Time. It’s a resource that no one seems to have enough of. There are only limited hours in a day, and the fewer of them you can spend on admin means more time for profitable work and logging off early. So how do you save time while getting everything done?
Whether you're a one-man team or a team of 100+, doing these five things well can help you get control of your time.
Some admin time and downtime are unavoidable. In fact, spending 20 minutes now to get organised could easily save you and your team hours down the road. But spending time repeatedly on tasks that can be done more effectively is a waste of a valuable resource.
Take a look at your current processes and think if there are things you or your team are doing that could be done more smoothly. It could be something minor, like typing out a follow-up email instead of having a template, or something huge that wastes hours on every project.
Find ways to improve the time taken on admin and how automating the system could help. It’s essential not to sacrifice the quality of your work to do it faster. Automation and streamlining should help you keep more accurate records when done right.
Knowing what to expect from your day can help you get the most from it. Tasks tend to stretch with the time you give yourself to do them, but you can counteract this by giving yourself a to-do list at the start of the day.
Planning out what you want to get done and how long you expect it to take is a great way to push through work faster and stay on track. You can use scheduling tools to make sure that you and your team have a full schedule for each day or week without missing deadlines.
Planning ahead can also help you save time because it prevents confusion and procrastination between tasks. You are able to jump from one task to the next and stay focused throughout the day.
Learn more: 4 Tips for setting job costing goals for the new year
An often overlooked part of time-saving is keeping a tidy workshop. The time it takes to find the right materials or look up accurate information can greatly impact your overall time spent on a job.
Keeping accurate, easy-to-search records can help you massively reduce the admin time of your projects. For example, imagine an existing customer coming in for a new job. Your team member needs to find their previous work history, prepare a new quote for them, and then find the materials to do the job for them.
If your records are easy to use, this might take only minutes. If they aren’t, it could take upwards of an hour to complete. The change can be that dramatic.
Getting the right person doing the right job with the right tools can also be a huge time saver. Having experienced team members undertaking the work they know best can help you get work done quickly and give your more time.
Giving you and your team the tools to collaborate in an effective way can save business time. For example, being able to assign work to teams, or adding projects to a teammates’ calendars can help you effectively delegate tasks while keeping everyone informed.
Read More: Forbes’ “The Ultimate Guide To Delegating Effectively”
Having practical tools and systems at your disposal can make a huge difference. You can only do so much with ineffective systems or pen and paper. Having tools built for the job can mean you save time on admin and data entry.
For example, having quoting templates can allow you to turn a quote around in a matter of minutes. A stock control system can help your team find an item by letting your team know the location, shelf number and quantity remaining in seconds.
WorkGuru.io combines these features and more to help you save time and money on every project. Learn more about how WorkGuru.io can help you with more effective tools. Get a free demo and 14-day trial.
