Better use of mobile devices can hone time management skills
Being constantly busy may not equate to productivity, so don’t allow multitasking to mess with your focus

If there’s one thing none of us needs it’s tips on how to work harder. But working smarter? Yes please – especially if it helps free up time for what you really want to be doing. There’s an app for that, of course.
As mobile devices transform work practices today the way the first office computers did in the 1970 and 1980s, they become as much an organisational tool as a means of communication. For instance, job searching via smartphone or tablet has soared in recent years, but according to recruitment specialist Hays, that doesn’t stop once a position has been secured. “The use of mobile apps extends into the everyday working life of the majority of employees,” says Christine Wright, managing director of Hays in Asia.
Everywhere in Hong Kong is evidence of incessant busyness. People scurry from one appointment to the next, tapping tablets or barking into phones, barely noticing anything around them. Yet, the notion of “staying busy” as some kind of badge of honour – like it signifies you are a hard worker with sights set on success – has clearly been debunked.

Many studies have shown that busyness may not equate to productivity. Back in 2001, researchers from the University of Michigan warned that you could even be wasting your – and your employer’s – valuable time by constantly switching from one task to the next. You may think multitasking gets more done faster, but the researchers argued that it messes with your focus. At the end of the day, it adds up to more time spent on actual task completion.
So, here’s how technology can move your time management skills into top gear, via your mobile device.