In my opinion, there is becoming more of a need to focus on Time management in today’s society due to the fast pace world we live in. More people are becoming bogged down with a bad work/life balance, and never enough hours in the day to do everything. If you’re a working, Mum, you might perhaps work full-time as well as having to to the daily ‘mum’ chores around the house. There is always so much to do! Having good time management is a must for every business/household.
Here are 10 practical tips for saving time through organisation and effective administrative practices, which might help:
1- Time Blocking
It is a great way to manage your diary by entering blocks in perhaps for focus time in the morning or exercise (for example), breaks throughout the day or in between meetings, and then finishing the day at a reasonable time in order to have some relaxation.
2 – Prioritise Tasks
Do you have a never-ending list of tasks? Prioritising tasks in order of importance is always a brilliant way to start your day. I always write a to do list in the mornings so I know exactly what I need to do for the day and it sets the intentions. I love a list, and it’s a great excuse to buy more stationary!
3 – Declutter Your Workspace
Having a tidy workstation is a brilliant idea. It enhances productivity, creates a stress-free working environment, and you can always find whatever you need. There is nothing worse than filtering through stack loads of paper because you can’t find what you need. Decluttering is the way forward!
4 – Use Technology
I highly recommend utilising productivity tools and apps for task management and communication. This makes it easier to do your job, some apps I would suggest are Trello which helps delegate tasks. Grammarly which is AI Assistance to help proofread and ensure the correct spelling and grammar is used and many more apps such as Trello, Toggl, Dashlane and Asana.
5 – Set Deadlines
I highly recommend setting yourself some deadlines, however small to get yourself going. Deadlines are a great way to stay focused, on time and to keep productive. It will also keep you motivated, as you can slot rest breaks exercise or do whatever makes you happy in your breaks.
6 – Batch Similar Tasks
Have you tried grouping similar tasks efficiently? For example, I batch my time in the morning to go through my clients inboxes, go through overnight emails and actions where required. All the inboxes are cleared down so I can then go back over and action, flag or highlight anything my clients needs to see or respond to. I then do another time block to look at travel for clients and then perhaps diary management. This reduces time where you’re jumping around to various topics all day, which in turn maximises time and effort.
7 – Delegate tasks
This is one that some of my clients find hard to do, as it can be a case of needing to let go of all control and delegates tasks that they might well do themselves to other people. If you can do it, it’s really effective in helping you with your time management and letting someone else do the workload for you. a lot of my clients find this very difficult, but taking small steps will eventually show vast improvements and will enable you to concentrate on tasks which need your attention more.
8 – Limit Multitasking
Leave this to your assistant! Multitasking is something that they are good at, and are used to do doing. Multitasking can decrease your productivity. If you are jumping around all over the place in and out of different things you are not focusing on what subjects are important to you and your business limit your time doing this, and look at delegating the work out to an assistant.
9 – Take regular breaks
Blocking your diary out for regular breaks throughout the day is a great way to start planning your diary in a more productive way. Think about having calls for 25 minutes instead of half an hour or 55 minutes instead of one hour, so your meetings finish on time, and you can take regular comfort breaks throughout your day.
10 – Reflect and improve
Take some time out to make a note on what you really need to improve your diary and your work/personal life. Start small and jot down some things that’s are not working for you and what you might like to change. That’s a great starting point to implementing some changes to how you work and manage your time.
With these few tips, I hope to be able to offer some support in how you can change your life.
Are you in need of a virtual business assistant to help finish your To-do list? Look no further than Every Cloud Virtual Business Services. We have got your admin covered, as well as range of other services, which you can explore here. Get in touch to make your next business trip a stress free experience!
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