How to Make a Time Management Plan for Your Workweek
“For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned.”- Benjamin Franklin.
Time management is all about getting the most out of your workday. By creating an efficient time management plan for your week, you can accomplish more in less time. Manage your daily tasks, set priorities, and get into a routine that works for you.
Do you know how valuable time is lost when you multitask and refocus your attention after every email and small activity? According to research, it might take up to 30 minutes to refocus on a job after being distracted. Now, consider if you were disrupted about five times each day — which adds up to hundreds of wasted hours every year.
Even though to-do lists have been top-rated for years, an increasing number of individuals are now using more organized weekly plans rather than lists. What are the reasons? The explanations vary.
However, many people believe that typical to-do lists aren’t effective anymore because:
● They feel they’re making progress but not reducing the amount on their list.
● They become overwhelmed when they consider everything that has to be done.
● They don’t have a good system to determine which items should be first.
The strength of weekly planning, on the other hand, is found in the outlook and management it gives for work. Keeping aside around half an hour each week isn’t excessive, but the return on investment is tremendous. Thus, it can be an excellent time to replace your to-do lists with a decent weekly work plan.
What is a Work Plan, and Why do you need it?
A simple answer — it provides more structure to your life. Because you have a fantastic weekly strategy in place, you’ll be able to devote less time recovering from sidetracks. Visualizing your whole week at once also helps you spread out and focus on tasks, allowing you to do more. In all areas — weekly planning enables you to accomplish more.
The most important reason to plan your workweek is that it will save you time. Anyone who has struggled with procrastination knows how much of a waste of time can be found in trying to get back on track when you’ve fallen off schedule. It’s true. For some people, it comes more naturally than others, but all tasks can benefit from planning, and weekly planning is no exception.
A well-planned workweek is also one of the most productive times you can have. You know exactly what is on your plate, so little time is wasted frantically searching for that next step in a project only to find out it’s not even due until next week, if at all.
How to create a Work Plan?
Now that you’ve completed the first step of your journey to becoming more efficient, are you ready to save hundreds of hours and consume less energy?
Follow these six steps to creating your own weekly work plan. We’ve tried our best to keep it as simple and effective as possible. Naturally, once you’ve mastered planning, you may feel the urge to change things up.
1. Select your planning tool
Everyone has their own style when it comes to office organizing. Some people prefer writing things down on paper, but more and more individuals are turning to digital solutions that allow them to access their job from any place.
There are several alternatives to choose from, ranging from simple planning tools to comprehensive all-in-one solutions so that everyone can discover the best tool for their job. As a result, set aside some time to experiment and see what works best for you.
2. Regularly plan your work
Doing your weekly plan once a year or even once every month will make no difference. It’s called weekly for a reason, and you need to establish a habit to make it succeed.
Choose a day on which you’ll create your weekly work plan first. Friday afternoons are suitable for this — you may go over your weekly achievements and prepare for the next week.
3. Plan your objectives
Start by listing your overall objectives. Then, think about what you’ll need to accomplish the following week to achieve those goals. Keep in mind that any activities listed on your weekly plan should be limited to those that help you closer to your major objectives — anything else is a waste of time.
Set aside at least forty minutes of time when beginning with a work plan. It will take some time to get used to it. Eventually, it will just take you ten minutes each week.
4. Schedule your tasks
Decide what you want to accomplish next week, then schedule the time necessary to complete those things. To ensure that you planned a realistic amount of work for the week — and perhaps even overplanned it — add it to your calendar and see whether there’s room for everything. If your calendar appears congested, see if you can allocate some of the less important tasks for the next week.
It’s critical to schedule time to accomplish a task, not a project — for example, updating the website is a project, not a two-hour job. Make sure you break down projects into smaller tasks like “writing content” and “finding new pictures,” then schedule blocks of time for each.
TIP: Take breaks when needed, and don’t trust the phone to keep you on track. Be cautious not to overbook your schedule; leave at least 12% of your calendar open for unforeseen meetings and activities, as well as time to relax and think. The planned rest times also serve as a buffer zone between tasks, so it’s fine if you overrun a task for a few minutes. You can even try the employee scheduling app to manage your employees’ schedules.
Are you looking for the best employee scheduling software? Sign up here-
5. Always stick to the plan
All of this planning is for naught if you don’t follow your plan — so distractions must be avoided, and the plan followed. Of course, even the most carefully drawn plans can go awry, which is where daily planning comes in handy.
Before settling down at your office desk, review your daily plan and make any necessary modifications — if a meeting is canceled or tasks from the previous day are unfinished. You’ll always have a clear view of your key objectives this way.
TIP: To ensure nothing critical goes overlooked, reschedule the activities that weren’t done right away. If you realize that the same tasks are repeated week after week, hand them over to someone else.
6. Review your weekly plans
Take a good look at your weekly plan at the end of each week. When looking at all of the checked boxes in front of tasks, feel proud.
How many tasks were there that had not yet been completed or meetings that had been canceled? Examine why it happened to discover whether you underestimated how long a task would take or if something unexpected occurred. It’s simpler to plan for the coming weeks due to these considerations.
Final Thoughts
Planning your work weekly is an ongoing learning process. The longer you do it, the better you get at predicting your energy levels, adhering to productivity suggestions, and planning. You’ll also learn how to give up unneeded activities and projects along the way.
After getting into the habit, weekly work planning becomes something you enjoy and anticipate. You’ll discover yourself with more motivation, direction, and productive time as you plan out your week regularly.
We also recommend that you schedule your tasks on a reasonable date so they are not forgotten about or too vague. Finally, always stick with the work plan created by following through every step listed above!
You can plan time management using WorkStatus — an easy-to-use online software solution designed specifically for project management professionals who must juggle multiple projects at once. It’s quick and simple but powerful enough for any size.
Do you also want to plan a workweek for your remote workforce?
Request a free demo of remote employee monitoring software for effective time management here-
