Time management, reliability and managing your manager

Being reliable is one of the fastest ways to earn trust at work. It is less about working longer and more about choosing the right tasks, being honest about time and keeping the people you work for informed.

Sort tasks by urgent and important

• The Eisenhower Matrix sorts tasks into four boxes using two questions: is it urgent, and is it important?
• Urgent and important: do it first, today. Example: the report due at 4pm.
• Important but not urgent: schedule it. Eisenhower.me notes that effective time managers spend most of their time here, which reduces stress. Example: preparing for next week's presentation.
• Urgent but less important: delegate where you can and follow up. As a junior, this often means asking whether someone else should handle it.
• Neither urgent nor important: do not do it. Aimless scrolling is the classic example.

Plan your day and week

• Oxford's study skills guidance says simply: keep a diary and use it, and try to stick to a timetable. The same habit works at work.
• At the start of each day, write your top three tasks. Do the hardest one when your energy is highest.
• Estimate how long tasks take, then add a buffer. Most people underestimate, especially for unfamiliar work.
• Break big tasks into steps that take under an hour, so you can see progress and spot problems early.
• Oxford also warns against leaving work to the last minute, because you are unlikely to produce your best work that way.

Reliability habits

• Only promise what you can deliver. 'I can do it by Thursday' is better than 'Sure, tomorrow' followed by an apology.
• Write down every request the moment you get it, with who asked and the deadline.
• If a deadline is at risk, tell your manager as soon as you know, with a suggested solution: 'The data took longer than expected. I can send the first half today and the rest by noon tomorrow. Would that work?'
• Close the loop: when you finish something, say so. 'Done: the slides are in the shared folder.'

Managing your manager

• 'Managing up' means making it easy for your manager to help you and trust you. It is not flattery.
• Ask how they like to communicate: email, chat, quick daily update or a weekly meeting. Robert Half recommends regular check-ins to review progress and expectations.
• Clarify priorities when you have too much: 'I have the client list and the poster both due Friday. Which should come first?' This lets your manager choose, instead of you guessing.
• Bring solutions with problems. Even a rough suggestion shows initiative.
• Keep a short running list of what you have done. It makes check-ins quicker and helps when you ask for a reference later.

Protecting your time and energy

• Turn off non-essential notifications during focused work and check messages at set times, unless your role requires instant replies.
• Robert Half suggests taking a breather and stepping away from work in your first month, and keeping your phone out of sight when it is not needed. Tiredness makes you slower and more error-prone.
• If you are a student with a part-time job, put both school deadlines and shifts in one calendar so clashes are visible weeks ahead.