We all want to be those people who reach their targets and meet our deadlines. But sometimes life happens and there are unfortunate circumstances that stop us in our tracks. My responsibilities work with your responsibilities to make sure the company can run smoothly. Each role supports the role of another to, once again, make sure the company can run smoothly. If one person slacks, it means they are letting down those around them.
So how do you make sure you are pulling your weight in the company?
- Always make sure to plan ahead. Certain tasks will always have to be done around the same time every day, week, or month. Make sure to plan these tasks in advance. Write them in your diary (if you are old school like me) or add them into your digital calendar. All other tasks can then fit in around these.
- When planning the rest of your day, week, or month, group similar tasks together. This will allow your mind to focus on one thing at a time and minimise distraction. In recruitment this works well because we can plan all our daily interviews in a space of a few consecutive hours, book client visits within the same area, and work on similar vacancies.
- Every day should have a to-do-list of those tasks that are not already booked into your diary. Take a step back from your tasks and see what the most important ones are and work on these first. Tasks such as emails should not be more important than dealing with an irate client. As much as these may not be our favourite tasks, it’s just like ripping off a Band-Aid. Do it and move on to other, more positive aspects.
- If you are able to delegate smaller tasks to somebody, then do so. Make sure they have capacity to take on more work first, but giving somebody a small task, can free up your mind to work on something a little bigger.
- Remove as many distractions from your environment as you can. This could be Social Media, talkative colleagues, or perhaps your work phone that is constantly ringing. Ask reception to hold all calls for a certain period, put a do not disturb sign on your office door, and turn off your cellphone for a bit. Even the email notification can be a distraction so turning this off will help you to concentrate.
These five simple steps will assist in the rat race of time in the work place. If you really make the effort to improve, it will pay off, and you will find that the day goes by a bit easier.
By: Storm Scott
