Tolulope Adekunte
Full Stack Engineer
“I set reminders for all my tasks, so I don’t do everything and still forget to do everything. I create a daily planner, which helps to declutter. Give each task a time limit. This helps to make room for some other things.
Block out distractions. Less important phone calls, emails, and all are relegated to the background. Establish a routine. This helps me get into my strides from the minute I get to work.”
Morakinyo David-Olurinde
Operations and Administration
Prioritizing, scheduling, task management, and delegating are some of the key takeaways from these personal approaches to time management.
Time management involves working efficiently, and employers in every industry seek workers who can really make the best use of the time they are assigned to the job. Well, obviously, because it saves time, money and increases revenue for the organization.
