The clock ticks past 6 p.m. and you still have a project to finish. You sigh and decide you either need to stay at the office, or take your work home with you. In either case, it will be a long work night, or work weekend. Sound familiar? We have all found ourselves in a situation like this at one time or another, and sometimes deadlines just have to be met. We can’t avoid them.
[See: 8 Ways to Beat the Mid-Afternoon Slump.]
But if having to stay past the end of your regularly scheduled workday is a regular occurrence, or if you just can’t seem to stay on top of your tasks and projects, you’re going to get burned out and something will need to change. If this scenario resonates with you, the good news is, in many cases, there are small things you can do to stay in control of your work schedule. Here are a few tips.
Get to know your company’s overtime policies. If overtime applies to you, understand what guidelines are in place at your organization. The new overtime pay policy is a big topic of discussion right now. The Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) has provided a great resource to read more about overtime pay, and the changes to federal policies regarding overtime pay, here.
Organize and prioritize. One of the biggest causes of not getting things accomplished in a workday, or workweek, is a lack of organization. Being disorganized means we can’t find what we need to complete our task, we don’t know what task we should accomplish first or which issue is more important to address right away. To avoid these problems, take five to 10 minutes at the beginning of every day — or the end of the day prior — to take a look at your tasks and prioritize. Determine which three tasks and projects need to be accomplished immediately, and which ones could wait until later in the day or week.
[See: The 6 Best Jobs for Work-Life Balance.]
If you are having trouble prioritizing, talk to your supervisor and ask them which projects are more important. Then plan your workweek accordingly. Next to the task list, create a list of things you will need to complete the task as well. Then separate each task into high, medium and low priority. Finally, estimate the time required for each task and block out the amount of time you need for each item on your calendar, for that day and for the week. Ask your supervisor, employees and teammates to label your emails according to priority as they are sent to you.
Delegate. Another reason that causes work to pile up is because we don’t delegate or plan properly, especially in management positions. If you are a supervisor, or team leader, ask yourself if you are delegating not just enough, but also effectively. Could you send those lower-priority tasks that you determined above to others on your team to handle? Are there projects that you struggle with but that another member on your team could handle quickly or more efficiently than you could? When you are delegating, are you providing enough clear instruction to be able to stay out of it after you’ve handed it off? And are you able to let go of it once you delegate it? If you need help don’t be afraid to ask for it. And once you do request it, explain things clearly enough so you can let go and spend time doing other things.
[See: 12 Ways to Have the Most Productive Morning Ever.]
Be realistic and communicate expectations effectively. Be realistic about what you can add to your plate at work. Don’t just agree to every new task and project without looking at your schedule. That could be the cause of many projects piling up and all having a similar deadline. Bring your schedule to your meetings, along with a list of your current projects and deadlines. When new projects are suggested, compare their priority and deadline to what you are already working on. If you know you can’t accomplish it along with what you already have to do, don’t volunteer to work on it, ask for help or discuss expectations for the project with your team members, letting them know the deadline may have to be pushed back.
Whatever the issue is, be sure to communicate with others about it. They may offer a solution you hadn’t thought of or be able to pitch in. If you are specifically assigned a new project and find the deadline is going to be tough for you to meet, communicate that with those involved. Be honest with them about where you are with other projects. Don’t operate in a vacuum. Talking to others proactively about possible solutions, even a mentor outside of your organization who can help you learn how to work more efficiently on a specific type of project, can help you manage your time and projects more effectively so you don’t end up burned out.
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How to Stop Working Long Hours originally appeared on usnews.com
