A lot of new managers get caught up in the excitement and enthusiasm of their new positions and for all the right reasons:
They want to learn as much as they can as quickly as possible and start getting things done in order to demonstrate their commitment to the company. As a result, first-time managers often wind up working excessive hours and when you’re working that hard, for that long, not all of those hours can be productive.
Try to identify the tipping point in your day when your ability to do focused work drops and you’re spinning your wheels more than you’re getting anything accomplished. When you find that point, call it a day. Without an opportunity to rest and regroup, you’ll only continue to work at less than your best and over time, you’ll accomplish less than you could have if you were well rested.
This tip goes for first-time managers as well anyone in the workforce:
how can you work smarter instead of harder? One way to is to take a close look at your time management skills. In other words, how do you actually use your time throughout the course of the day? If you’re losing time on reading and responding to e-mail, consider scheduling two to three half-hour blocks for this task and keep your e-mail program closed at all other times. Everyone’s time drains will be different, but if you can identify what yours are and create systems to deal with them, you’ll get more work done in a shorter period of time.
