If you were to ask any business owner what they could do more of having in the working day, it would be time. Unfortunately, we’ve only got so many hours to get projects and tasks done. For those who run a small ship, all the duties and responsibilities in your shoulders can be hard to bear. If you’re constantly working against deadlines, we appreciate your stress levels could be spiralling.
Now is the time to get a handle on your time management. There are lots of actions you can take today that can free up time without affecting the quality of your work. Sounds great, right? Here are some things to consider implementing into your operation now.
Plan out your day in advance
One of the best things you can do before the working day arrives is to plan out your day in advance. You should never rock into the office, take a seat and get to 9 am without a clue about what you’re going to do for the hours ahead. It’s always best to map out exactly what you want to achieve from the offset. Just make sure you set yourself realistic goals. While we appreciate you may want to go beyond your duties to get things done, if you set unattainable goals, you’re never going to be satisfied with your work output.
Use checklists
As you start tackling your workload and getting through tasks, you need to keep a close eye on what has been completed, what you need to refer back to, and what can be signed off. This is where checklists come in. They’re going to be your best friend! Whether you jot everything down on pen and paper or use your notes app, having a checklist can help you stay organized and fully in control of your tasks. What’s more, once you start crossing things off, you’ll be motivated to keep going and get to the finish line. You’re also going to get a great sense of accomplishment as you whizz through tasks.
Eliminate distractions
Whether you work in an office setting or from the comfort of your living room, there are going to be numerous distractions that can really hinder your productivity and quality of work. If you’re the type to scroll through social media during work hours, it’s wise to keep your personal phone out of sight and out of mind. Some people may end up surfing YouTube which can quickly eat into your productivity and cause you to lose steam. Eliminating distractions is one of the best things you can do. When you’re solely focused on your workload, you’ll be amazed at how much you can get through. Make sure you’re scheduling regular breaks which you can use to do as you please.
Automate, automate, automate!
If you’re a small business owner, trying to get everything completed on time is near to impossible. Those who run their operation solo aren’t going to have the time or luxury to fully concentrate on tasks. The good news is technology can help you. Automating certain tasks means you can concentrate on other important areas of your business without any scrimping on quality. Check out Pdftools where you can automate your documents. They offer a variety of services, including PDF conversion, PDF manipulation, and PDF viewing and printing. Other things you can automate in business include email campaigns, social media and lead scoring systems.
Group similar tasks together
Another great way to save time in business is by grouping similar tasks together. This can be a big help in promoting better efficiency. This can include duties like sifting through all your emails at once or finishing errands that require the same location away from your desk. When you batch these tasks together, this encourages easier focus as it gives you less items to concentrate on simultaneously. Just give yourself time to figure out what tasks are similar and what need to be looked at separately.
Master the art of prioritizing
This is a big one for any business owner. You need to master the art of prioritizing! While no two days are the same in business, you are going to have a hefty number of duties and responsibilities to perform each day. For that reason, it’s time to separate your tasks into a matter of urgency. Some tasks may need to be completed immediately to keep clients happy, whereas others can be left for another day. When you learn how to prioritize, you can be confident you’ve finished the most important tasks first.
Time your tasks
Timing how long each task takes to complete can encourage efficiency, especially if you need to repeat it. Doing this can optimize the task of creating schedules, as it becomes far easier to establish how long each task takes. You’ll get a better understanding of your productivity levels too, which promotes improvement. Other benefits of timing your tasks include stimulating better organization, giving focus, and increasing motivation.
Delegate Responsibly
Finally, you need to learn how to delegate responsibly. If you’ve got employees within the business, make sure to delegate tasks and duties if you haven’t got the time to do them. It’s your job as a business owner to know your employees’ strengths and weaknesses. Once you do, you will find it far easier to hand out tasks to those who are capable of performing them. Just make sure not to overload your team with too many responsibilities as this approach could end up doing more harm than good.
We don’t doubt that you’ll have a lot of work on your shoulders as a business owner. However, there’s no need to rush through tasks just to cross them off your checklist. If you do, there’s a very good chance you’ve made errors and the quality isn’t going to be up to scratch.
Thankfully, there are plenty of time-saving tips like those above that can really help you get the most out of the working day.