Time is the one commodity that there just never seems to be enough of. Whether you’re running a start-up or a well established business, finding the time to focus on day-to-day management, as well as preparatory elements such as planning and strategy can be a real challenge. Key to being able to do this is appreciating the impact that time management has – and how getting it right can be truly transformative.
Tips for better time management
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Dedicate time to your own work
As a business owner you’ll have constant demands on your time and a tidal wave of questions and queries to deal with every day. Although these do need to be handled it’s also important to block out time that is purely for your work and which can’t be eroded by others’ requests.
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Avoid being constantly available on email
Instant communication can be incredibly useful but also very time consuming. Instead of repeatedly checking your emails through the day, dedicate a specific time to this activity. Aim to check your emails once every hour – or two hours – so that you’re staying on top of what’s coming into your inbox but also creating uninterrupted time for other work.
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Avoid sporadic meetings
The optimum way to book meetings is in groups. If you can take all your meetings over a morning, for example, you’ll be free to focus on other tasks in the afternoon. The alternative is being constantly interrupted by having to get to meetings that repeatedly disrupt your day.
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Keep everything concise
From short briefings and conversations to meetings with management or staff, work hard to ensure time isn’t being wasted in your interactions with others. The best way to ensure this is to have an agenda for every meeting – create a document in advance with space for topics, discussion points and what needs to be actioned. Make sure that the meeting stays focused on filling this document in and then share it afterwards with the other attendees so everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet.
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Create – and recreate – your task list
It’s essential that you have a “to do” list for every day, prioritising the most important tasks so that you don’t get stuck in less key matters. However, you need to remain flexible as change can happen quickly in business. Once you’ve created your task list, review it and don’t be afraid to shuffle tasks around, or add new ones, depending on how each day unfolds.
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Support yourself with smart tech
There are many different ways to optimise interaction and workflows today, from sharing documents via Google Drive to using platforms like Slack for communication. The key is to invest in technology that saves time, as opposed to adding yet more to what you need to do each day just to get any ROI from your tech.
These simple ways to better manage time can be very profitable, both in terms of your daily experience and also the business’ results.
Get in touch for more business management tips today.
