How do you manage your time?

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How to Answer
What You Should Say
1st Answer Example
2nd Answer Example
Community Answers

Effective time management assists in pre-emptively managing stress, workflow, preventing burnout, and how one's work life and personal life affect one another. How you answer this question will offer insights as to how effective you are at your job.

The perception you are aiming to convey is that you have realistic expectations of what you can accomplish in any given time frame when setting goals and meeting those goals. Evaluate what a workday, workweek, or a longer period consists of. Each component is a piece of the puzzle. Ponder how you get all the pieces of the puzzles to fit between work life and your personal life. Whether you set out your clothes the night before you get ready for work or track and manage your calendars well, outline the system you have.

Without a calendar, a planner, and a to-do list, you'd be running around the office with your head spinning! These tools are necessary to stay organized and focused on today's busy work environment. Give examples of some of the ways you manage your time using tools or methods that have proven to help you be more successful in your job. You could tell them you schedule a five-minute 'sanity' break every two hours to help refresh your mind and keep you moving steadily ahead. Show off your flexibility by showing how you factor in changes to your schedule, traffic, or last-minute meetings!

"I manage my time by ensuring my calendar is always up to date and that I check in with my team often, to ensure we are all running on time with our projects. Staying organized also means keeping my office and files organized, and not allowing my desktop to get too cluttered. I also use a variety of productivity apps such as Trello and Google Docs."

"Time management is a skill. When I was younger, I had unrealistic expectations of what I could accomplish in a given timeframe. I'd have a list of 7 things and I'd think I just wake up early and get to work and by the end of the day, they'd all get done. But when I got into it, I'd find I could only realistically get the first item done in one day. I wasn't breaking each task up into the smaller tasks it takes to reach any one goal. When you don't break a task down into all its steps, it's hard to envision how long it will really take to accomplish. So now I break everything down, look at the time I'm given, and how to maintain my focus and momentum, and structure my time and what I am trying to accomplish accordingly."

Anonymous Answer

"I manage my free time and business time with PC programs and smartphone notes. At work, Excel and PC notes, are beneficial because I can administrate job's tasks, procedures of customers caring, and any requests of Team Leader or colleagues. These tools give me the chance to redefine my sets in such a way that I can be ready for last-minute work commitments."

Lauren's Feedback

This is a great response. You are demonstrating organization in your personal and professional life. Being resourceful and reliable are great traits every Hiring Manager is looking for. I suggest adding language around some of your core strengths.

"I consider myself a punctual, organized, and reliable individual. I utilize resources and applications to help me time manage my personal and professional lives. At work, I use Excel and PC Notes to manage my administrative duties, procedures of customer care, and requests made by Team Leaders and colleagues. I have created a great system to prioritize my day, which allows me to be ready for unforeseen or last-minute tasks and commitments."

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Anonymous Answer

"I make sure that I keep my Google calendar up to date. I plan my meetings, and tasks in a realistic way, which are achievable, and try to stick to the schedule as much as I can. One thing that is helping me in my Current Project is Asana, this Project Management tool is helping me keep all consultants on the same page and provide clear instructions about what's next in the project."

Chad's Feedback

Good answer! The interviewer will be pleased to learn that you are effective in managing your time, and utilize various tools, such as Google Calendar and Asana, to organize, track and manage your work. I suggest discussing how you deal with any changes to your schedule, or unexpected additions to your workload, to demonstrate your flexibility.