They say that time is the greatest equalizer because everyone has the same 24 hours each day. As a business owner, knowing how to use those 24 hours to obtain maximum efficiency is incredibly important. During the peak season, as well as the months leading to it, it might seem as though you don’t have enough hours to finish all your tasks in a day. In contrast, the slower months couldn’t seem to roll by fast enough.
When it comes to running a business, the best way to measure time is through workplace productivity. And if you want your business to continually grow, you must know how to increase your and your team’s productivity at work. Are you making the most of your hours or do you constantly feel like chasing them? Does your staff put in as much work as you’re paying them for?
Have a look at these data that shows how time management affects efficiency – professionally and personally:
- People who work on a cluttered desk spend 1.5 hours/day or 7.5 hours/week looking for things or being distracted
- Managers spend 3 hours each day on disruptions
- 75% of US workers complain about feeling drained
- 20% of working hours are spent on high-impact tasks while 80% go to menial ones
- The average worker only spends 2 minutes per day having a meaningful conversation with their significant other and less than 30 seconds with their kids
These figures show how time management – or the lack thereof – affects one’s work productivity and personal life. In business, where time is just as important a commodity as money, knowing how to handle one’s hours is equivalent to acing tasks and hitting goals. In fact, proper time management practices lead to increased productivity and better work output. It can also ease you into the process of cost reduction. When you maximize your working hours, you also boost your chances of making money instead of spending it.
As a business owner and staff manager, you have the biggest influence as to how your employees handle their hours in a way that ticks their to-do list and advances your brand.
To help you do just that, here are 3 time management strategies to boost workplace efficiency:
1. Prioritize Tasks with Project Management Tools
A Dovico study revealed that the majority of people’s working hours are spent on tasks with less value than more important ones. Don’t let this be a common occurrence in your workplace. Make sure that you and your team are using project management tools to prioritize tasks.
The question is, how do you choose which one is best for your organization? Look for these features to help you zero in on the most appropriate time management tool for your team:
- Reasonable cost
- Customizable
- Secure
- Easy integration
- Accessibility
Here are three of the most popular project management apps or software to consider:
- Proofhub – Whether you have a physical establishment or operate a purely virtual business, you need different tools for different functions. Switching from one app to another can be tedious and expensive. Proofhub eliminates this inconvenience because it is packed with multiple functions, so you only use one app to complete several tasks. It has Kanban Boards to help users visualize project progression, a Proofing feature that speeds up file views and feedback, and White Labeling to help brands customize domain, colors, and logo for brand integration. It also has a multilingual feature to help brands with virtual staff from different parts of the world communicate better. Proofhub has a 30-day free trial and starts at $45/month.
- Zoho Projects – Zoho Projects is the platform for teams who prefer a simple, more straightforward task manager. It is also best for teams who are using Zoho CRM or Zoho Invoice. This tool includes Gantt charts for visualizing projects and schedules, employee time trackers, and customizable workflows. At $20/month, users can use Zoho Projects with Slack, Google, Dropbox, and Zapier.
- nTask – this project manager is best suited for small organizations as it is free for 5 workspaces and 200 MB worth of storage, with its pro package at only $2.99/month. With nTask, users can assign urgency for designated tasks, share data with clients or third-parties via public links, create checklists, schedule meetings, and search projects and files quickly. nTask also helps users export and share tasks while offline.
2. Delegate Tasks to Virtual Assistants
Delegating tasks is one of the oldest ways to save time, but designating tasks alone isn’t enough. You must also consider who you assign those tasks to if you want to get a quality outcome.
Traditionally, companies hire onsite workers with the best training and relevant work experience. However, this could be costly as more experienced candidates demand higher salaries or relocation pay. For one thing, some projects that require extra pairs of hands are seasonal and it makes better sense to get an Amazon virtual assistant to do it. For another, expanding one’s workspace and buying more office supplies to accommodate new hires may not be cost-effective for startups.
Outsourcing projects to a virtual assistant is therefore the way to go. You get to designate responsibilities and free up your calendar in a cost-effective way that boosts efficiency. Remote staffing is no longer a staffing option for businesses that only operate and make money from home. In fact, business owners should consider it as a primary employment option before hiring more on-site workers. It’s a win-win arrangement where both employers and employees enjoy benefits unseen from traditional office settings.
