Are you in a constant state of anxiety about getting the job done today so that you are not overwhelmed tomorrow? Does staying in the office late make you feel that everything is under control? If so, you need to recognize that late nights at work are a bad habit and a sign that you need to manage your time better.
Rein in your work ethic
Here are four suggestions to help you rein in your work ethic. These tips will enable you to achieve a less stressful and more productive work week.
- Set office hours – First and foremost, set realistic office hours. I now work from 10:30 to 4:00 — sometimes 5:00 — but I make that the exception. If you’re working excessive hours, I recommend you start logging your time. When I was in the corporate world, recording my hours helped me recognize that I had to reduce my 65+ hour week to no more than 50 hours. To help cut back on those extra hours, give people a finite window when you can be reached. Turn off the “always on” signal. Signing up for an AI-powered scheduling and automated meeting app like calendly.com is one helpful way to do that.
- Know your priorities – At the beginning of the week, establish a next step for each of your top 3 to 5 projects. Put prioritized appointments on your calendar to make sure you work on them. This relieves a surprising amount of stress.
- Say “no” without guilt – Before the week starts, move or cancel meetings that aren’t “important and urgent,” as Stephen Covey puts it in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (franklincovey.com ). Clearing your calendar of non-essential meetings before the week begins will give you an immediate rush of relief. The people on that clear list will likely feel just as relieved as you do. Declining isn’t rejection; it’s stewardship of your priorities.
- Group your meetings – With the rise of virtual calls, it’s become easier to sequence meetings. Cluster calls into blocks so that they don’t fragment your day. Take control of your meetings — limit their number and bunch your meetings with a minimum of 60-minute gaps in between. This gap leaves room for overflow and breaks and eliminates the stress of rushing to the next call.
A more productive week
These four suggestions will enable you to improve your time management and achieve a less stressful and more productive work week.
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