Time Management in Tough Times

 

One of the side effects of the rocky times we are going through is that every one is under intense pressure to do more with less. Chances are that your company may have reduced headcount (hopefully, not at your expense), while at the same time trying to boost productivity. This means your team has more work to do, and fewer hands to help do it. All of this stress and pressure results in difficult time management challenges for you, which can definitely start to pile on the stress and frustration.

Here are some time management tips to help you navigate this demanding time:

1. Develop a realistic attitude about the workload you are facing. During times like this, people sign up for time management training, hoping to find a magic bullet to help reduce the stress and workload they are facing. If that is you right now, I have some bad news for you: no time management course or strategy can change your circumstances. The workload is what it is, and it probably isn’t going to get lighter any time soon. You can either face it constructively or look for a new job, so try to make the best of it instead of becoming bitter and resentful. Believe me, a lot of people right now would love to be in your situation.

2. Develop a realistic attitude about the workload you can handle. Extra-heavy workloads and the heart attack deadlines notwithstanding, you are still only human, and there are limits to what you can squeeze into your schedule in a given time period without degrading the quality of your work product and, in some cases, beginning to undermine your health. No matter what the demands of the job may be, or the level of responsibility you feel for the success of your team going forward, you have to be able to recognize when enough is enough for one day or one week, and avoid accepting more work in any given time period than you can really handle. You are not doing anyone any favors by making promises you can’t keep.

The key to effective time management in high stress times is to know what your limits are and take appropriate steps to honor those limits in a way that doesn’t create more problems for the rest of the team. Follow this strategy, and you should be able to survive with your sanity, your health, and your position intact:

1. Be ruthlessly realistic about how much to put on your plate. You do not have the power to alter the limits of the space-time continuum, even though other people may act like you do. You are the best judge of how long it will take you to complete a task or a project. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can squeeze in a few extra assignments in the same amount of time you would normally allot for only one or two. Your errors and your stress will quickly become unmanageable.

2. Always ask for clear deadlines when you receive a new request or assignment. If deadlines for new projects conflict with deadlines for current projects – leading to trying to do two things in the same amount of time you can only do one – move to the next step.

3. Request clarification regarding priorities. Make it clear that you have deadline or project conflicts, calmly explain that you can accomplish one task but not both in the time allotted, and ask for direction regarding which task you should complete first, making it clear that this may lead to the second task coming in late. Try to give an updated time line for when the postponed task will be completed. NOTE: this rule applies to your own personal planning, too. If you are the one adding new tasks and imposing deadlines on yourself, that doesn’t relieve you of the need to be realistic. Reshuffle deadlines and realign priorities as necessary in order to remain effective and protect the quality of your final work product.

4. Keep lines of communication open at all times. At times like these, it is wise to expect the unexpected. When the ground under you shifts – throwing your schedule and your priorities out of whack – alert team members and supervisors quickly, so they can adjust their expectations and plan accordingly. Remember, very few situations are truly life and death, especially in business. There are always ways to work things out.

5. Pay attention to your health and stress levels. Even if you think you are coping with the crazy pace pretty well, your body may be telling a different story. Are you having trouble sleeping? Are you experiencing unexplained elevated heart rate or sudden weight gain (or loss)? Is it taking you longer to get normal tasks done, because you are having trouble concentrating? Is work always on your mind, even when you aren’t at work? These are all indicators that high stress is triggering your autonomic nervous system to stay stuck in high gear – in what is known as the fight or flight syndrome. If this is happening to you, take immediate action to reduce your stress level. Go to a movie, practice deep breathing for at least 15 minutes a day, take the weekend off, hang out with friends and family for a while, go on long walks, update your spirituality - do something that will distract your mind and your body from the pressures at work. This pressure cooker time in our history will pass. Make sure that when things get back to normal, you will be able to remember what normal is.

 

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