When you apply for a new job, you might think that your technical skills and past experiences are what stand out most on your resume. However, employers are now looking for experience with soft skills and how they can improve the overall flow of the workplace. These skills transfer with you from job to job, making your workplace relationships and productivity greater. Skills such as time management are essential to workplace success.
If you’ve been wondering why time management is a soft skill, here’s what you need to know about it and how to improve in this area right away.
Why Is Time Management a Soft Skill?
Soft skills in the workplace allow employees to thrive and excel, regardless of what industry they may be working in. While technical skills can advance your career, soft skills make you a pleasure to work with and allow you to adapt to new roles in the workplace. They are the skills that transfer with you from position to position, even working across industries.
To this end, time management is considered a soft skill because it is not something that is typically taught as part of a formal classroom setting. It takes time and practice to develop this ability, but it is highly applicable.
Everyone benefits from this skill in every job – and you may even see the many benefits of time management outside of the workplace.
How Time Management Improves Your Workday
Time management easily improves your day-to-day experience at work and can foster a more productive workplace environment. To start, you will experience less stress because you will already be ahead on your work. That feeling of being overwhelmed that accompanies a deadline on major projects is practically non-existent because you will be on track or even finish early.
In addition to minimizing stress, you will also have more free time. Getting work done efficiently helps you complete all of your work in a timely manner, allowing you to move onto the next project or spend time on things you truly care about.
Last but not least, time management opens the doors to new opportunities. Soft skills that can transfer with you from one position to the next make it simple for you to shine in interviews. The ability to manage your time effectively can help you to score the job of your dreams.
If you’re an employer, it’s worth investigating team training sessions on time management. Handling time crunches over a short period of time is one thing, but extended periods of stress from feeling overworked can lead to burnout and turnover across your team. Time management training is a straightforward approach to fostering employee retention and ensuring your team has the soft skills they need to thrive.
Common Time Management Strategies
With all of these benefits for your workday and your career, you might be wondering where you can start when it comes to learning time management. These key strategies will help you uncover where you can put in a little work to master this skill.
- Prioritizing: The truth is that you may not be able to complete everything on your plate. Instead, you will need to prioritize which to-do list items are the most important and the estimated time required to complete each task. This can also segue into delegating some of the responsibility.
- Time blocking: One of the most effective ways to manage your time while on the clock is known as time blocking. This means setting aside a chunk of time to dedicate solely to one task. During this time, you can forgo checking email, spreading yourself too thin, or multitasking on several projects at once.
- Time management tools: Sometimes, you might need a little bit of help to keep your priorities in order. Time management tools like to-do lists for your day, week, and month can help. You can track progress toward major goals using visual tools like Kanban boards, time tracking software, and more.
- Minimizing distractions: How many times do you get interrupted while in a flow state? Each time an interruption comes up, it takes longer than you think to get back to the task at hand. This is a great time to turn off the ringer on your cell phone, put up an away message on your email, and get down to business.
- Taking breaks: Of course, there has to be time for rest and relaxation too. Taking time away from your most important tasks allows you to clear your mind and come back with creative solutions that may improve the project. Don’t let exhaustion keep you from being productive!
- Delegation: Are you hesitant to assign work to your peers or subordinates? Many people think that in order for a project to be done well, they must do every aspect of it on their own. Mastering time management often means learning how to prevent yourself from doing too much. If you can allow someone else to help you, you may find that your to-do list gets crossed off faster.
Improving Soft Skills with People AK
Are you ready to improve your soft skills, starting with time management? People AK offers over 90 training topics that we can customize to your team’s needs, including soft skills training on time management and other topics to help coach your team to success. Rather than just reading prepared slides, we focus on engaging the entire team and facilitating a productive conversation.
Learn more about the importance of soft skills in the workplace (especially communication) by downloading our guide, Soft Skills in the Workplace. Learn which soft skills are the most essential for workplace cohesion and success, as well as tips for developing soft skills in a team setting and displaying those skills during the interview process.
When you’re ready to make the most of soft skills, People AK is here to help you build a team for success!
