23 Sep How to Simplify Business Processes with Time Tracking.
Posted at 06:46h
in How To
Growing a business is hard work but a Time Tracking Tool can help you with it. Unless you have a job that requires you to sit around all day with nothing to do, there will always be more things to do than time in the day. As an entrepreneur with several businesses under your hat, this can feel even more challenging. Checking and re-checking every invoice, keeping tabs on stock levels and expenses, and filing your taxes quarterly—are some of the many administrative tasks that all small business owners need to tackle to grow their company and keep it running. There are so many processes that we as humans complete without thinking: whether it’s locking the front door when leaving home or switching off the lights before bed. These actions become second nature after doing them over and over again. Humans are designed to do things instinctively because they’ve done them so in the past. This natural way of thinking is called ‘second nature because these activities become a natural part of who you are, something you don’t even have to think about. So how does this relate to growing and scaling a business? Well, if we stopped for a moment and thought about what we were doing rather than going through the motions without question, we could streamline processes and save time in the long run. Here are some tips on simplifying your business processes using time tracking software…
Define your biggest procrastination time sucks
A significant part of simplifying your business processes is working out where your time gets lost. For example, you may have a meeting scheduled for 10 am that you are 15 minutes late for, and then you find yourself rushing from one task to the next all day. If you keep doing this, you’ll never have time to complete all your studies. And while this may feel pretty normal, with everything on your plate hanging over your head, it’s essential to work out which activities are most time-dependent. This way, you’ll be able to focus on your tasks and save time in the long run. If you haven’t already, it’s time to review your to-do list. Is there an item you’ve had on the go for weeks? it’s something that you’ve been putting off because you don’t know how to tackle it. If you don’t know where next to start or even how to break down a task, this is a clear indicator that you need to take some time out and get some advice from a mentor or colleague. Procrastination is almost always a sign that you need to take a step back and reassess where you’re at in your business. That said, certain things are a real-time suck, and you need to be honest with yourself and determine where you’re going wrong.
Track the time you spend on tasks
It sounds so simple, but it is important to track the time you spend on different tasks. Why? Time Tracking will enable you to understand where your time goes and which areas of your business are taking up more time than they should be. It also gives you a clear picture of what you should be spending less time on and what tasks you should be spending more time on. While it might seem like a lot of time and effort, time tracking is worth it. It will give you a clear picture of where your time goes each day and help you to build a better schedule for the future. Marking down each task that you complete and the amount of time you spend on each one, will also help you to gain a clearer perspective and identify the biggest wastes of time in your business.
Run a 30-day time tracking experiment with ClockIt.
If you find yourself in the same situation month after month, it’s time to reassess your workflow. If you’ve been tracking your time for several weeks or months, and nothing has changed, it could be that you’re not following the right things. It’s essential to track the time spent on each task and all the more minor aspects of each lesson, not the broad ‘Marketing’ keyword. This way, you’ll be able to see exactly where your time goes and which tasks are causing the most time loss. There are several time-tracking apps you can use to help you with this. There’s Clockit, Streak, Time Doctor, RescueTime, and Hubstaff. Depending on your business, you should try to find an app that best fits your needs.
Identify the biggest wastes of time.
By tracking your time and reviewing the data, you’ll be able to see where your time goes and identify the biggest wastes of time in your business. You might find that the most significant waste of time is not the marketing activities you were expecting, or you might find that you’re spending too much time on one task. Whatever the results are, you need to act on them. If you’re wasting time on administrative tasks that aren’t adding value to your business, now is the time to reassess your workflow. By following the tips below, you’ll be able to cut down on the time that you spend on these tasks and be able to dedicate more time to the essential tasks that are driving your business forward.
Create actionable steps to combat waste
Now that you’ve identified the biggest wastes of time in your business, you need to create actionable steps to combat them. If you’re spending too much time on administrative tasks, you need to take action and delegate these tasks to other team members. If you don’t have a team, now is the time to start looking. If you’re spending too much time on a particular task, you need to reassess the workflow and see if there is a better way to complete the job. If you have an actionable 30-day plan, it’s easier to stay focused on what matters and achieve the results you want to see in your business.
Review and celebrate your wins
It’s important to take time out and celebrate the small wins; they make a huge difference. By tracking your time and following the tips above, you’ll be able to create a workflow that works for you and your team. You’ll also have more time to focus on activities that drive your business forward and be able to achieve more in your day. With more time and energy to focus on your business, you’ll be able to see better results in your company and feel more accomplished in your day-to-day. It’s essential to take a step back and reflect on your wins from time to time. By celebrating your successes, you’ll be able to keep the momentum going and stay motivated in the long run. With the tips above, you’ll be able to simplify your business processes and focus on the tasks that matter most in your business.
