Tips and tricks for time management for working more successfully from home
Help your employees to use their time more effectively when the lines between personal and professional life seem to blur
Again, this year 2021 will be shaped by the pandemic – the COVID-19 lockdown continues. It is a frustrating time for all of us - and yet for many they have to work as usual but from home. For this very reason, it becomes more important than ever to motivate your team. We provide tips on how to help your employees work more effectively from home.
Your employees' productivity at work depends heavily on how efficiently they use their time. While many people already struggle with time management under normal conditions, this becomes even more difficult when working from the comfort of your own home. The number of potential distractions is endless, ranging from cleaning to the problem of getting too comfortable when working from the couch. Especially during times when the entire household is at home, distractions can arise even quicker from the partner, roommates or children.
Video: The Philosophy of Time Management | Brad Aeon | TEDxConcordia
Help your employees manage their time more effectively
To increase not only your productivity, but also the productivity of your team, we give you some time management tips that you can pass on directly to your employees!
Separate private and professional life
To balance your personal and professional life and getting the most out of it, it is important to keep them clearly separated. Your employees should find a fixed workspace at home and organize it according to productivity. Working on the couch or from bed invites quickly to relaxation and laziness! Once the domestic office is set up, you can help your employees to set clear working hours and lunch breaks.
Introduce meeting rules
When your team works together remotely, it becomes more difficult to keep up with each other within the team. In the office, all colleagues can easily and spontaneously get together, have a coffee or go to your coworker's desk. When working from home, keeping everyone up to date can quickly lead to longer and in general more meetings. To structure meetings, it is helpful to have a short list of meeting rules that everyone must follow. Decide with your team what the best rhythm for meetings is and what their objective should be. This will save you time and make your meetings more productive and effective!
Schedule focused time slots
Advise your employees to schedule focus time slots in their calendars to complete their tasks, not just for meetings. For example, focus time slots can be kept free to work on special projects - making it easier to meet deadlines. Even though unplanned or spontaneous appointments can always come up, try to keep to your focus time slots as much as possible.
Give your team motivation and trust
When you are in a leadership position, it can sometimes be hard to trust your employees. How can you make sure they are working consistently from home and complete reliably all tasks? Apps like Slack or Asana can be used to schedule weekly or bi-weekly projects. For this, it makes sense to distribute tasks and the connected goals in advance of a virtual meeting - but also to include praise for finished assignments. This helps to ensure that everyone is responsible with their time, but also creates transparency, similar to former team meetings in the office.
Build in time for informal sharing as well
Time is our most important asset. Nowadays, when the majority of us work from home, time management has gone from being a productivity tool to an essential ingredient for stability. In addition to measures for productivity and efficient working, the social level is also important. Do not forget to schedule time for informal interaction with your team as well. For instance, plan a weekly team lunch to exchange ideas on a personal level. This works wonders for team cohesion and the motivation of your employees.
How can the J7 network help companies in implementing smart working?
The J7 is an organization that reunites 7 Junior-Enterprises among the best in Europe. We offer different services in consultancy: marketing, engineering, strategy, IT and CSR. We can help you improve your business activity through providing you a consulting service that support you implementing these new ways of working within your company. Calling on J7 means calling on a young and dynamic team, all the more capable of understanding the key issue of digitalization. Our innovative mindset can be a clear gamechanger for your company. Don’t hesitate to contact the J7 for any further questions, we are always happy to help!