In every sphere of life time is the key to managing it in an appropriate way. When we talk about success at work in an IT company, one of the most important skills is to finish all tasks in time. However sometimes it only sounds easy but quite complicated to do. Have you ever worked so hard that you even forgot to have lunch? Have you ever taken work for the weekend, because you realised that it wouldn’t be ready by the end of the week and you missed all deadlines? Have you ever felt disappointed and thought that this job might be not for you only because you weren’t able to manage all tasks which you had to do? We bet everyone can recognise yourself in these situations. However, there is a way to solve these issues. And the answer is time management.
What is time management?
It is a variety of different techniques to rule your time. It helps to plan day/week/month in order to accumulate resources such as time, energy and money for people as well as for companies. Besides the good thing is that it’s easy to learn how to control your time, because all you have to do is basically to learn how to control yourself, avoid distractions, low energy level and limbo of procrastination. Here are some maybe obvious, but absolutely important tips, following which you`ll be able to achieve success at work.
Plan is the key for time management
In IT, especially at international IT companies jobs, all work will be divided into different sprints which have to be done by certain deadlines. Your goal is to split up these tasks into subtasks and set the time when it must be ready. This way of planning will help you to figure out how much time you will spend on it and better understand the main task in a bigger picture.
Prioritise
The next step in IT time management is to look at these tasks and realise which one is more important, which is maybe more massive thinking, captivated one. Try to estimate how long it will take and when you`re more productive during the day. In this case it could be a good idea to solve these tasks in your peak energy hours. For instance rank all your tasks using this system:
- Importance: A=high, B=medium, C=low
- Urgency: 1=high, 2=medium, 3=low
Combine tasks according to this system and always start with the most important and urgent ones.
Time management review
After all finished tasks try to analyse how long each takes. Try to find out those areas which are taking longer time than others or it was longer than you planned before. Review will help to understand why it happened that way and set the growth points for the next project.
Delegation
Don`t be afraid to delegate tasks. If you are a middle/senior IT specialist and still can’t delegate properly it honestly could be a block for advancement in your IT career. Delegating is crucial, not a set and forget process, but it has to be under control, it helps you to free your time for other more important tasks. Follow these steps, which help you to be more confident in this process:
- Talk more with your team to understand their strong and weak points
- Set goals and describe what result must be achieved
- When you set deadlines for your team keep in mind that time for them to do these tasks might me slightly different to which you usually need
- Set control points to check tasks before the main deadline
- Always keep in touch with your team and be available for their questions
Delegating is a normal daily part of IT management and one of the most important tools to manage your time management in IT productively.
Eliminate procrastination
Let’s be honest, everyone has something that can distract them from work, it could be social media, news, email checking, coffee breaks, chatting with colleagues and much more. There is no one right way to stop procrastinating, but the first thing you can do is to analyse your day, how much time you spend on these out of work activities. If you do it, believe me, you`re on the right way to improve your productivity.
Recharge battery
Of course work-life balance is another key to be successful and happy about your life and work achievements. Create the right environment around you to be comfortable to work in, also after every finished task don`t forget to take some mini-breaks to refresh your brain and recharge your energy level. The key to know yourself as a specialist is to understand what is better for you, how you work productively and cheerfully. When you start to analyse yourself, you will see what is your unique way to be professional and get the best IT job.
