To succeed and stand apart in this fast-paced world one of the most important aspects is how well you manage time throughout your day. Time management provides you ways to organize and allocate time for activities in such a manner that you can accomplish what is there on your agenda and at the same time do not feel overburdened. However, does it often happen with you that you are stuck on one single task for hours and not able to complete the rest of your work on time despite making a proper schedule for the day? If yes, then you are making a mistake in managing your time well. If this is the case then before adding more tasks to your day you should first analyze where you are going wrong. For this purpose, let us first understand the type of mistakes individuals tend to make in time management.

Multitasking

One of the biggest advantages of time management is that it makes you efficient in your work. And not only that, but it also enhances your speed of doing tasks which earlier used to take you very long to complete. However, overestimating our capabilities and performing multiple tasks at the same time can lead us to become less efficient and productive in our tasks. To overcome this, firstly one should break down tasks into smaller chunks and then focus on one task at a time. Doing this will not only enhance your efficiency but will also help you focus better.

Setting Unrealistic Goals

Sometimes while we are making a list of our tasks and allocating time to each task we can sett unrealistic goals which are in reality not achievable and measurable. Putting too many tasks on your to-do list can set you up for failure. To avoid this from happening, it is important that you prioritize your tasks in such a manner that your to-do list starts with the most important task or activity and ends up with the one that is of less importance or is not to be done on an urgent basis. Make realistic goals in a way that they are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based (SMART).

Not Delegating Your Tasks

While we are preparing and planning our day we unknowingly take too much on our plate and when we are not able to accomplish the same, we get stressed out. That is when the importance of delegating tasks should be understood. Delegating tasks helps us improve our performance and enhance our efficiency. This will in turn help in reducing stress and worry from your mind. So identify the strengths of your team members and colleagues. Build relations in ways that you can reach out to people around you if you need support or assistance.

Not Taking Breaks

How often do you feel as if your energy is all used up but you still have plenty of work left to do? If it happens quite often, that means you are not giving enough breaks to yourself during your work time. Some of the consequences of practicing this kind of working style include a form of exhaustion known as burnout. It occurs when a person is exposed to prolonged and excessive stress due to overworking. To avoid this condition, one should add small breaks between tasks to rejuvenate and not feel overburdened. This not only helps to clear one’s mind but also improves productivity.

Not Managing Distractions

To make the best use of time you should keep a check on the distractions around you. Distractions disrupt the work process by breaking the flow of concentration and focus. They cut down on your quality time and hamper your performance. Identifying these distractions and minimizing them can help improve concentration and gain better control over time. You may not be able to eliminate all but having an understanding of them too can help ensure that you are able to plan keeping them in mind and create contingency scenarios for yourself to ensure your work is not hampered.

Not Setting Clear Timelines

The main goal of time management is to utilize time in the best way possible to enhance one’s efficiency of work as well as productivity. However, this goal is defeated when one does not set clear timelines for each of the tasks on their to-do list. And when this happens, you end up either working too much or too little. It also makes it difficult for you to track your progress, which in such a situation would be very less, and plan your way forward. Hence, while allocating time to each task make sure that you set clear timelines. These timelines can be set for daily, weekly, and monthly goals. Time management is a dynamic and continuous process. To be done correctly, it requires you to first manage yourself well and then your time. If you manage your time well it will not only give you a good work-life balance but will also give you a sense of personal accomplishment at the end of the day. To know more about the Fortis Workplace Mental Health Initiative write to us at mentalhealth@fortishealthcare.com or call on +918588807193. Follow on Telegram at click here for more on Workplace Mental Health.