With this post I will focus on the topics ‘Work-life balance’ and ‘Time management’ and will talk from my personal perspective as an Arla employee.
But before that, I wanted to anyways tell everybody how much I like Arla and how much value it provides to me in terms of learning and development but also friendship and personal values. And the F15® Graduate Programme is such a fantastic program! But you can learn that from other posts.
Coming back to my previous point, I decided to talk and bring together the two topics mentioned earlier because, although different, they are often related to each other. If I talk for myself, a balanced life for me exists only when work, sleep, physical activity, social life and nutrition are at a right level for me. Those are important pillars for my mental and physical health. It is important to stay productive as to be able to use time efficiently.
Already from my start as an F15 Graduate, I feel people value my contribution to the organization and that I am myself responsible for what I deliver. Meaning, I have freedom to find a work style that feels good to me and also good to others. I find that Arla offers flexible working patterns so that you can combine work and private life easily.
Time-management
When it comes to time-management, I am rather a morning person, so I try to put the activities that require most concentration early in the morning so that I can do smaller tasks in the afternoon and then in the evening disconnect with a bit of exercise or meeting friends. In case the work requires a high amount of concentration, I can always book a room for myself and avoid any distraction. And following the line of distractions, I usually decide to answer emails or other messages all together (if not urgent).
Thinking about what is/is not urgent and important is a good manner as to plan your tasks. I usually plan my days in advance and by doing so I can organize my tasks not only in terms of time but also place. I find that saving time from transport is one of the best tips to be efficient – especially for me as I do not like commuting too much.
Finally, to be efficient means to achieve your goals with possibly the least amount of time and resources. A good manner to improve and stay on track is to first set up your objectives and targets and then, regularly follow-up on your progress.
I hope you can benefit from some of these tips, or at least to inspire you to achieve your goals. The more you practise the better you become!
Cheers!
Sarah