Of all the resources companies regularly monitor and allocate, time is perhaps the most important. In the business world, saving time can also save money, and time can often be the difference between a happy customer and an angry one, or a successful launch and a failed one. This makes finding ways to save time a top priority for any business owner.
To help their own businesses save time, the members of Council for Young Entrepreneurs have implemented a few productivity hacks of their own. Below, they each discuss their chosen strategy and what other companies can do to benefit.
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1. Prioritize using an Eisenhower matrix
We implement the Eisenhower matrix when managing projects or tasks and it has helped us greatly to improve our productivity. It is a project management mechanism that allows us to prioritize our tasks by focusing on two important factors: importance and urgency. It’s a fairly self-explanatory model to implement in a company and you don’t need to go through extensive training to train your team. – Chris Closowski, Simple digital downloads
2. Use project management tools to plan your week
We use a project management tool to break down recurring and project-based tasks for each team member. We require each team member to plan their week ahead and check upcoming tasks to make sure they have everything they need to get done with a minimum of back and forth. This type of management reduces day-to-day communication and helps us meet deadlines. – Libby Rothschild, Dietician boss
3. Encourage time blocking
Time blocking is the most useful strategy to maximize productivity. To use this tactic, encourage your team to close uninterrupted periods of time that are pre-scheduled for high-priority tasks and make sure time is spent working on those tasks. This creates blocks of meetings and blocks of free time, giving everyone a schedule with extended uninterrupted time to focus. – Arian Radmand, IgnitePost
4. Make use of asynchronous video messages
“Loom, not Zoom” is a slogan for our team! This means we use asynchronous video messages for anything that doesn’t require real-time discussion. This eliminates unnecessary meetings, improves efficiency, allows for flexible schedules and, most importantly, this approach has over time given us a library of videos that are now used for training and support that continue to save us time. – Devesh Dwivedi, Devesh Dwivedi
5. Make sure everyone takes regular breaks
Sometimes one can be so focused on one’s work that one reaches the point of exhaustion, which can affect labor productivity. Scheduling micro-moments to get away from the daily grind and unwind can help you relax and get back to your tasks. Other companies may encourage employees to take breaks, especially on tight deadlines, to improve productivity rather than burn out. – Brian David Crane, Spread great ideas
6. Automate repetitive tasks
Automating repetitive tasks has saved our team countless hours. We use several tools to relieve people of repetitive tasks. Things like social media posting, emailing, campaign management, and even some aspects of content production are exhausting and daunting, but also absolutely necessary. We have “outsourced” them to technology and this is the best decision we have ever made. – Solomon Thimothee, OneIMS
7. Empower your teams with project autonomy
A productivity hack that has worked for us is that we empowered our teams to design their workflows and have end-to-end accountability for projects. Of course we have clearly communicated our vision, but it is the teams who come up with the action plan and strategies to achieve the set milestones. This has saved a lot of time because there are fewer strategy and follow-up conversations. – Stephanie Wells, Formidable shapes
8. Set clear goals and trajectories
You can substantially improve productivity at the business level by establishing clear goals and trajectories. Some employees work fine on their own, but others need structure to be as productive as possible. Instead of saying, “I want us to have 10,000 Twitter followers,” explain how you want the team to accomplish this task. Mapping out clear paths for your team saves time and dispels self-doubt. – Chris Christopher, Monster Insights
9. Set ‘Rocks’ on a weekly basis
We are currently trying a policy of setting “rocks” or personal goals related to projects and assignments on a weekly basis. Then we schedule a weekly meeting to talk about these rocks and whether they are achievable within a certain deadline. It saves time when new clients sign up or we have potential opportunities that require time investment. Businesses can do the same with weekly meetings and goals. – Duran Inc, Optimal7
