If you are an office manager at your dental office, then you definitely know that time management is extremely important to your success. 

While it is one of the most important aspects of an office manager's work day, it is also one of the hardest parts of the job. 

To be an office manager you have to have balance between your own work and the work of the office as a whole. 

Prioritizing your time and working smarter rather than harder is the best way to be a successful office manager on a day to day basis. 

Here are 6 time management tips for office managers so that you can utilize your time wisely each day, and run an efficient and successful dental office. 

1. Keep your workspace organized 

The first step to making the best use of your time while on the job is to keep your workspace organized. 

Even though this may seem easy and kind of unnecessary, it is actually a really powerful way to work more efficiently throughout your day. 

Separate your office supplies like pencils, pens, staples, and notepads into designated areas, so that you can always find what you need when you need it. 

On your computer make sure that you have all of your documents, folders, and pictures in places that are all separated and clearly labeled. 

If your workspace is cluttered and you have supplies and paperwork scattered everywhere, it will be stressful to try to find things you need during your work day. Stay organized!

2. Create and follow a daily schedule 

Creating and following a daily schedule is crucial to ensure that you are making the most out of your work day. 

Start each day by writing out everything that needs to get done, and designate times for each task. End each day by writing out the most important tasks that you need to get done tomorrow so that you do not forget them when you arrive at work in the morning.

When you write out everything that needs to be done, you will be less likely to forget about work you need to do and deadlines you need to hit. 

The time you spend writing out tasks and creating a daily plan will be way less than the time you lose stressing about what needs to be done throughout the day. 

3. Prioritize tasks properly 

Prioritizing your tasks properly is a super helpful way to ensure that you are getting everything done on time, and in the correct order. 

When you are looking at your daily schedules and your to-do lists, make sure that you write what is most important at the top, and get those tasks done first. 

Remove any tasks from your lists and schedules that aren’t super important, or that you do not even really need to do. 

Make sure that you include deadlines for each task, whether they are set by the company or if they are set by you. Knowing when things need to be completed and how long you want to spend on each task helps you to stay on track and complete each item on time.

4. Maintain a system for your email

Reading and responding to emails can be an extremely stressful task to handle, and most people would rather just not even have to deal with it.

Unfortunately, email is something we have to tackle on a daily basis, whether we like it or not!

As an office manager, it is crucial that you are on top of the information that is coming into your inbox, and responding to any questions or concerns people may reach out to you about. 

Create folders within your inbox to keep track of what you are receiving. For example, you can create folders such as Action Needed, Archives, and Read Later. Doing this lets you know what you need to respond to and handle first, and what you can come back to at a later time. 

Trash any emails that are not useful to you anymore, and unsubscribe from any subscriptions that are not necessary. 

Designate times throughout your day to check your emails and respond to any that need it, and try not to look at your email in between these designated times.

5. Eliminate any distractions

It is so easy to get distracted throughout the day, especially with the easy access we have to technology in today’s world. 

Whether you are browsing the web, scrolling through social media, or messaging your friends and family, you are wasting time within your work day.

Turn off notifications from your social media accounts and messages, and close all tabs on your computer that you are not working on at that exact moment.

Eliminating distractions takes a lot of self-control. It is important that you try hard to avoid social media and personal conversations throughout the day, and focus solely on your work that needs to be completed. 

6. Enact clear communication within the office 

One of the most important aspects of an efficient and successful dental office is to have clear communication between the whole team. 

Make sure that every team member knows how to get in touch with you and with others, such as through email, in-person at your desk, or through a private message on whichever internal messaging application your company uses. 

It is beneficial to check in on each employee often, to see how their work day is going, and to identify if they have any questions or concerns. 

It is also helpful to have group and one-on-one meetings at least once a week, so that you can constantly get updates on the productivity of the office and what still needs to be completed.