How to leave work on time today
In the business world, there never seems to be enough hours in the day. “Not having enough time” becomes the excuse for poor communication: it’s more important to improve our time management skills. In steps the 15-minute plan.
This plan is a great tool to have in your back pocket. It helps refocus you, make you more efficient and reduce stress.
So here it is, plain and simple:
Take 5 minutes out away from your desk
In this 5 minutes, plan the next 15 minutes from when you sit back down at your desk again
Break it down into:
What tasks you will complete within the first 5 minutes
Then the second 5 minutes
Finally, the third 5 minutes
Then off you go, to your desk and carry out your 15-minute plan without distractions.
These mini tasks can be things like, “in the first 5 minutes I will send an email to our Head of Finance asking about contract terms for XXX, Slack our IT Support asking to set up the new joiners access and send welcome email. In the second 5 minutes I will call the visa helpline for advice on Tier 2 visas, the final 5 minutes I will write an email to our HR director summarising the information from the visa call”.
The reason why this simple technique is so effective is because it forces you to break down your tasks into manageable bite-sized 5 minute chunks.
It also means that you are managing your own expectations and have a clear goal to tick off every 5 minutes: it’s the small wins that count! Before you know it, you’ve completed at least 3 mini-tasks in 15 minutes that seemed daunting before.
Depending on your working preferences, I personally find this so useful to talk through with a colleague. It is also great to use when you see one of your colleagues under a lot of stress, take them outside for 5 minutes and help them put together a 15-minute plan.
I have taught this technique to an associate to help her manage stress which has helped her get more done in a shorter time period so she can leave on time and go for a well-deserved drink!