Since it’s the beginning of the year and all I thought it would be good to share some time saving tips with you.

One of the common shared experiences people had last year was an issue with time.  There just did not seem to be enough time to get through it all and I’m convinced it won’t be any different this year.  It seems that while technology is meant to make our lives easier it has just gone and made things all complicated because it is now easier to connect and communicate but harder to keep up.

Last year a lot of us tried to multi-task and I think for some of us it created more confusion and a whole lot of unproductivity.  This year let’s get back to focus.  Being in that moment where you are not multi-tasking but actually giving each task your full and complete  attention.

Here are some time saving tips:

• Every day make a list of all the things you need to do for that day.
• On that list choose 2 productive tasks, this could be writing a blog, or working on your website, this is not checking email by the way, focus on 2 tasks that will take you a step closer to your goal.
• Spend roughly 1 hour a day around 10am dealing with emails.  Don’t look at your inbox again until the end of the day.
• Spend another 30 to 45 minutes in social networking spaces and network.
• Focus on your 2 tasks that is going to take you one step closer to your goals.

Now there are other things you can do to help you save time.

Online Shopping

If you have the advantage of shopping online, do it!  Shop and pay your bills online.  Why spend time getting in your car, sitting in traffic driving to the store, then look for parking and stand in queues when you can go online and have it delivered to your door.

Delays and Queues

Always carry a book, an Ipod, or your Tablet with you for these moments.  This is the perfect time to catch up on reading, catch up on telephone calls or catch up on social networking.  Instead of complaining the queue is too long, or the train is late, take out your book, your audio, or your tablet and be productive.

Public Transport

While public transport has its issues and we all get frustrated, on the upside, if you can travel via public transport I recommend it because it’s a good time to catch up on reading, listen to that audio or have a catnap.

Systems and Processes

Alot of creative people love to dig in their hills here and scream NO, GET ME OUT OF HERE!  I’m a creative and a systems person so I get to see the benefits of having a balance of both.  The reality is people need boundaries, they need to know how things work and they need that security to know that things are running smoothly, it builds confidence.  When things are all the place, not getting done or it keeps changing from one day to the next, then it causes people to wonder if things are secure and stable and trust me if people feel that on the inside, it will be felt on the outside.  You can lose potential partners and investors because of this.

I recently worked with a company who were all over the place.  They had no systems in place and when you were given a task to do, the next thing you know it’s been taken away from you and someone esle is dealing with it.  No one knew what was going on and there was no clear communication system in place.  People were in the dark, and as I connected with people on the outside of the company and mentioned I no longer worked there, people actually started sharing with me that they had their doubts, that they felt things were unstable, things were in chaos.  They thought it was all going to  crash if something is not done.  Funny how people always say things after you leave or when you no longer friends with someone.

Get someone who knows how to help you implement systems.  Get the process started and stick to it.  Really lead by example, if you as the leader follows the system everyone else will.  It will build confidence and save a lot of time.

Don’t dump everything on one person.  Have different department heads who are complete control of that area and if they have an issue they report back to you.  There is a chain of command.  Yes, the bosses door is always open but only when you felt you had no joy with your department head.  One of my clients does this really well, she has a virtual team.  One person is in charge of sales, the other in charge of online, the other in charge of products.

Systems and processes actually help to relieve stress.  It boosts investor and partner confidence.  I’ve been on both sides and I’ve seen it, this is why I’m sharing this.

Outsourcing

I know alot of small businesses think they save lots of money doing it themselves, but seriously you don’t.  Think of all the hours you are wasting doing that admin, writing that content, when you could be generating leads or working with clients?  If you earn R500 per hour and you are spending 3 hours on things you can pass on to other people you are losing out on R1,500.  Use that time to write your books, network, generate leads, develop products.

I promised myself I’d keep this short so before I get going again.  Let’s stop here.

What suggestions do you have that’s helped you save time.  I’d love to hear your thoughts experiences you’ve had when businesses function without a system.