One thing we can never get back is our time. There are not enough hours in the day to accomplish all your personal and business goals. Time is limited. As part of business essentials, you should practice 10 ways to maximize time management to grow and support your company.
Great time management skills will help busy companies prioritize and achieve all their work tasks and goals faster. As a business leader, you will be able to take on new opportunities and grow your business through a sustainable approach.
Business Essentials: Time Management
Time management is a strategy skill of planning out your available time and allocating the appropriate amount of time to tasks or projects in order to work more efficiently.
As a COO industry leader, I have witnessed work, business outcomes and people’s well-being suffer without strong time management. Managing time is important for project management and change management.
If you are in a leadership or management position, it is even more critical you have excellent time management skills so that your teams are able to also exhibit high performance and quality work. Time management is a skill of habit that can be developed.
10 Ways to Maximize Time Management
1. Plan & Set Goals
One of the best business solutions for the overwhelmed CEO is to strategically plan and practice goal setting. Company leadership and employees should set short and long-term goals.
Tasks or projects that don’t contribute to these business objectives should be re-assigned or scrapped altogether.
2. Prioritize Tasks to Boost Productivity and Effectiveness
Time management is about doing the right task or projects that are aligned with set business plans and goals. Managers and employees should learn to order tasks/projects in order of urgency and importance.
Supervisors should cultivate a positive and productive work culture. Assist team members if they need help with prioritizing work. Develop open communication.
3. Self- Motivation
Every person in your company should be motivated each and every day. They should practice self-motivation and be driven by personal values and the company’s mission, vision and values. They should push to deliver their best quality work.
Business leaders should have business systems in place to help support and deliver their teams’ best work. This is also why it’s important to hire and create winning teams that take initiative and align with your company values.
4. Organize & Manage Communications
The organization gives you some direction. Being organized is one of the most effective skills anyone can have. It goes hand in hand with planning. When you have the right structure, processes and communication flow, you will accomplish more with less wasted time.
5. Focus to Maximize Time Management
In today’s technological world, we are constantly bombarded with distractions – emails, social media, phone calls. We have competing priorities and everything seems to eat away at our time. Stay focused on your plan and priorities.
Schedule times in the day to accomplish certain tasks or meetings in your personal and business life. Avoid interruptions.
6. Manage Stress & Conflict
Stress management and conflict management affect how anyone manages their time. When a leader or employee misses a goal, deadline or things don’t go as planned – they should remain calm and reset.
Efficient coping skills and high emotional intelligence are key to handling the pressures of the workplace. Everyone will be productive and efficient. Panicking will not allow anyone to think straight or focus.
Start over and keep a positive mindset. Stay calm, cool and collected. Reduce stress levels.
7. Streamline Processes & Systems
Create and streamline effective processes in your office and between different office locations. Implementing process excellence eliminates inefficiencies, reduces costs, and saves time.
You will profit from the 6 core processes clearly articulated in your business. Everyone will be on the same page as to what to expect and produce.
8. Dedicate Time for Less Pleasant Work & Schedule Tasks for Peak Performance
Procrastination can be your worst enemy. Dedicate time for the work you enjoy least to ensure it gets done! Sometimes it’s best to get less desirable work done first so you don’t put it off.
Schedule tasks so that you are allocating time for specific tasks and projects. Do this for both individual and teamwork during meetings. This allows you to focus on one task at a time and have peak performance.
9. Delegate to Boost Productivity and Effectiveness
Hiring the right people for your company sets you up for better effectiveness and efficiency. As a leader, you can feel confident to delegate work that fits your skills and competency. Entrust a task or responsibility to empower and give ownership and accountability to your team.
The power to delegate should not be misused to avoid work or responsibility. Delegate responsibly as part of cultivating a positive work culture and improving time management.
10. Ensure Proper Work-Life Balance
Your company’s work culture should encourage proper work-life balance. Work-life balance is both a company and individual responsibility. Business leadership and employees should practice time management.
The goal of proper work-life balance is to have healthy individuals working in a healthy organization. Overtired, burnt-out or overburdened teams won’t be as productive or efficient.
Be smart with your time and energy. Be practical and realistic with goal-setting, timelines, and individual responsibilities.
Ensure proper work-life balance to improve:
- Profits
- Employee Morale
- Customer Service
- Company Reputation
- Recruiting and Retention
Being resourceful with your time is invaluable. It is a business essential to boost your productivity and effectiveness. Time is limited.
Time management skills are one of the most valuable skills you have in business and in life.
Entrepreneurs, freelancers, and managers must maximize time management. Provide your employees with the training and tools they need to optimize their performance.
Written by Sasha Lalite
Presented by lastyleleaders.com