“A man who dares to waste an hour of his time has not discovered the value of life” – Charles Darwin.
Charles Darwin sure didn’t Google time management tips. After all, he was a pre-internet thinker. Can you believe that Darwin, whose well-known ideas shaped scientific thought, was not a workaholic? He also struggled with procrastination! How could he become famous? Because he worked smart. But unlike Darwin, most people work harder or longer, rather than just better. That brings us to the concept of “time management”. Time management refers to how we efficiently allocate time to various activities each day. It’s getting things done, period.
It sounds simple, but it’s not always easy, especially when you’re a small business owner with multiple responsibilities. Ask yourself the following question: do you manage to cross off all the tasks on your daily list? Check this out: One study found that 41 percent of things people check off on their daily to-do lists never get done. Poor time management is often to blame. Here we bring you several tips to help you manage your time, increase your productivity and have more free time.
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Plan your day in detail and stick to your plan
Never face a day without having clear goals, both your personal goals and those of your business. Get organized with goals in mind. Suppose you have a workshop. You must know exactly what needs to be done each day. Don’t jump from one task to another: that can hurt your productivity. However, there are exceptions. For example, if a customer shows up with a car emergency that would take you just a couple of minutes to fix, that would be an exception. You can use an online calendar tool. It can help a lot!
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Choose a single task and focus all your attention on it
Everyone says that “multitasking” (doing several tasks simultaneously) is a skill that you should have in your repertoire, especially if you are a business owner. But you shouldn’t waste time on multiple tasks at once because this can result in lower-quality work. If, for example, you are examining a car engine to diagnose problems, then forget about everything else.
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Delegate work to other people
You are probably the best mechanic out there. But also surely you have thoroughly trained your employees. Have other qualified employees perform different tasks for you. And don’t be on top of them all the time trying to direct or control them. Delegating tasks will make your team feel better and more accountable. And it will help you accomplish more in less time.
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Create a clean and well-organized work environment
Workshops are usually messy and dirty places. However, the more disorganized your space is, the more difficult it will be for you and your employees to find what they need. Your office should look better than any other office of a garage owner. Having a well-organized workspace will affect the way you do your work. Also, it can allow you to charge relatively higher prices, and therefore make more profit.
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Identify the activities that make you waste time
Everyone can identify various tasks that are a waste of time. Sometimes, it’s about responding to emails. Or spend more time than necessary talking by the coffee machine. In a workshop, chatting with colleagues can create camaraderie and good energy. However, doing it too much wastes your time. Come to an agreement with your employees about how much time they should spend on each task and how much free time they have.
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Resting can save you time
You’re reading this because you need time management tips to help you get more done in less time, right? How can rest help? Archimedes probably wouldn’t have made his magnificent discovery if he hadn’t taken a break. While he was enjoying a bath, he turned on the light. In the same way, a nap, even a short one, can clear your mind. New ideas come when your mind is not too busy. So rest!
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Assign “time blocks” to daily tasks
The “Pomodoro Technique” is one of the best time management tips you can follow. Something as simple as a Pomodoro (a tomato-like timer, like those used to measure time in the kitchen) allows you to organize your tasks into 25-minute “time blocks.” A workshop can be a bit noisy at times. But you can still use timers.
So…are you ready to manage time better?
Interesting Related Article: “What is productivity? Definition and meaning“