5 TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS TO BE PRODUCTIVE, IN ISOLATION.

The entire country (and the world) is suddenly working from home. While there’s no commute now, distractions can make it difficult to get work done.

The kids are home, there’s a lot of fear circulating, the kitchen is right there, and you don’t have your normal routine.

But, managing your time means working smarter, not harder. A mindset shift will help, getting through this period. Change your language and you’ll start to see the circumstances differently. Instead of ‘it’s hard with the kids’, reframe that to, ‘it’s great there’s no errands to run.’  

If you run a team or work with others, take this time to get to know how you tick. Your personality traits explain how you think, act and behave. Shed light on your quirks, so you can use them to manage your work (and steer away from what’s not natural to you).

Master your time, working from home.

Accept the ups & downs

First of all, forgive yourself if you’re unproductive some days. This unprecedented situation is new to everyone, so your productivity will ebb and flow, in response to how you feel. And, that’s okay. Come back to your personality bird type results every week, to refresh your self-understanding.

Block out time for activities

Time blocking is critical, especially when working from home. Lean into the hours in the day that you’re most productive. These are your sacred hours, that you need to communicate to your team and family to avoid distractions.

Schedule 50% of time for high result tasks

At least half of your time should be spent doing the things that will produce the greatest results. When you’re planning your time, refer back to your list of all the things you do, and schedule in the things that bring the big (productivity) wins.

Batch similar tasks together

Is there one client you can dedicate the whole day to? Are there similar tasks that will minimise fragmenting your attention? Look at your schedule (from a daily, week or month view) and look for ways to make focusing easier. Do this step in advance, before the workday.

Allow for buffer time 

Plan to be distracted, especially at home. Give yourself enough slack not to end the day feeling unproductive. Recalibrate your standards. It’s not just the distractions at home that’ll impact how you work. It’s also the emotional and mental effects of the pandemic, that can make focusing impossible at times.

There are many strategies you can implement to improve your relationship with your time. Start by taking the Tick personality assessment to identify blind spots, then leverage these tips to help you move through your week. Free samples are available through the red form below, if you want it.

And remember, we’re all feeling this.