Are you having trouble managing your time at work?

Sometimes the problem isn’t so much about your work, but rather how you are managing your time communicating with people.

In this post I offer a few tips to help you better manage and streamline your time when it comes to interacting with others.

Identify which of your work relationships require more time and attention.

In any work setting there will be people who will take up more of your time versus others. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this situation, it’s just how things go in life. The key is knowing where to focus your energies. For example, you might have two clients, one who is easy to communicate and work with, and another with whom communications and work are more of a challenge. You wouldn’t overly concern yourself with the first client, but instead focus your time and attention on the second, either arranging longer meetings or making yourself more available on a regular basis.

Block out communication sessions in your calendar.

Are you easily distracted by emails, phone calls or drop-in visits from colleagues as you work? You could be sabotaging your ability to get things done. Try scheduling certain periods of time to process your emails, check and return phone calls or having open office hours. You’ll still get to all the different tasks you need to accomplish over the course of a day, without becoming distracted or sidetracked.

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR CALENDAR.

The Order Expert’s Guide to Time Management is a hands-on workbook that provides practical solutions to common, everyday time management problems.

Click here to learn more about the workbook >> 

Add in time buffers as needed.

Communication can be a tricky thing. Just because you sent an email to someone doesn’t mean they received it, read it, or will be able to process your request right away. Instead of assuming someone will be able to get back to you ASAP, add in a buffer of time whenever you communicate with others.

For example, if you know it takes a vendor a week to process mock-ups of special promotional item on their end, don’t wait until the last-minute to put in the request and expect a miracle to happen! Give as much lead time as you possibly can to ensure you have time to effectively communicate and work with others.

How about you? Have you ever considered your time management at work in regards to how you work with other people in your field or industry? Join in the conversation and leave a comment below!