How do you achieve maximum results during the limited amount of time you have at work each week?
What are time management skills, and why are they important in the workplace? Employees who manage their time well are more productive, more efficient, and more likely to meet deadlines. They focus on the most important and time-sensitive tasks and limit the amount of time wasted on non-essential duties. Show Time management skills, like other soft skills, such as organizational skills, are in high demand. Employers will be assessing your ability to manage your time, and the effectiveness of your team to reach department objectives. Learn about time management skills, understand why they are valuable in the workplace, review the different types of time management skills, and see examples of how they are used on the job. What Are Time Management Skills?Time management involves both managing your own time and the time of the others. Time management means working efficiently, and employers in every industry look for staff that can make optimal use of the time available to them on the job. Saving time saves the organization money and increases revenue. Effective time management requires staff to analyze their workload, assign priorities, and maintain focus on productive endeavors. NoteEmployees who are excellent time managers can eliminate distractions and enlist support from colleagues to help accomplish their goals. Types of Time Management SkillsThe Balance PrioritizingIt might be impossible to do every single minute task expected of you. You also might want to do everything all at once. But you must prioritize so that you are able to complete the most important tasks in an order that makes sense. When assigning priority, consider such factors as when each task needs to be done, how long it might take, how important it might be to others in the organization, what could happen if a task is not done, and whether any task might be interrupted by bottlenecks in the process.
SchedulingScheduling is important because some tasks have to be done at specific times. Scheduling affects your day, your week, your month, as well as other people’s workflow. Most have specific times of the day when they are more or less productive as a result of energy levels and demands of the day. Schedules can be a good way to avoid procrastination, too.
Task ManagementTo-do lists (properly prioritized and integrated with your schedule) are a great way to avoid forgetting something important. They are also a great way to avoid spending all day thinking about everything you have to do. Remembering tasks takes energy and thinking about everything you have to do all week can be exhausting and overwhelming. Split all the necessary tasks up into a list for each day, and you won’t have to worry about all of it all at once. Just take your tasks one day at a time.
Workload ManagementPacing your work, even though it may seem an odd thing to call a skill, is an important time management concept. Although working long hours or skipping breaks can sometimes improve productivity in the short term, your exhaustion later will ensure that your overall productivity actually drops. Except for rare emergencies, it is important to resist the temptation to over work. Include necessary breaks, and a sensible quitting time, in your schedule. Knowing and enforcing an optimum workload for yourself ensures consistency in your performance and avoids burnout. Employers want to be able to count on you for the long-term.
DelegationDepending on what type of work you do, you may be able to delegate some tasks. Knowing what and when to delegate is an important skill. Some people resist delegating, either because they want to maintain control or because they want to save money by not hiring assistants. Both approaches ultimately hurt productivity and raise costs. Remember, however, that if you practice time management diligently and still can’t get everything done, you may be trying to do too much. It is better to succeed at a few tasks than to attempt and fail at many.
Here are more time management for resumes, cover letters, job applications, and interviews. Required skills will vary based on the job for which you're applying, so also review our list of skills listed by job and type of skill.
Examples of Time Management in the WorkplaceThis list provides examples of effective time management at work. A - E
F - Z
How to Make Your Skills Stand OutAdd Relevant Skills to Your Resume: For executive assistants and managers, the time management skills listed above are important to include in your resume. Highlight Skills in Your Cover Letter: While reading the job description carefully, note in your letter similar projects where time management was key. Use Skill Words in Your Job Interview: Review these time management interview questions prior to your job interviews, so you’re prepared to respond with specific examples of how you effectively manage your workload. |