Effective Time Management Hacks to Boost Your Business
Managing time sounds like a piece of cake but in reality, it requires planning. Sometimes hours go by trying to do a single task. As such, it is important to keep a track of the time. Instead of rushing through the work it is better to manage the work. The first step to management is managing time. Time management is a crucial step to effectively run a business or increase productivity.
It is important to identify the tasks and manage them according to priority. Identifying how much time is required to allot on every task is a crucial step. Here are a few hacks that can help in managing time better.
Pre-plan and Set Daily Goals
The very basic reason to plan the day is that most of us have an overwhelming number of tasks. Planning the day first thing in the morning increases the productivity. Planning with a fresh mind helps in generating new ideas.
The ideal way to plan a task is by having a to-do list. This helps in organising tasks and ideas both. It also gives the additional pleasure of crossing off those completed tasks. There are many online apps that help with making to-do lists like Todoist, Wunderlist, and Any.do to use. One can simply make it on their notepads and sticky notes.
Keeping the calendar organised is another huge part of planning. It helps in keeping a track of all of the meetings and appointments. Furthermore, allotting time on the calendar also helps in giving timely reminders about a task. This is the reason most of the influential people in the world find the use of a calendar of primary importance.
Breaks are Important
Francesco Cirillo is the creator of the best time management techniques: “The Pomodoro Technique,”. The concept is simple and the method is even simpler. As per Francesco Cirillo after working for 25 minutes continuously, one should take a break of 3 to 5 minutes.
Increase the duration of the break after every four periods. Follow this practice until the work is completed. As astonishing as it sounds, this increases the productivity. Additionally, it is scientifically proven that after some time the brain hits its saturation point. Relaxation and breaks recharge the brain leading to higher productivity and better ideas.
Review the Work Weekly:
Keeping a track of the work by reviewing it on a weekly basis is very essential. Apart from interacting with the team, this enables us to understand the progress of the task. It David Allen, author of the classic Getting Things Done, gave the following steps to follow in The Weekly Review: get clear, get current and get creative
Following this will assist you in planning your schedule, avoiding nasty surprises and staying on-top-of-things.
Eliminate the Unnecessary Meetings:
Some companies and teams hold meetings every morning even when not necessary. There are companies which hold meetings after every few hours. This reduces the productivity and might also hamper the concentration of the employees. Holding a weekly meeting is usually more than enough unless something needs to be discussed.
As per studies, almost 37 percent time of the employee is spent on meetings. Hence, understanding the need for limiting the number of meetings and identifying the nature of the meeting is crucial.
Multitasking is a Myth:
The most common myth of the modern times is that multitasking saves time. Most of the times, multitasking limits a person to procrastination and incomplete projects. As per Wrike, employees lose as much as 40 percent of their productivity while switching between tasks.
Assigning multiple tasks to the employees is not something that one should do. Thanks to technology, there are many online tools and apps that can complete tasks for people. This brings us to the last point.
Use Alternative Methods and Online Applications:
These days with the coming of online tools working has become so much easier. Initially, people had to find other people for services but now all that can be achieved by sitting at home. There are endless websites and applications that provide various kinds of services. From finding investors for invoices online on KredX(India’s first invoice discounting platform) to finding freelancers on Upwork we can get everything online. So why waste time, just work on the things that need to be worked on. For other things, there is the gift of apps and websites.
