Effective work on a daily basis – priorities, communication, time management, work-life balance and wellbeing

1. Time management – why we are constantly short of it

• the most common causes of the feeling of lacking time at work,
• the difference between being busy and actual effectiveness,
• identifying tasks that take time but do not bring value,
• the impact of an excess of duties on the quality of work and concentration,
• how to regain greater control over your own working day.

2. Planning the day and week

• planning work in a realistic and sustainable way,
• identifying the most important tasks for a given day and week,
• estimating the time needed to complete tasks,
• leaving space for unforeseen situations,
• creating a plan that does not fall apart after the first urgent task,
• regular review of the plan and updating priorities.

3. Priorities – how to decide what to deal with first

• distinguishing important, urgent and less andsignificant tasks,
• setting priorities with a large number of parallel responsibilities,
• choosing tasks that have thegreatest impact on the result,
• making decisions, what can be postponed, simplified or omitted,
• responding to sudden tasks without disorganizing the whole day,
• agreeing competing priorities with the supervisor and the team.

4. Practical time management methods

• Eisenhower matrix – urgent vs. important,
• Pareto principle 80/20 in everyday work,
• time blocking – planning time blocks,
• batch processing – grouping similar tasks,
• 2-minute rule in working with small tasks,
• Pomodoro method and work in short focus blocks,
• matching the time management method to the nature of the work performed.

5. Calendar as a tool for managing one’s own work

• using the calendar not only for planning meetings,
• reserving time for work requiring focus,
• blocking time for the most important tasks,
• planning buffers between meetings and responsibilities,
• including time for preparation and post-meeting activities,
• protecting time allocated for priority tasks.

6. Task list management

• how to create a task list that actually helps at work,
• breaking down large tasks into specific actions,
• defining the next step instead of creating general notes,
• limiting overly long and unrealistic lists,
• moving tasks between days without losing control,
• regularly organizing tasks and removing outdated items.

7. Planning work in conditions of continuous change

• how to plan when new tasks appear every day,
• building a flexible daily plan,
• leaving a buffer for unforeseen tasks,
• quickly changing priorities without organizational chaos,
• responding to new requests and tasks from other people,
• making decisions about which task to postpone when a new one appears.

8. Time Wasters and Distractions

• emails, messengers, phones and notifications,
• checking the mailbox too frequently,
• unnecessary or excessively long meetings,
• interrupting work by others,
• multitasking and the cost of constantly switching attention,
• perfectionism as a hidden time waster,
• limiting distractions without hindering cooperation.

9. E-mail and communicators – how not to let them manage our day

• setting specific times for handling mail,
• distinguishing messages requiring action from informational ones,
• limiting continuous reacting to new messages,
• creating simple rules for working with the inbox,
• communicators as a tool of cooperation, and not of permanent interruption of work,
• determining which matters actually require immediate reaction.

10. Meetings and time management

• when a meeting is needed, and when it can be avoided,
• preparing the objective and agenda of the meeting,
• limiting the time devoted to unproductive meetings,
• establishing specific decisions and further actions,
• planning time for work between meetings,
• protecting the calendar from an excessive number of meetings.

11. Procrastination – why we put tasks off

• the most common causes of putting work off until later,
• difficult, boring and unclear tasks,
• breaking large projects down into small steps,
• how to make it easier to start taking action,
• reducing perfectionism and overanalyzing,
• building the habit of starting and completing tasks.

12. Delegation as an element of time management

• identifying tasks that we do not have to perform personally,
• distinguishing delegation from shifting responsibility,
• assigning a task along with the expected result,
• specifying the deadline and the scope of responsibility,
• limiting micromanagement,
• monitoring results without depriving the employee of independence.

13. Superproductivity – is it possible and how to achieve it

• what distinguishes productivity from continuously increasing the pace of work,
• how to increase efficiency without extending working time,
• working in blocks of deep focus,
• limiting multitasking,
• performing the most important tasks during the time of greatest concentration,
• creating simple habits that support productivity,
• when striving for productivity begins to lead to overload.

14. Managing energy, not just time

• identifying your own periods of greatest concentration,
• matching the type of tasks to the energy level,
• planning the most difficult activities for the best part of the day,
• microbreaks as an element of effective work,
• recovery between tasks requiring high concentration,
• the impact of fatigue on efficiency and decision-making.

15. A few phrases that help defuse conflict – communication in difficult situations

• identifying situations in which tension begins to increase,
• how to talk about the problem without attacking the other person,
• messages that help lower emotions,
• how to express a different opinion without escalating the conflict,
• questions that help understand the other side's perspective,
• responding to criticism, complaints and emotional statements,
• phrases that help move from the problem to a joint solution,
• what to avoid in a difficult conversation.

16. Communicating overload and competing priorities

• how to say that we are not able to do everything at the same time,
• communicating an excessive number of duties,
• conversation with a superior about unrealistic deadlines,
• questions helping to determine which task is the most important,
• proposing alternative deadlines and solutions,
• assertively responding to further urgent requests.

17. Healthy boundaries at work

• how to say no without feeling guilty and damaging relationships,
• setting the rules of your own availability,
• limiting the pressure foran immediate response,
• separating your own responsibility from the responsibility ofother people,
• negotiating deadlines and the scope of tasks,
• protecting the time needed for the performance ofthe most important duties.

18. Work-life balance – everyone talks about it, few have seen it

• what work-life balance is in practice,
• why work-life balance does not mean a simple 50/50 split,
• recognizing the first signs of overload,
• the consequences of long-term work without adequate recovery,
• the culture of constant availability and its impact on private life,
• setting boundaries between working time and rest,
• how to stop continuing work „in your head” after it ends.

19. Wellbeing in office work – how to work without ruining your health

• the impact of many hours of computer work on health and well-being,
• workstation ergonomics in practice,
• the importance of movement during the workday,
• information and digital overload,
• screen fatigue and ways to reduce it,
• the importance of regular breaks,
• sleep and recovery as the foundation of concentration and productivity,
• building healthy habits supporting everyday work.

20. How to regain control over your time

• eliminating tasks that are no longer needed,
• simplifying repetitive activities,
• delegating part of the responsibilities,
• automating simple processes,
• limiting actions performed solely out of habit,
• introducing your own rules for work organization,
• building a long-term sustainable time management system.

21. Personal plan for effective time management

• identification of the biggest time wasters,
• determination of the most important sources of overload,
• selection of management methods time tailored to one’s own work,
• determination of new rules for planning and setting priorities,
• selection of behaviors that are worth limiting,
• planning specific changes to be implemented after the training.