In the traditional office environment, something is always on fire.

Not in the literal sense, but when an IT professional plans out their work day, more often than not, their initial game plan gets derailed by hectic occurrences we have learned to expect and adjust to.

IT time management is hard. You’re busy planning a hardware refresh schedule, but an employee alerts you of a virus on their machine. Later in the day, you learn from HR that a new marketing person is starting tomorrow and you need to set up their workstation. Oh, by the way, you also have to suspend access for the sales guy who just quit. Time management strategies become crucial for IT professionals, as to not lose anything in the shuffle.

IT can get really busy, really fast, and if you’re not accustomed to multi-tasking, it’s really easy to let crucial tasks go by the wayside. Time management is key for IT professionals, and while planning is key, you also have to plan for what you can’t plan for.

Prioritize Tasks by Level of Importance

Prioritizing is one of the simplest time management strategies out there. No matter what your industry, you likely have to adhere to deadlines, or at least push yourself to meet an imaginary one. Tackle your most important tasks when you are most engaged and alert. This could be first thing in the morning or it could be late in the day. If you’re not 100% up to developing a disaster recovery plan at 8 a.m. put if off until after your 11 a.m. coffee break when you do your best work. That’s not procrastination, that’s creating a parallel between your personal level of engagement and the amount of engagement that is needed to create a project.

Use Technology

You’re in technology, so use technology to manage your time. Set outlook reminders, use Google calendars and use apps on your smartphone. You’ll be amazed at how much easier these simple things will make your life.

Set SMART Goals

Some of your long-term goals may not be deadline driven, but it is important part of IT time management to set deadlines to just about everything. You know that in your day-to-day there are bound to be distractions – both personal and professional. Resetting an employee’s password is a distraction, but it is part of your day-to-day and you have to be prepared for it.  Keep those urgent little fires in mind when planning for big projects.

Set SMART goals for yourself, meaning they are: Specific, Measurable, Action-focused, Realistic and Time-Specific. These goals give you direction and streamline your workflow.

Learn How to Delegate

You’re just one member of your IT team. You can’t do everything. Know the other members of your team. Know their strengths and limitations. If you don’t have time to onboard an employee, find someone else who can. Properly delegating tasks can have a huge effect on your productivity.

Consider Budgeting for Outside Help

You may have a team, but your daily tasks may still be too much to handle alongside long-term goals. That’s where a Managed Network provider like ThrottleNet can step in. Let our Virtual CIO help you develop a strategic plan for your business. Leave it to us to monitor your network 24/7/365 so you don’t have to. Trust us to implement cutting-edge anti-spyware and virus software on all connected devices. Is Vendor Management a chore? We can take care of that for you to, along with a host of other Managed Network Services.

Want to learn more about how ThrottleNet can make IT less hectic for your St. Louis business? Contact us today.