How do you manage your time?

Question

Karrie Day · Accepted Answer

"The first thing I do is to work with my superiors to understand the expectation for how my time should be spent. For example, as an entry level software engineer it would be important to know how much time I should spend coding, debugging, automating, shadowing, networking, etcetera.

On a day-to-day basis, I like to develop a high level plan with specific goals first thing in the morning. I keep it flexible to allow for new requests or unexpected challenges. I review my progress at the end of each day and put in extra time as needed to ensure my work is completed on time."

Karrie Day · Answer

Time management is a self-regulating behavior required for success in many professional roles. Describe how you ensure that you stay on task and achieve your goals on a daily and long-term basis.

Karrie Day · Answer

Remember to describe any tools you use to manage your time. You might mention a calendar, a to-do list, or specific time management apps. You may also use long-term planning tools such as roadmaps or project plans, depending on your work.

Kimberly Hallman · Answer

"I will determine which project requires my attention by the number of hours we are behind and the project size. I am comfortable delegating tasks when needed, but I am also aware that these times will require additional hours from me. Never have I underdelivered on a deadline."

Karrie Day · Answer

"Time management has been something I have worked on improving since my time in University. I set goals for myself and give a time deadline for those goals. Also, I am diligent with my calendar and have a great scheduling app on my phone that I refer to as well."

Anonymous User · Answer

"This is an interesting question because while this is one of my major strengths, I think I improved a lot over the last 3-4 years, mainly due to managing two jobs and my full-time university studies simultaneously.

I strongly believe that the secret of managing time well is being able to identify priorities and set targets. Targets are great, as they provide an opportunity to review performance against something measurable. I tend to use OneNote a lot, as it has tremendous potential to organize tasks, and it is also able to save documents (even emails) so that I can keep everything in one place."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I use the calendar on my phone that I use for major events or deadlines that are coming up. I then use to-do lists to break down the deadlines into smaller manageable tasks. For long-term projects, I have previously used Gantt charts which have also helped me to split up big projects."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I first communicate with my teachers to understand a rough idea of how much time I should be spending on certain things, such as homework, projects, and additional work (for example programming practice). By gaining this insight on how much time I need to put into my school work I can then create a flexible timetable that considers my other commitments outside of school so that I can use my time efficiently. I design my timetable so that I can complete tasks well within their deadlines so that there is space if something unplanned comes up, allowing myself a chance to complete the work before the deadline.

I like to chunk time together and set it aside for a certain thing, for example, when creating my current timetable I sectioned off two hours to work on coding a couple of times a week. These two hours would be dedicated to any sort of coding I needed or wanted to do and I could split the time however best suits me on that day for the task I am doing. But by sectioning off a chunk of time to do so I know that I have time to get on with or complete a coding task. As well, throughout each day I allow spaces on my timetable so that I can have a break from work or school and participate in a relaxing hobby such as baking or walking."

How do you manage your time?

How to Answer: How do you manage your time?

Advice and answer examples written specifically for a BAE Systems job interview.

4. How do you manage your time?

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