This article has been republished with permission from PYP Media / PrettyYoungProfessional.com, an online career resource and community for young professional women.
The importance of the mini-deadlines and efficient project planning
Do you always find yourself scrambling at the last minute to finish a project? Do you struggle to meet deadlines? Were you that nocturnal girl who camped out in the library before every term paper or final exam?
The end of these habits doesn’t necessarily coincide with college graduation. Unless you make a concerted effort not to procrastinate, a tendency to leave work—especially repetitive or tedious work—until the last minute can carry into your professional life.
In the office, one of your most valuable—and limited—assets is time. If you have difficulty managing your time and find yourself scrambling to organize your work, both your professional and personal life may suffer as a result.
1. Make an inventory of tasks
If you can’t quickly look at a snapshot of everything you need to do, there is a chance you are forgetting something. Decrease stress and increase efficiency by keeping a running tab of your “To Do’s.”When in a meeting, it can be helpful to leave space in the margins when taking notes so you can easily keep track of any tasks that arise.
2. The importance of deadlines
It can be daunting to both manage your own time and coordinate with your manager. At times, your manager may be unclear in his or her directions to you. To keep yourself focused—and your manager happy—create your own priorities and deadlines.
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Holding yourself accountable to self-made deadlines forces you to prioritize your workload and can keep you from running out of time. When taking a look at your list of to dos, think about how long it will take to complete each task, and if any of them are sequential. Tasks needing input from others may require some lead time, so make sure to leave adequate time for your colleagues’ or clients’ work. Planning in this way can demonstrate your initiative and help your manager work through his or her own tasks.
3. Visualizing your time with a workplan
If your manager is unable to help you clarify questions you may have about time management, write out a workplan, including deliverables and deadlines. Set up a meeting to share your action plan with your manager so s/he can share his or her opinions and provide direction. Feel free to use the sample workplan below for inspiration, or create your own. The important thing is to have something in writing you have both agreed on.
Finally, take some time to determine how you work most efficiently. Some people like to tackle and complete small projects first before beginning larger ones, while others prefer to start more daunting tasks right away. Whatever your style, make sure to delineate a plan and set deadlines. Once you have your life in order, the sky’s the limit!
