Wouldn’t it be great to have more time in the workday? By re-evaluating daily priorities, you can get more done in less time.

Good time management leads to better work quality, less stress and less procrastination, and more self-confidence.

So how do you get started? Begin by auditing your calendar and adjust, remove, or re-organize recurring meetings and daily schedule to take advantage of your most productive times of day. For example, if you prefer to have focused work time in the morning, do what’s possible to keep those first hours of the day clear from external interruption.

Next, identify daily best practices to help ensure that the most important work is accomplished. One might try prioritizing deadlines or, if deadlines are flexible, devoting time to the projects that have the most impact for your institution.

Other practical tips for everyday time management include:

• Set realistic timelines. You are the best judge of how long a task will take to complete. Be honest and upfront with colleagues about turnaround times, stick to a schedule, and provide updates if the schedule changes.  
• Know when to say no. It’s natural to want to succeed and even excel at work. Many of us do this by taking on extra projects or assignments at work. Again, be honest with yourself about what you have time to do and to do well. Foster understanding, trust, and respect amongst your colleagues by being transparent about when you are unable to take on additional work or need to delegate to team members.
• Avoid multitasking. Multitasking may seem like a way to get a lot done in a short amount of time. Yet often, toggling back and forth between priorities results in errors and inefficiencies. Instead of multitasking, try embracing focused prioritization, moving from one finished task to the next. 
• Maximizing time management tools. In addition to online calendars, other time-savings tools such as chat functions, shared file platforms, and project management software can help facilitate faster work processes and allow for more to be accomplished than ever before.

For more advice, read “10 tips for mastering time management at work.”