As a manager, you may already have learned how to plan, prioritize, and streamline your work. But how can you help your team members do the same? Start by setting a good example. Be smart about how you allocate the hours of your own workday — the meetings you attend, the emails you respond to, and the projects you sign on for — so your team can follow your lead. Help set boundaries for your team by outlining key goals and analyzing people’s capacity to execute on them. Then meet with your team members one on one to communicate your top priorities and expectations. Tell each person the top two or three areas you want them to focus on, and give them permission to eliminate or delegate unimportant tasks. Make sure that all meetings have a clearly defined purpose, and reserve plenty of downtime in shared calendars for getting actual work done.
Adapted from "How to Boost Your Team's Productivity," by Rebecca Knight
