Striking the right balance in your day with effective time management

We all know that the role of a school business professional is complex, challenging and, at the same time, one of the most rewarding jobs you could have. To carry out this role and achieve a work-life balance, you must be highly organised and have time management down to a fine art. 

So can we manage our time effectively, so that we get everything done without feeling overwhelmed or out of control? There are so many tools available that you can end up being paralysed by the sheer amount of choice. More important than using fancy tools, however, is taking the right actions now to make sure that you control your day, and your day doesn’t control you.

Tap into the power of effective delegation

• Practice the art of delegation. Your team are a key resource to support you in your time management and ensuring excellence in all your areas of responsibility
• Implement leadership structures that will support you effectively
• Don’t get too involved in the ‘doing’ aspect of the tasks. This will empower your team with a sense of ownership — and it will repay you ten-fold when your team members are working effectively together
• Get to know who is good at what on your team. This will enable you to put their skills and strengths to the best use.

Keep a diary

• Use a simple and effective diary — be it Office 365 or a written diary
• Make sure you have every meeting, telephone call, and contract and policy review date captured centrally
• Put in a reminder of key deadlines a week or two before so they don’t creep up on you.

Use a ‘to do’ list

• Keep an old-fashioned ‘to do’ list — again this could be electronic or paper-based
• Use colour coding or numbering so it’s easy to see what’s high priority.

Put your inbox in its place

• When you’re not working, you’re not working and you should stay out of your emails
• If you must take a peek, don’t answer a message unless it’s an emergency — it can wait until the next day
• Turn off your notifications if you’re doing something important or that’s a high priority – it’s amazing what you can achieve when you’re not interrupted by the dreaded ‘ping’.

Further reading

• Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy

We can’t prevent emergencies from happening but setting up these basic things will help us to not only manage our time but also be realistic about what can be achieved in a day. This is essential for a healthy work-life balance. Our wellbeing matters, even more so in this current time.  We must lead by example and show the rest of our team that it’s important to have a life outside of school.  

To find out how we can help you to make the most of your day, contact us