As seen with the recent explosion of talk about time management, it can be difficult to prioritize your tasks effectively. If you have too many things that need doing, how are you going to make sure everything gets done?
Most people start organizing their day once they realize they are running late for an appointment or they get a phone call telling them they will be delayed at work. At that point, they must quickly re-arrange what they were planning to do next to fit into their schedule.
It is very common to find yourself with no time left to really focus on any one task due to this constant reorganization. This can easily lead to being more stressed out than before since there was nothing to de-stress from.
Demonstrating time management skills involves having adequate resources to manage your time. You want to make sure you don’t run out!
Having enough time is only half the battle though. Once you have made space in your life for all of these other things, you also need to know where to allocate your time. This article will go into detail about some easy ways to do this.
Check your email
In recent years, due to the prevalence of technology, people have lost control over their time. With every passing minute, we feel like we must check something out-email, phone, chat, social media-you name it, we check it.
This is not only annoying for those around us, but also poses an issue when looking for employment. Because employers monitor emails, phones, and chats during the job search process, you can’t hide from them anymore.
If yours are no longer private, start creating boundaries for yourself by limiting access or even switching jobs. You will need to be able to disconnect at times, so don’t make impossible demands of yourself!
Another way to address this is to simply create routines that keep you organized. This could be setting aside specific blocks of time each day for tasks, keeping notes, using apps that help you organize and track everything, etc.
However, one of the biggest ways to improve your time management skills is to learn how to prioritize.
Respond to emails
In today’s digital age, it is easy to get distracted with all of the things you have to do. Between your work email, social media, texting friends, etc., it can easily become hard to find time to focus on more important tasks.
Most employers check their mail at least once a day, making it a good place to look for clues about your communication skills and time management. If you are able to skip answering some messages for an afternoon, then that is definitely worth it.
But what if you need to respond immediately? You may be asked to reply within a certain amount of time due to a tight deadline or life event.
That could be tricky because when you start working, your phone usually does too! It is difficult to leave those things behind. Luckily, there are ways to manage your inbox so you don’t have to deal with it constantly.
There are several apps that can help you organize and track your messages. Some even offer features like timed responses, which are very helpful in situations such as this one.
Take notes
Taking good notes is a skill that can make your life easier, especially when you are applying for jobs. You will probably have to take lots of notes during job interviews as well as meetings with potential employers.
It’s easy to get distracted while taking notes, which could be a problem if you don’t pay attention to what people say. If you notice someone talking about something important, like an internal process or steps they need you to do next, try to write down what they said along with how it related to you.
By doing this before hand, you won’t have to worry about it later because you’ll remember everything!
Good note-taking also requires paying close attention to others. Make sure to listen carefully and ask smart questions that help you learn more about the company and their goals.
Time management is a valuable skillset to possess. When looking for employment, making time for training and practice is essential to success.
Organize your thoughts
When applying for jobs, being organized is key! While some may consider having an empty notebook or laptop their most efficient tool, this is not helpful when you are looking to show off your time management skills.
If you have to take a break during the interview, you will be stuck waiting around for someone to give you back your equipment! Also, if there was anything important you needed from it, you won’t get it now.
To demonstrate your time management skills, use a simple word document or spreadsheet app like Google Spreadsheet to organize all of your applications, interviews, notes, etc.
Develop your marketing strategy
As mentioned earlier, creating a strong job application is more than just including all of the required components in good order. It’s also about developing your own personal employment marketing strategy. This includes deciding what messages you want to send and when!
Your message or tone should be clear and consistent across applications. If possible, use templates that have done a great job of proofreading for you, as well as using standard phrases and questions that have worked before.
Keep it short and sweet – employers will feel overwhelmed by lengthy applications. Use our guide here to help you perfect your job interview skills.
Write your blog post
Writing is a powerful tool that can help you in many ways. It can boost your self-confidence, facilitate communication and expression of thoughts and ideas, and even improve your hand-writing skills.
Writing is also a great way to demonstrate time management skills as it requires organizing and sequencing events into appropriate amounts of time.
When preparing for an interview or job application, how you organize your time is important because it can make a difference between getting the job and being rejected.
You do not have to be very professional with writing to understand what good quality writing looks like. Even just putting some effort into writing an informal letter will show people who you are and inspire them to give you more opportunities.
Start practicing now by taking around half an hour to write down a brief topic and then developing it into a longer piece.
Journal more
A lot of people begin keeping a diary at around age 16, when they start recording daily activities. Some keep diaries to organize their life, making it easier to find things later. Others use writing as a way to process what is going on in their lives at that time.
If you’re looking for ways to improve your time management skills, starting an informal journal is one of the best first steps. There’s no need to make it anything more than a simple notebook where you write down thoughts and events from each day.
You can also include some basic tasks and assignments here. For example, you could note something like “pay bills” or “do research online about XYZ” and then check off which ones you completed that day.
At the end of every week, evaluate how well you spent your time and see if there are any patterns with how you were spending money, organizing materials, etc. If there are, try doing those either less frequently or differently to save time and energy.
Connect with friends and family
A lot of job applicants seem to forget that while applying for jobs, people evaluate you as a person. They look at your social media profiles, speak with acquaintances, and read online comments about you. All these things have an effect on how they perceive you as an individual.
As such, when employers meet you for an interview, they will be looking to connect with you as a person. This could mean asking about relationships or if you are parents, or exploring what makes you laugh. These questions show the employer that you are comfortable sharing details about yourself and that you are able to relate to others.
Likewise, attending events or gatherings can give your potential new bosses insight into who you are as a person. Whether it’s a work event, school function, or open house, showing up is a strong sign that you are invested in the community and creating opportunities for engagement.