Working more efficiently can quickly add up to significant time savings and cost savings. Whether you’re self-employed or operating with a large staff, staying productive and ahead of the curve requires using time wisely. While you can’t stop the clock to gain an extra hour or two, you can consider these six time-saving techniques:
- Create a daily schedule | A little structure can go a long way to saving time. It can be easy to let time fly when working on certain tasks, especially the ones you find more enjoyable. However, when this happens it means you have less time to spend on other tasks. Creating a daily schedule of what you want and need to get done will help you keep better track of how you are using your time. It also makes it easier to prioritize tasks, so you don’t end up spending too much time on less important tasks.
- Log out of email and social media | Each time you check your email or social media accounts, you are disrupting your work flow. It may not seem like a lot, but a few minutes here and there quickly adds up. By shutting down these channels at certain times, you will be minimizing distractions and maximizing your focus on tasks that are relevant to your business’ bottom line.
- Take breaks | Unlike getting distracted by email and social media, taking regular breaks allows you to empty your mind and refresh. Owning your own business is like running a marathon, not a sprint. You want to pace yourself and keep your energy up. In short, it’s about surge and recover.
- Leverage Software Solutions| Today there’s a software application for just about every function in business. In fact, 47% of today’s jobs are projected to be replaced by technology. By leveraging these powerful tools and choosing ones that work well together, you can save tons of time while also improving output. For example, Insightly’s CRM solution integrates with many different applications such as QuickBooks, MailChimp, Dropbox and multiple Google apps. Not only will this save you from having to re-enter customer data into several different programs, but you can also easily generate powerful reports that significantly improve decision making.
- Minimize multitasking | There’s really no such thing as multitasking at a functional level. Multitasking requires splitting your attention in ways that guarantee mistakes and ensures that you’re not working at 100% on any one task. While it may not be totally avoidable, minimizing when it happens is key to working efficiently.
- Outsource | Being self-employed often means you have to wear many hats. Unfortunately, this is not always the best use of your time or the best return on investment for your talents. Consider outsourcing some of the more established business functions, such as payroll. You can also hire a virtual assistant to help on a project basis with some of your more routine administrative tasks. By focusing on what you do well and enjoy, you’ll likely be more successful while also getting everything done more efficiently.
In business, it’s true that time is money. Try out one or more of these tricks for working more efficiently and watch your income grow.