You have the best of intentions every time you head to work, but you wish you could get two or three more hours in a day to get everything done. The 24-hour cycle isn’t the problem – it’s a lack of time management. Here are 11 time management tips to get you back on track.
Understand your team’s unique makeup. You don’t get the most out of your people if you use the same approach each time. Learn their strengths and weaknesses to optimize their performance.
Empower your team. Give them the resources they need to make decisions and judgment calls throughout the project. You don’t need to make every call.
Let technology do the hard work. Automate as much as possible so you have time for the tasks that need your direct attention. You shouldn’t need to go through repetitive tasks when many purpose-built applications can shoulder the load for you.
Stop micromanaging. Your team isn’t going to do a great job when you look over their shoulders and get in the way during their work. Micromanagement shows a lack of trust, plus, it takes up time that you should dedicate to high-level tasks.
Pick and choose your battles. You have limited resources to deal with the various dilemmas that occur throughout a project. Don’t step in every time. Dedicate your attention to your high-priority battles.
Consolidate team communications. How many applications do you open before you find an important conversation? Bring everything together in a single view.
Use meetings wisely. Companies waste a lot of time in meetings that have everyone bored out of their minds. Stick with short and sweet check-ins that have a compelling reason to pull everyone away from their tasks.
Integrate data. Stop spending your time manually entering data from one program to another. Look for technology that streamlines this process.
Act as the go-between for the team and stakeholders. One of your primary roles in product management is translating the stakeholders’ request into actionable information for your team. Don’t make them guess about what the end user wants.
Stop working all hours of the day. If you force yourself to put in hours when you are feeling unproductive, you end up beating your head against the wall. Take on specific tasks, rather than look for a set time.
Rest your brain. Recharging takes up some of your day, but a reset can help you achieve better performance when you jump back in.
Product information management requires a significant time investment, so use these time management tips to get the most out of every single day.
Sources:
http://blogs.atlassian.com/2015/07/product-managers-guide-release-planning/
http://www.mindtheproduct.com/2016/08/how-product-managers-can-make-meetings-great-again/
