There are only so many working hours in a day, and more work needs to be done. When you work in manufacturing, you know that your efforts make a difference to people who rely on you to keep things moving smoothly.

What’s the best way to stay on top of your work without losing efficiency? How can you best manage your time?

Here are a few thoughts.

1. Set SMART goals and prioritize accordingly.

SMART goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. This means they can be tracked, and you can easily and quickly determine whether you’ve achieved them within a set amount of time. Based on the goals you’ve set, you can prioritize your daily tasks to ensure you work SMART-er, ticking tasks off the checklist and knowing the most important things have been addressed. If something doesn’t get done, understand why and learn from it for the next day.

2. Adopt efficiencies to get the most from your time.

If there are ways to make your manufacturing process more efficient, try them out to see if they work. It might make more sense, for example, to get all components needed for assembling a product together and lay them out in sequence before you start to work on construction instead of keeping things scattered around. Even if it takes a few minutes to get your workstation set up, it might save you more time in the long run!

3. Take breaks.

This might sound counterintuitive, but breaks are important! They give you, and your mind, a chance to rest, to shift focus away from what you’ve been concentrating on, and come back with fresh eyes and a clear mind. Taking a few short breaks (five to 10 minutes) a few times a day, in addition to your lunch break, can make a world of difference to your concentration, mood, and productivity.

4. Stay organized.

Keep your area tidy and well stocked with all the equipment and tools you need for the day. If you’re running around trying to find things, it’ll keep you behind schedule all day instead of getting work done. Create a system for yourself and stick to it.

5. Communicate.

Being able to clearly and quickly relay information to your team helps keep everyone on the same page. Be thorough in your conversations and share the most important and pertinent details of the day’s tasks and leave it at that. Extraneous information might confuse people or cause delays that will put everyone behind.

Using your time wisely and efficiently will help you stay on top of all of your responsibilities, and it might even make you feel less stressed out during busy times. Give it a try!

Build Your Career with Davis Staffing

If you’re looking for other advice, or if it’s time to look for a new job, call Davis Staffing. We have great partners in companies looking for people with your skills and newly acquired time management expertise! Call us today, and let’s get to work.