How To Manage Your Time At Work

Time is very crucial especially with tight deadlines to meet in the office. Sometimes, the 8 or 8.5 hours we spend in the work area is not enough to complete a certain task or project. As a worker, I often find myself in a rush to meet set deadlines on publications and releasing of manuals. A certain delay or goof up can entail a serious problem in the operations. So, I can say that I am an important "nut" in the big machinery called the corporate world. If I don't deliver the goods, our office won't have anything to teach. It is for that reason that I try my best to manage my time at work.

We often wonder how we can make those official time work in our favor. If we want to achieve a lot then we must know how to manage our time properly.

Here are some tips which will be beneficial to everyone in the same boat as I am to meet rigorous deadlines without compromising the kind of quality output you will deliver. 

1. Try your best to jot or type down your things-to-do for the next day. I always do this few minutes before closing of business hour. That way, I don't miss anything and my mind is still fresh from recalling the events of the day without missing anything important for the next day to do.

2. Prioritize your tasks or projects. This is quite tricky. I always put color coded tabs on my paper work requiring urgent attention. The ordinary ones which can actually wait a day or two will be done according to their urgency. Sometimes, I am faced with several projects all requiring immediate attention and action.  I weigh in the assignments and inform the management about my dilemma for their information and to cover my back. You should be able to say "I'm busy, can that wait" because you are. Remember, you were not born with extra appendages!

3. Delegate. If you are in the position to delegate assignments or tasks then you're lucky. Much of your time management woes have been solved. The only thing you have to ensure is that the quality of output you will get from the other staff will meet yours and the boss' expectations. 

4. Lessen personal talks and phone calls. I barely take personal calls during office hours. If ever I have to, I make it very short, say 2-3 minutes tops. I also don't accept calls in my mobile phone and tell the caller to call me back at a particular time after office hours. That saves me plenty of time to finish some small tasks.

5. Minimize the social call, ie. visiting colleagues or friends in the other unit to chit-chat and gossip. I am not saying that you should ditch being friendly in the name of duty. That is so boring. However, the office is not a place to fulfill your social life's calling. Have a short coffee break with your friends if you have to but don't linger. I know a lot of people in the office who waste half of their time chit-chatting and when deadline comes, they run around like headless chickens. Not a good sight!

6. Do not read your personal mails in the office. No explanation needed.

7. Meditate. Yes, clearing your mind with unwanted thoughts speed up your ability to process work. If you are in doubt and confused, you take so much time to figure out a simple instruction and the time is already wasted trying to solve a simple problem. Relax. Unwind. Think happy thoughts.

I hope the tips I have given above will help you to manage your time at work very wisely. Good luck and focus!

The Corporate Ladder - Is it Worth the Climb?

I have been working for nearly 2 decades now. I am beginning to feel the wear and tear of working donkey years in the corporate scene. These past few days have been enlightening and thought-provoking for me as I begin to unravel the realities of my career advancement. Why did I say that? Well, no matter what I do now, I can never seem to please the authorities around me. And why did I say that again? Just hear me out...

I just had an unpleasant performance review recently. I honestly thought that I had improved well in the gray areas highlighted to me by my supervisor during the last performance review. I was confident that this review would merit me a better rating. Imagine my shock when I saw my review. It was completely the opposite of my expectation. Talk about having false hopes! I will no longer go through the nitty-gritty details of the review but to cut the chase, it was not what I wanted to see if I plan to apply for a promotion or career advancement. Simply put, my chances for growth has been stumped.

So, let me get back to my question at hand, is it really worthy to climb the corporate ladder? I know many of you will surely say yes if you are driven by ambition, money, power and motivated by your bosses or for any other personal reasons. However, this is my conclusion on my view as a career woman-mom-wife who has been tied in a bondage for the last 18 years of her life in the cut-throat world we call the Office. NO. Let me say that again, NO, it is not worth the climb for me.

I just realized how blessed I am for having a stress-free life after office hours, a family and a house I can come home to, a daughter who keeps me up on my toes and a husband who still has the time to hear my woes and glee. NO, it is not worth climbing when my drive for success compromises the quality time I spend with my family. NO, it is not worth the climb when my relationship with the people who TRULY matters is affected by the demands of the work force. NO, it is not worth every money I will get if I come home to a daughter who I don't have time to nurture and guide, a husband I will be too tired to take care of, a house I can never clean because of weariness, friends I cannot see and call, activities I have to cancel and life I have to turn my back to. NO, if it means I will spend lesser quality time with the people I love and more time in a place where every dealing is superficial. NO. It is not worth it at all. So, I rescind my dream of any promotion, career growth or a shot at a managerial post because what matters to me is the quality of life I will live when I leave the corporate world. Surely, no amount of money nor company accolades can top that.

I do know that I have far exceeded my Lord's expectation by giving the very best in what I do with the sincerity of my heart. I may not get the promotion I deserve here but in HIS eyes, I am a winner.