Time and self-management Tips for efficient time and self-management in engineering

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Engineers often face a high workload and are under tremendous deadline and performance pressure. Strategies for time and self-management help to maintain an overview and reduce stress levels.

Stress, time pressure, overload: Employees are often confronted with all these circumstances on a daily basis. After all, other departments rely on complex projects and tasks to be completed by the deadline. Therefore, the ability for self-management and organization, as well as a good dose of resilience to stress, are clear hiring criteria for many companies. Stress prevents results-oriented work.

High stress levels in engineering

For several years now, mental stress at work has been the focus of public and economic interest. Especially the technical and engineering professions feel the effects of technologization, shortage of skilled workers, and overload. This professional group is also pre-burdened by high stress levels. They carry responsibility for damages incurred and deal with projects from various areas.

The consequences of permanent overload are diverse. Primarily, however, it affects the work outcome, increasing susceptibility to errors and continuously decreasing efficiency.

In an empirical research project from 2018, PFH Göttingen showed that, on one hand, there is a great potential for psychological stress in engineering, but on the other hand, there is a deficit of suitable coping strategies. The majority of the surveyed participants indicated that the stress level on a scale from 1 to 10 was consistently between 7 and 10.

The following stressors were mentioned particularly frequently:

• Distractions / disruptions at work

• Conflicts with colleagues / superiors

• perceived low appreciation and social support

• excessive deadline and performance pressure

The consequences of permanent overload are diverse. Primarily, however, it affects the work outcome, with an increase in susceptibility to error and a continuous decrease in efficiency. High stress impairs recovery ability as well as the mental health of employees and may lead to absences and prolonged illnesses.

With the following tips, designers and engineers can make their daily work routine more pleasant and ultimately more productive through simple routines.

Time and self-management: An overview of common methods

Developers and designers are often left to their own devices within a certain timeframe. It is only at the handover or acceptance of a project that more intensive exchange takes place. An effective time and self-management helps until then to implement deliberate planning and reduce stress towards the end of the submission deadline. Viewing a project as a whole rather than as individual work packages often inevitably leads to overload. To use time more efficiently, it is therefore recommended to heed the following advice.

Working in set intervals - The Pomodoro Technique

On long workdays in development and design, the head can quickly start to "smoke" figuratively speaking. Therefore, working according to the Pomodoro Technique is particularly popular in engineering. This involves dividing the day into intervals during which one works focused on a task. Between these intervals, there are short breaks to catch one's breath again.

Example: For a specific task, you set aside a time interval of 30 minutes. During these 30 minutes, you work concentrated and without interruption. This is followed by a short break of 5 to 8 minutes, until another task is due in the next 30 minutes. A timer helps to keep track of the times.

It is important to consider that a clearly defined goal for each Pomodoro interval helps to direct focus on the task. Without this, developers and designers can quickly get lost in time-consuming minor details that would be better dealt with in a separate interval.

Prioritization: The key to efficient self-management?

Many employees probably associate deadlines with just one thing, namely stress and a high workload. However, current studies show: As a deadline approaches, productivity increases. Relying on this fact, however, is not an option, because if tasks become overwhelming towards the end of the deadline, they simply become impossible to complete. The solution: thoughtful prioritization.

There are various systems for dividing tasks. Particularly popular is the Eisenhower principle, also known as the ABC method:

• A-tasks: important and urgent

• B-tasks: important, but not urgent

• C-tasks: not important and not urgent (can potentially be delegated / eliminated)

Tip: For effective and balanced self-management, it is recommended to schedule a fixed time window for important tasks every day. Often, these are otherwise overshadowed by urgent but spontaneously arising problems and get neglected.

Social support and physical breaks help to tackle challenges constructively and to remain positive in psychologically stressful situations.

Building healthy resilience to stress

Building a healthy resilience to stress helps developers and designers to remain calm as deadlines approach and keep the error rate low despite stress. This includes good organization and prioritization of tasks, as well as recognizing stressors and implementing time management techniques (e.g., the Pomodoro Method).

Social support and physical breaks help to tackle challenges constructively and to remain positive in psychologically stressful situations. This also includes promoting communication skills through regular exchange with involved colleagues.

Important: Resilience can also develop in an unhealthy direction. Excessive workload cannot be compensated by resilience to stress and should therefore be communicated to the client or employer as early as possible.

Professions in engineering often entail increased psychological stress due to stress. Healthy communication, appropriate time management, and the right work-life balance are not only the key to personal health but also to successful projects.