Life is a balancing act, we spend most of it spinning plates to keep everything moving and everyone happy. Whether it’s the late nights at work, working up a sweat at the gym or time spent with the family, there’s plenty of areas that need our attention to keep them running smoothly. Neglect an element and that plate will hit the floor in not much time at all. To ensure you have the balance right, it’s important to make sure the time you spend on each area is effective, so you have time to spend on the other things that are important to you. One area that tends to take over our lives is work, late nights at the office and calls on the weekend can easily pull you away from the rest of your life. The problem here is that much of the time spent at work is often dead time that could be cut from your day by introducing a few simple habits. Here’s ten top tips to ensure you clock off on time and still get it all done.

1. Create a daily plan

Start the day with 30 minutes of planning time so you know exactly what you need to do that day. One of the reasons we waste so much time is we don’t have proper focus. Write a list of everything that needs doing and cross it off as you go, even the act of crossing something off and seeing progress is enough to motivate us to have a better day and work faster.

2. Assign time to each task

Once you have your list, assign times to each task. Try to be realistic, not how long it would take if you were your best self, but how long it takes you on an average day. This helps you plan your time efficiently, knowing what’s realistic and allows you to see what you could accomplish that day if you get your head down. Also, if you’re making good time, you will be able to complete some unplanned tasks as well. Bonus.

3. Prioritise

You have your list and you know how long each task is going to take. Now think to yourself, what on this list can I not leave the office without doing today? What tasks could be done another day if I had to? Now do the essential ones first, you don’t want to be starting these later and having to stay late because you have no choice but to get the task done.

4. Block tasks together

Put tasks that are similar together. If you have to leave the office to complete a couple of things, do it in one journey. If you use a certain software for a number of tasks, do them all at once, whilst you have the application open. Stopping and starting tasks is a big time burner and it’s in between tasks that you’re most likely to get distracted or procrastinate.

5. Keep a list of quick wins

A great way of making the most of your time is to have a list of tasks that need to be done every now and again but only take a small amount of time. Having a list of these tasks with how long they take nearby (e.g Send monthly invoice – 15 mins) means that if you have some spare time, because maybe your running ahead of your plan or stuck on the train, you can look at the list and complete one or two of these quick tasks. No dead time.

6. Set a timer

Dedicate a set time to get your head down and power through. Put a two-hour timer on to plough through that presentation, no tea breaks, no distractions, not until that bell rings.

7. Delegate

Are you using your team effectively? Don’t be afraid to delegate some of your responsibilities to your team. We have a habit of taking on too much and not trusting other people to complete things properly. Let go, train your team so they can take on more tasks and free up your day.

8. Take regular breaks

Take some time to refresh and reset. Working through without breaks will do nothing for your concentration or productivity, not to mention your health.

9. Plan results

Waste no time on the phone or in a meeting. Plan exactly what you want to get from your time. Write an agenda and send it out so everyone knows the plan. Meetings about meetings or meetings without action are one of the biggest time wasters in business.

10. Learn to say NO

Finally, don’t add to your stress by taking on more than you can handle, If you’re at your capacity then say NO. Stay late occasionally, help people out, but don’t give up your weekend so someone else can enjoy theirs.