Administration is a crucial part of any business. The tasks completed by administrators ensure finances are in order, customers' needs are met, business documents are kept in order and so much more.
Effective time management will not only keep day-to-day business running smoothly, but also reduce stress and enhance productivity. Follow this four tips on effective time management for administrators.
Prioritise your workload
Administration tasks come at varying degrees of importance. Some of these need to be completed every day, others on a less regular basis and then those that come up without warning. Implementing a system to categorise tasks can help you and your team visualise how to prioritise tasks. The Eisenhower Matrix for instance is a great tool to divide tasks into what you will do first, what you will do later, which ones you can delegate and then what can be deleted.
Organise and Plan Tasks
You have your list of tasks and what needs to be done when, but when it comes down to the actual task itself, there is still some planning to do. Some of these may be simple and other require step by step planning. There are many ways to break these down depending on how you work best. Writing a to-do list for each job using pen or paper or a digital platform such Trello will ensure steps are recorded and check off. Planning ahead and identifying the steps for your to-do list will ensure you have everything covered and give you time to complete the task thoroughly
Time management tools and techniques
Your calendar is your best friend! Whether it is your Outlook calendar or the one with funny cat photos hanging on the wall. Make use of this to note down important dates and deadlines to be aware of. Get into the habit of checking your calendar every day to see what you have coming up - especially when you are involved in many meetings. Using your calendar can also be another avenue to reminding you of impending tasks that need to be completed.
Time management also involves the hours in your work day and ensuring you take care of your wellbeing. A good way to manage this is using the Pomodoro technique. This involves:
Deciding on the tasks that need to be completed
Setting a 25 minute timer - this is the "Pomodoro"
Focusing on the task until time is done
Take a 5-minute break
After every four Pomodoros, take your long break of 15-30 minutes
Review and Improve
Keeping the lines of communication open between an administrator and a colleague or manager is important to ensuring workloads are being managed correctly. Discussing the current and upcoming tasks can help everyone to identify tasks and priorities to be adjusted. These open discussions can also provide the opportunity for feedback on what is and isn't working well to aim for more effective and productive workflows as well as reducing stress to account for the wellbeing of the administrator.
There are many tasks involved in administration and it is important to put strategies into place to ensure they are completed thoroughly and efficiently. By prioritising your tasks, organising each task, using time management techniques and regularly reviewing the systems in place ensures your business operations are kept up to date and your customers are left satisfied.
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