Depending on how much time you spend at the office each day, you probably have somewhere between 8 and 12 hours each day to get work done – maybe 14 if you’re really grinding. But even if you’re at the office from dusk till dawn, it seems like there’s not enough time in the day to get everything done.
5 Ways You Can Save Time Each Day
Time, not money, is the most precious commodity you have. You can always make more money, but you can’t create more time. Whether it’s today, tomorrow, or the next day, here are some practical ways you can save time and maximize productivity and output.
1. Prepare the Night Before
There’s nothing worse than showing up to work in the morning and trying to figure out what you should do first. Not only does this waste time, but it often results in poor task management.
One of the best things you can do is prepare the night before. Before you go to bed, grab your daily planner and rank the top five things you need to get done the next day. When you arrive at the office in the morning, you’ll be able to dive right in.
2. Automate Mundane Tasks
Want to know one really practical way you can save some time each day? Try streamlining those mundane, time-consuming tasks that don’t really add value to the bottom line. One such task is scheduling for shift workers.
If you’re still doing manual scheduling, you’re wasting time. There are plenty of automated schedule makers online, like Humanity, which streamline the process and allow you to create schedules in minutes (as opposed to hours).
Other tasks you can automate include social media, email, and even accounting and invoicing. Many tools are free, while others come at very affordable monthly rates.
3. Take Short Breaks
Believe it or not, you can save time by taking short breaks. While you might think it’s admirable to push through and get everything done without stopping, you’re actually killing your productivity. A five-minute break every hour allows you to recharge and return to your work with a fresh perspective.
Finding it difficult to focus in the afternoons? Maybe you need to fit a little physical activity into your routine. As health and wellness coach Kate Bartolotta notes, “Studies have shown that a moderate level of cardio activity can boost creativity and productivity for two hours afterward. Plus, the change of scene and focus may just be the shift you need for your next breakthrough at work.”
4. Kill Useless Meetings
Hate to break it to you, but most staff meetings are a total waste of time. You might feel like you’re getting a lot done, but all you’re really doing is distracting people from their work, chopping their days up into little segments, and preventing them from fulfilling their duties.
5. Log Out of Your Email Account
Want to do something totally radical? Log out of your email account for at least two hours every day. These email-less periods of time will turn into your most productive hours of the entire day, guaranteed.
Every Minute Counts
It’s easy to talk yourself into doing something that doesn’t add value to your business. For example, you might think there’s nothing wrong with pulling up your phone and scrolling through Facebook for a few minutes. But do you want to know the truth? Every single minute of your day counts. From the moment you show up at the office until the moment you go home, you need to be focused. One wasted minute turns into two, which turns into three, etc.
Save minutes where you can and utilize the handful of hours you have each day to truly be productive.