Time Management Strategies for Remote Teams

Introduction

Every year, for various reasons, the number of remote teams grows. Remote work certainly has its advantages, but at the same time, there are certain remote team challenges with time management. Fortunately, today there are enough convenient, powerful time management strategies that facilitate the work of a remote team and positively affect its productivity.

Time management strategies are important because they help to simplify a work-from-home schedule, spend time more efficiently, and perform more tasks in a shorter period. Besides, they help reduce anxiety and meet deadlines. Setting up a routine that is suitable for you is the key to success and achieving your goals.

The Pomodoro Technique

It is a powerful team time management tool. Its name comes from the Italian word “tomato”. According to this technique, you should use a timer to divide work into 25-minute intervals, with a 5-10-minute break. All you need to do is choose a task to complete and set a timer for 25 minutes. It is up to you to decide which kind of Pomodoro technique timer to use: physical or online. However, as experience shows, people, especially Mac users, prefer using different apps to set a Mac Pomodoro timer. Among the most popular ones are BeFocused Pro and Focused Work.

Eisenhower Matrix

To use this strategy, you are advised to organize your to-do list and divide it into 4 separate squares. Then, you should sort your tasks by categories: important, unimportant, urgent, or non-urgent. The top left quadrant is for urgent and unimportant tasks. The top right quadrant is for urgent and important tasks. The bottom left quadrant is for non-urgent and unimportant tasks. The bottom right quadrant is for non-urgent and important tasks. Urgent are those tasks that need to be done at once.

Crucial tasks help achieve long-standing aims. Ideally, it is worth working only on tasks that are in the top two quadrants. Others should be delegated or abandoned.

The Pareto Principle

It is also called the “8020 rule”. The main idea is that 20% of actions are responsible for 80% of results. The strategy’s purpose is to determine the priorities that are most effective for solving problems. Firstly, you should list the difficulties you face. For instance, you do not keep up with deadlines, or your task performance is poor. Secondly, identify the root cause of the problems and rate them from 1 to 5. They can be distractions on social networks, fatigue, or emotional burnout. Finally, group them by reason. The group with the highest score needs your priority attention.

Getting Things Done strategy

It is created by author David Allen. This technique helps you get things done by writing down the tasks on paper and then breaking them down into practical work tasks. You should transfer all tasks from your head to the paper. Then prioritize them and create a to-do list. Do not forget to cross out tasks as they are completed.

Parkinson’s Law

In general, Parkinson’s law is not a strategy of time management. Yet, it can be used as a technique for effective time management. It is quite extreme, although it helps 100% to get the job done in a shorter period of time. Try to work without a laptop charger. It will help you finish your task before your gadget runs out. Limit the time to complete the task: only 30 minutes during the day.

The Time Blocking Method

It is great to combine with a bullet journal if you like to be creative and personalize your notebook.

Divide a sheet of paper into two columns. Write down each hour of the day and create time blocks on the left side. Think about the time necessary to do every task, and place them in the schedule. Remember about free slots in case of a plan change. The time-blocking method is suitable for you if you perceive information visually.

“Eat this frog” Strategy

If you ask yourself regularly “how can I work from home?” successfully, this technique might come in handy. Start your day with the most difficult task. This way, you will not feel its burden and will not put it off until the last moment. Follow simple instructions: clearly define the task, write it down, and set a deadline.

Conclusion

Time management is a necessary prerequisite for managing remote teams successfully. With effective time management tools and skills, work tasks are completed according to deadlines. Prioritization and delegation play a significant role in time management. In order to organize the productive work of the team, it is worth using suggested strategies. If you master them, you will become a highly productive and confident worker.