Being a busy human resource professional is not easy, especially when work gets hectic and you find yourself with too much on your plate. This is where task management skills come into play. Task management is crucial in the human resource industry, if you find yourself lacking task management skills, it could be detrimental to your team’s and company’s progress. Proper task management skills will help you propel ahead easier and more efficiently. Read on for simple task management tips and tricks that will help take some stress off your shoulders.

Prepare

First and foremost, you should always be prepared. This is key when it comes to managing tasks. It is important to be prepared for any possible outcomes when evaluating a task, taking all possibilities into consideration. Once you carefully analyse all possible outcomes and come up with a solution for it, you will then be prepared to overcome the hurdle should it really happen.

Use external factors

Another task management tip would be to use a planner, to-do list or a task management application to help you properly prepare and plan ahead. This will help you keep track of all your tasks in a visual manner that is easier to understand and manage, keeping you one step ahead.  There are also free task management templates available online that offer smart and logical techniques of task management to boost your productivity. To-do lists are also great for productivity as nothing beats the satisfying feeling of crossing tasks off your list after completing them.

Breakdown tasks

One other way to be more efficient and effective in task management would be to breakdown a big task into smaller and more manageable tasks. Another way would be to start with smaller tasks first. Starting with smaller tasks and getting them out of the way would make it easier for you to handle the bigger tasks at hand.

Avoid multitasking

Being a busy human resource professional, you would be used to multi-tasking. However, multi-tasking can go very wrong if done in the wrong manner. Perhaps take a different approach and avoid multi-tasking by shifting your focus onto one task at a time. Focus on getting one thing done at a time and give it all your attention, this will boost your efficiency and productivity.

Assign due dates to tasks

Another tip for effective task management would be to assign due dates for your tasks. Implementing a due date for every task increases the probability of completing the task. This is also an effective method of self-discipline that will lead to a better you in the long run. However, it is also important that you limit the number of tasks you do in a day instead of attempting to get too many tasks done in a day and losing focus. Always prioritize the more important tasks first.

Task status

One last helpful tip to effective task management would be coming up with your own task status. This will help you keep track of the progress you have made on tasks. A basic task status system should include “New”, “In-progress”, “On hold” and “Finished”. The status “New” would mean that you have already created the task but have yet to start working on it. “In-progress” would mean that you are in the midst of working on the task. “On hold” would mean that work on this task has been paused for the time being. “Finished” would mean that you have completed the task.

Take things one step at a time with the end goal in mind, you will see your productivity and efficiency soar.