Time is of the essence in construction. Every construction project manager expects workers to abide by the planned schedule to avoid consequences such as liquidated damages or thousands of dollars in delay costs. It’s easy for workers to become overwhelmed, which is why it’s critical that you learn how to manage your time as effectively as possible.

To improve time management skills on site, consider the following tips: take notes, prioritize your task list, and learn from past mistakes.

Take Notes

Physically writing a to-do list might seem old fashioned, but it’s a good way to organize the many issues and activities construction workers deal with every day. With so many tasks to juggle, you might struggle to recall timelines and responsibilities. Noting each task down on paper can help you visualize and outline what you need to accomplish. The next step: prioritizing what needs to be done first.

Prioritize Your Task List

Prioritizing a task list before stepping onto the job site will help you get a head start on your day. You can start with a daily list and then expand it out to include the rest of the week. That way you can better understand which projects must be addressed immediately and those that might be better suited to address later. This might feel tedious or time consuming but having a well thought out approach to daily tasks will save you time in the long run. Of course, not everything on a project will progress as planned. You need to be flexible and adjust accordingly. But having facts laid out in plain view can help you and your team identify an alternative course of action.

Past Mistakes are Lessons Learned

By writing down tasks and strategically prioritizing them, you will become more aware of your actions throughout the workday. This can help you identify which approaches on the site worked efficiently, and which ones fell short. By taking notice of these instances, you and your colleagues can learn from mistakes and adopt a more time-effective and structured approach to daily tasks in the future. Remember: Don’t dwell too heavily on things that go wrong. Each mistake is an opportunity to change your approach and do better next time.