Good time management is the key to a successful business. Why? Time is a fixed resource and you can’t change that. You have a limited number of hours in a day to complete your job, and 60 minutes in an hour to organise your activities. You cannot alter this. But, even if people have limited time resources, they have an unlimited list of tasks they have to complete. Therefore, sometimes it’s challenging to do everything you plan.
Good time management is essential in both personal and professional life, so ensure you use your time wisely. And you can do it if you carefully use the limited time you have available. However, this doesn’t mean you should rush to do something, you need to count on the right methods to do everything successfully.
If you run a company, you are probably looking constantly for new ways to help your team effectively manage their time. This guide may help you because it combines some of the best tools and techniques.
Keep reading!
Organise tasks by their priorities
Being the manager, you can organise the list of tasks your employees have to complete, according to their priority. A list of priorities helps them be more organised and it works like a map that guides them from morning to the end of work. This way they can manage their time effectively and efficiently.
Create a guide that tells your employees what they have to do daily, and soon they’ll develop the habit to organise the tasks themselves. When they’ll understand that it’s effective to plan the tasks according to their priority, they may even apply this technique in their day-to-day life.
Your goal as the manager of the business is to prioritise the activities that bring you the greatest revenue.
Use a planning app
When managing more teams, it’s easier to organise their tasks if you use a planning app. An app that allows you to create To-Do lists for each of your departments or teams helps you finish projects on time.
Another way to effectively manage time is to create a To-Do list for each of the projects you run. This way all teams can check the tasks they have to complete for specific projects, and ensure they do it before deadlines.
Planning apps are effective if you set deadlines for each task and you delegate operations to specific teams or employees. Establish a priority level. Each task can fall in one from 4 categories, from the most to the less important.
If your employees work only in teams use a tool designed for team-use. This way you can directly allocate the tasks to the right team members, and set different lists of activities for every one of them.
Encourage your employees to take breaks
Some of your employees may think taking time from their work is counter-intuitive because it reduces their performance. But studies show that people can focus on a task for a limited period, so they need breaks to allow their mind to recover concentration.
People’s mind needs a break from sustained work, so establish breaks your employees are obliged to take. Often, during downtimes their minds have the opportunity to search for new and innovative ideas to solve the problems they are dealing with.
Encourage your employees to have a walk outside the office every two hours, and to even meditate for 5- or 10-minutes. Company managers are advised to schedule relaxation breaks. If they don’t unwind from their work intentionally, they’ll feel tired and unable to complete their job.
When you notice your employees forget to take breaks from work, establish enforced downtimes.
Invest in a high-quality time management system
Most people don’t have brilliant time-management skills. Often, they even deal with crisis because they forget to plan certain things. But a time management tool can help them keep track of time and prioritise their activities. Timesheet Portal is a time management systems provider that recommends company managers to use a tool that allows them to configurate the features according to their needs. An easy-to-use system can work wonders. Don’t invest in a complex tool because your employees will spend more time trying to figure out how to use it than focusing on their projects.
A timesheet portal leaves little room to mistakes because it calculates the time you need to do something. Electronic tools are perfect for busy people because they can access them from their work computers to periodically check the tasks they have to do. A good time management system is the one that captures all the tasks your employees need to do, the goals of the projects you are working on, and the required actions for the project to be successful.
Recommend your employees to have periodical digital detox
Technology has taken over people’s lives. They are constantly using a digital device, and this can curb their capacity of attention and performance. Digital tools distract people from their work, so you should recommend your team to put aside all the devices they don’t need to complete their job. Self-discipline is an essential step in improving your performance.
Team-buildings are great solutions to perform regulate detox. Plan outdoors team-buildings to help your employees unwind. Organise activities that require them to leave their phones and computers at home. Not only that it helps them connect and bond with their colleagues, but it also helps them clear their mind from clutter.
Some company managers use tools that block certain websites. This way their employees can access only the resources they need to complete their job. For example, if you notice that your employees spend too much time scrolling on social media channels, you can block those websites. Set block durations for each of the websites, until your employees understand that their social media addiction affects their work performance. When they’ll notice they have a better result if social media doesn’t distract them, they’ll adopt this rule without you blocking their access to certain websites.
These are only some of the tools and techniques you can use to help your employees manage their time. You can adapt them to the specific needs of your business.