Here are some figures that illustrate this fact:
- 76% of workers believe flexible working arrangements help them find work-life balance
- 75% of workers say there are fewer distractions when they work from home
- 71% say they experience less stress without having to commute to work
- 76% of workers admit they would have more company loyalty if they have flexible working arrangements
As for business owners, increased staff productivity isn’t the only major benefit you will reap if you work with a VA. You can also save thousands of dollars if you work with a virtual staff rather than an onsite one.
- People who work on a cluttered desk spend 1.5 hours/day or 7.5 hours/week looking for things or being distracted
- Managers spend 3 hours each day on disruptions
- 75% of US workers complain about feeling drained
- 20% of working hours are spent on high-impact tasks while 80% go to menial ones
- The average worker only spends 2 minutes per day having a meaningful conversation with their significant other and less than 30 seconds with their kids
These figures show how time management – or the lack thereof – affects one’s work productivity and personal life. In business, where time is just as important a commodity as money, knowing how to handle one’s hours is equivalent to acing tasks and hitting goals. In fact, proper time management practices lead to increased productivity and better work output. It can also ease you into the process of cost reduction. When you maximize your working hours, you also boost your chances of making money instead of spending it.
As a business owner and staff manager, you have the biggest influence as to how your employees handle their hours in a way that ticks their to-do list and advances your brand.
To help you do just that, here are 3 time management strategies to boost workplace efficiency:
1. Prioritize Tasks with Project Management Tools
A Dovico study revealed that the majority of people’s working hours are spent on tasks with less value than more important ones. Don’t let this be a common occurrence in your workplace. Make sure that you and your team are using project management tools to prioritize tasks.
The question is, how do you choose which one is best for your organization? Look for these features to help you zero in on the most appropriate time management tool for your team:
- Reasonable cost
- Customizable
- Secure
- Easy integration
- Accessibility
Here are three of the most popular project management apps or software to consider:
- Proofhub – Whether you have a physical establishment or operate a purely virtual business, you need different tools for different functions. Switching from one app to another can be tedious and expensive. Proofhub eliminates this inconvenience because it is packed with multiple functions, so you only use one app to complete several tasks. It has Kanban Boards to help users visualize project progression, a Proofing feature that speeds up file views and feedback, and White Labeling to help brands customize domain, colors, logo for brand integration. It also has a multilingual feature to help brands with virtual staff from different parts of the world communicate better. Proofhub has a 30-day free trial and starts at $45/month.
- Zoho Projects – Zoho Projects is the platform for teams who prefer a simple, more straightforward task manager. It is also best for teams who are using Zoho CRM or Zoho Invoice. This tool includes Gantt charts for visualizing projects and schedules, employee time trackers, and customizable workflows. At $20/month, users can use Zoho Projects with Slack, Google, Dropbox, and Zapier.
- nTask – this project manager is best suited for small organizations as it is free for 5 workspaces and 200 MB worth of storage, with its pro package at only $2.99/month. With nTask, users can assign urgency for designated tasks, share data with clients or third-parties via public links, create checklists, schedule meetings, and search projects and files quickly. nTask also helps users export and share tasks while offline.
2. Delegate Tasks to Virtual Assistants
Delegating tasks is one of the oldest ways to save time, but designating tasks alone isn’t enough. You must also consider who you assign those tasks to if you want to get a quality outcome.
Traditionally, companies hire onsite workers with the best training and relevant work experience. However, this could be costly as more experienced candidates demand higher salaries or relocation pay. For one thing, some projects that require extra pairs of hands are seasonal and it makes better sense to get an independent contractor (virtual assistant) to do it. For another, expanding one’s workspace and buying more office supplies to accommodate new hires may not be cost-effective for startups.
Outsource projects to a Shopify virtual assistant is therefore the way to go. You get to designate responsibilities and free up your calendar in a cost-effective way that boosts efficiency. Remote staffing is no longer a staffing option for businesses that only operate and make money from home. In fact, business owners should consider it as a primary employment option before hiring more on-site workers. It’s a win-win arrangement where both employers and employees enjoy benefits unseen from traditional office settings.
Here are some figures that illustrate this fact:
- 76% of workers believe flexible working arrangements help them find work-life balance
- 75% of workers say there are fewer distractions when they work from home
- 71% say they experience less stress without having to commute to work
- 76% of workers admit they would have more company loyalty if they have flexible working arrangements
As for business owners, increased staff productivity isn’t the only major benefit you will reap if you work with a VA. You can also save thousands of dollars if you work with a virtual staff rather than an onsite one.
