Working professional- Time Management a reality?

If you are a working professional who basically is a desk jockey doing 9–5 job, with schooling kids plus you need to keep fit( blood sugar levels and cholesterol levels are high and GP conveniently say you should get more exercise) time management sounds far from reality. You may not have time to sit down and to think about time management. Welcome to life with kids/jobs/ health and commitments ( or rather reality of mid life ). Few tips and tricks which might help you but not the cool aid to solve all your time related problems.

Write down a to do list

OK, you knew this from all the self-help books, courses you read for last 10 years. But this is the most simple time management tool. Simply take a note book and put the date and put a line in the middle of the page. Left hand side is for all the things in the office you have to do and the right hand side is for all the personal matters you have to attend. Now prioritization. Simple, eat the frog first. Hard, must do things first and then low hanging fruits. Cross it off once you finish and things you can’t complete will go to tomorrow's list.

Use your commute time wisely

If you are using public transport, this is much needed ‘your time’. Zero distractions. Try to get in to your train or bus from where you can get a seat. Invest in a good phone (or a tablet) and good Bluetooth, noise cancelling headphone. You can finish your audio-books, online courses easily (and may be downloaded Netflix TV series as well)

If you are driving, listen to that podcast using car audio system rather than listening to your Spotify playlist or commercial radio.

If you work close by get a bike and ride to work or run/walk (if weather permits) You can tick off your active minutes or steps target easily and freely.

If you are doing 'coffee runs' when at office, great. Pick a coffee spot bit far away from your work place and walk. Try to get a loyalty card from the coffee shop and you may get free coffee after 5 or 10 coffees plus steps in your Fit-bit.

Maintain an updated calendar in your phone

'Updated' is the key. Enter all the appointments with appropriate reminders. Before you say 'Yes' to anything always check your calendar. Reminders are key to avoid any last minute plan changes. Send these reminders to your partner as well. If you have kids with lot of extra curricular activities(Swimming lessons, Ballet lessons etc.) , reminders will ease off your pressure by preparing you subconsciously that you have something this evening to attend.

Time is the biggest constraint in middle ages of life for most. If we become stingy with time and we can get most out of it to do what we really like to do. How good is to go to a park with your kids in the evening and play. So what’s your schedule look like today? Mine, still crossing off my to do list. Article to be written regarding time management “done” moving to next one.

Survive in corporate culture

So you have landed in a big corporate job. Let’s say in all your work life up to now you have worked in companies smaller to the jobs you have just landed. Different beast, you need different set of skills. First step is to 'survive’, then once you survive then you can 'thrive’. Just like when you start learning to swim you have to be comfortable in floating first. Having had the same experience few years back these are things I found out which might be beneficial. I wish I knew these before starting. Here goes the first five:

Don’t get intimidated by the size of the business, end of the day everyone’s human.

When you join big corporate you feel intimidated by the size of the organization. “Oh!! I am working in this Big corporate” might make you good and bad feelings. But end of the day most of the time you work with humans, just like you and me. So don’t worry too much about thinking whether you have capacity and capability to do the job. You have shown them you can. If not they won’t hire you. It’s your manager to assess it. For you, mind set should be “bring it on big guy”.

Talk,talk and talk confidently and loudly

From first day on wards till the end you have to do this. Introverts this is the time you have to do “fake it till you make it”. This is true for any organization whether in East or West. Loud mouths most of the time win. If not you will feel that you are inadequate. “I don’t have a big mouth, so I am nobody” feeling creeps in. So don’t be the quiet person who watches the clock in meetings. Go out there and ask at least one question. While in the hallway or in the kitchen do at least some “small talk”. “Hey, how was the rain last night?”

Observe camps and power struggles

Try to understand the under current. Things might be really smooth in surface, but it’s turbulent down under. So faster you understand these power dynamics, you can play wisely. Have casual chats to long term employees. You will gather lot of information like there are these camps here, this person eyeing for this promotion, these fellows are high school buddies etc. In the wrong camp or in between firing zone, your life will definitely not be easy.

Don’t say 'Yes' to everything, nicely wrapped 'saved only for you' projects can be a trap

“This is a nice project, which will give you good understanding of our products, processes. Ideal to get to know people” can be true sometimes. But most of the time it is project nobody wants. The person who did the project got resigned because he couldn’t deliver. It might have tight timeline with 101 dependencies. So approach these with your eyes and ear wide open and ask questions. Get the background story ASAP and accept the work but with caveats or cut down scope or increased budget and timelines. Have bit of your own terms and conditions. Don’t say 'Yes' first.

What ever they say about your office work matters, your interaction outside work matters more (or how you pitch those matters)

Your outside office life and interaction matters more than your office work. The casual beer or a game of golf goes a long way or else pitch the things you did in weekends in bit inflated way. Not just in one or two words. DIY projects, camping even a bike ride or walk (in bit inflated way please) Definitely the ‘attention seeking’ skills which makes everyone wants to hear your story with their jaws dropping. 'Judging people’s, yes that is human nature whether you like it or not.

May be not everything applies to you. But wish if someone told me these before I started my job in a corporate. Lots more to add in to this list. Will expand this in to more thoughts and experiences in a future post. Stay tuned. Play your cards wisely…..