5 Time Management Tips for Working at Home During COVID-19
While we are into our third week of all employees in non-essential industries working from home in most of the country, many of us are still adjusting to this change in our daily routines. Our time management skills which may have served us well a month ago are being challenged regularly. Between sharing our workspace with family members and juggling meetings with work time, our productivity is suffering. We can combat this by implementing some changes to our workday processes. Here are this NYC Professional Office Organizer’s top 5-time management suggestions:
- Schedule meetings with yourself. This way you’ll have time set aside to work on tasks and projects. With the increased demands on your time for meeting calls and to help your children with their assignments, the days can be a whirlwind of activity.
- Be aware of the time of day when you are most productive. Some people are best in the morning while others really hit their stride later in the day. Schedule your work tasks, especially those that will require intense focus during your prime time.
- Maintain an up-to-date to-do list. There are many more distractions when working from home these days. Your children may need your attention or the latest news briefing concerning COVID-19 can shift your focus. Be sure that all tasks are immediately added to your to-do list as they cross your “desk” so they aren’t inadvertently forgotten.
- Identify your daily and weekly priorities. While you may a long list of tasks to tackle, this is the time to recognize the importance of prioritizing. Those tasks related to your most immediate goals should be at the top of each day’s to-do list. Less important tasks or those that can be tackled in a couple of months should be flagged accordingly.
- Manage the time in between meetings effectively. With the increased number of meeting calls, the day can be very fragmented making it difficult to get the work done. At the beginning of the day, identify those tasks that can be addressed during the 15-60 minutes in between meetings and note them on a post-it. Focus exclusively on one and only one task during each small chunk of time.
If you need additional time management suggestions to help you through this unprecedented chapter of our lives, reach out to your NYC Professional Office Organizer today.