Master Your Minutes: Tips to Optimize Efficiency in the Workplace

As our time is one of our most valuable assets, it's important that we optimize how we spend our hours each day.

As we aim to work smarter and amp it up at G2, I recently had the opportunity to chat with a few of my colleagues who have been commended for their time management skills. 

In discussing the importance of reclaiming your time and the impact this can have on career growth, I heard some excellent advice on boosting productivity. 

Equally as impressive as the advice was the varied application - these four G2ers come from very unique disciplines: product, sales, legal, and marketing.  A lesson learned here is that your job is not unique enough to limit your ability to reclaim time.

Track where your time goes

Andrew Stevens, Senior Corporate Counsel, emphasized the importance of tracking where your time goes.

He shared that by taking just one week to meticulously log every waking hour, down to the minute, in a time tracking spreadsheet, it opened his eyes to opportunities to optimize his schedule. This detailed time tracking data provided key insights into where he could make improvements to maximize his efficiency.

Break large tasks into micro-tasks 

Product Marketing leader Rachel Gianfredi discussed the all-too-common challenge of procrastination – especially when it comes to large, complex projects. Her top project management tip is to break those large projects down into discrete micro-tasks that can each be completed within a set timeframe, such as 30 minutes.

She then blocks out specific windows in her calendar each day solely dedicated to working on and checking off those micro-tasks. This approach helps her stay motivated and prevents project backlogs from piling up over time.

Analyze meetings against goals

As a Director of Commercial Sales, Banks Conception shared that he relies on tools to record the time spent in both internal meetings and external client meetings. He then analyzes this data against his key performance metrics and goals to ensure his calendar truly reflects his priorities.

In addition, he journals daily to reflect on tasks that are priorities versus nice-to-haves, keeping him focused on what matters most.

Have future skills projects teed up

Finally, G2 Lab’s own Product Manager, Tim Silber, noted that he aims to approach his work as a "missionary, not a mercenary" by staying curious and continuously learning.

He finds that by having future skills projects already outlined and ready to start whenever he gains extra time, he can efficiently reinvest that time into professional growth. Staying open to exploring new skills and opportunities in this way has helped open doors to success for Tim in his career trajectory.

Optimizing our time to focus on higher-value work spurs greater career satisfaction 

I hope you find these productivity tips from my colleagues helpful as you strive to optimize your work efficiency. Time is one of our most valuable assets that cannot be regained once lost. By tracking our time usage, breaking large tasks into manageable pieces, analyzing where we spend our hours, and keeping an eye on future growth, we put ourselves in control of this limited resource.

I’ve seen first-hand that there will be moments where big opportunities bring stress and uncertainty. However, taking steps to reclaim our time, such as evaluating priorities and making adjustments, can help us weather difficult periods and turn projects around to success. 

With optimized time on our side, we also gain the flexibility to reinvest in our careers through skills development, mentorship, and stretch assignments. When we feel empowered to proactively manage our hours and focus on high-impact work, we’re also paving the way for greater career satisfaction ahead. 

Get started today applying these tips. Take a look and know where your time goes, invest in ways to optimize your time, and then re-invest that time back into yourself and keep growing!