5 Time Management Strategies For Managers In The Hybrid Workplace

Effective time management strategies, especially in today’s hybrid work environment, can reduce … [+] burnout and optimize productivity

getty

Being a manager, whether leading people or projects, is no light task. Gallup research reported that manager burnout is growing worse at an astonishing rate since the year 2020, particularly for managers leading people. The study revealed that 66% of managers suffer burnout, 76% feel overwhelmed, and 59% admit to feeling overworked, while 59% are working longer hours.

Hybrid work further compounds the problem for many managers as they juggle between the imbalanced schedules of commuting to the office one day, and working from home the next. This creates uncertainty and irregularity of routines for when specific tasks can be attended to, and confuses the brain with multiple work environments, resulting in less productivity.

One effective way to reduce burnout due to the multiplicity of tasks and responsibilities within your remit as a manager, is to focus on developing effective time management skills.

Here are five simple strategies you can implement to boost your productivity, reduce burnout, and be more in control and proactive to your work environment and less reactive.

1) Time-block

Time-blocking is a simple technique that involves sectioning off chunks of time in your calendar and allocating them to specific regular tasks. You can use many of the popular and widely available AI tools to help you allocate your time into blocks in your schedule. Planning this out in advance helps your team (if you provide them with viewing access to your calendar) to know when to schedule meetings with you because they will see a regular pattern and know what to expect. You can set time blocks for “focus time” for example, where you allocate one or two hours to quality, deep work, and turn off or pause Teams or Slack notifications to eliminate distractions.

When scheduling these blocks into your calendar, you may find it more effective, especially if you are more visually inclined, to categorize similar blocks by colour. For example, if you manage a portfolio of projects, any tasks related to one project could be in green, and the other project could be in purple. One-to-one meetings with your direct reports to review their performance could be a separate color such as blue. This way, through a quick glance at the work week, you can easily scan and see how many tasks related to one project or aspect of your work need to be achieved in that week.

2) Delegate

Often, one of the most difficult habits to build and become comfortable with exercising as a manager, is that of delegation. Become comfortable with delegating to your team, or others who do not directly report to you in a cross-functional matrix environment. Identify your team’s strengths and be clear on what each person needs to achieve.

Set the goals and targets, empower your team members with the knowledge and training, and then step back and trust them to take over. You will not only notice increased engagement from your team, but you will find yourself freed up to be more productive with your tasks and able to focus on what’s most important without other responsibilities eating into your time.

3) Plan month in advance

Towards the close of the month, review yours and your department’s agenda for the quarter, and decide what is most important to achieve in the upcoming month to achieve that agenda. Schedule these goals and tasks into your calendar for the month ahead (using the time-blocking method above).

Also set aside time in your calendar for emergencies or reactive tasks, especially if you work in a fast-paced environment with tight deadlines. This will help you stay on top of your management responsibilities without feeling overwhelmed when the month starts and multiple meetings, emergencies, and stakeholders demand your immediate attention.

4) Set realistic deadlines

Beware of planning fallacy—which is where you underestimate the time it takes to complete a task. For example, even if you believe that three business days is sufficient to create and submit that report to senior management, allow yourself some buffer time, say, an extra two days in case there are unexpected delays in obtaining the information you need for the report, tech issues, or other emergencies.

5) Maximize your productivity peak

Figure out when you are most energized and have a clearer mind to produce your best work. For most people, that means first thing in the morning. For others, it could be midday. Decide what works for you and assign your most tedious, time-consuming, and mentally taxing responsibilities to that time. Make a time block for your productivity peak.

Through implementing these techniques, you can reduce your risk of manager burnout, improve your wellbeing, experience more satisfaction in your work, and be more in control of your responsibilities instead of being controlled by them. Furthermore, as you build time management techniques into your work routine, you set the example as a leader for your team to follow, thus building and enabling a healthier, stress-free, and efficient work culture.