It is no secret that the right technology can help employees hone their time management skills. Think of it this way, a decade ago you needed several days or even weeks to send a simple message to someone through postal service. Compare this to today’s instant gratification of email. As you try to comprehend the importance of technology integration in time management, you should also think about other ways as well and ensure that tech doesn’t get on your way.
Paperwork
Think about the mounts of paperwork that used to litter newspaper offices, accounts’ offices, and every other business offices. With the advent of different technologies, there is no need to waste time organizing huge volumes of paperwork. Remember, two decades ago, organizations used manual cataloging to store files and retrieve these files when necessary.
Tech, including the basic options like word processing software and email, let you keep a more significant volume of information and files in digital files. Best of all, it allows you to search for files, no matter how minor or old they are, within seconds. This ability to effectively store and retrieve information quickly whenever you need it is always a time-saver.
Calendars
Most people and business have found great success in allocating their time efficiently using digital scheduling options such as online calendars and time clock tech. You can keep a calendar in your handheld device such as a smartphone, iPad, or even tablet.
Besides, you can sync this calendar with a larger business calendar. This will definitely save you time, particularly if you must enter data in multiple locations. You also don’t need to inform your employees about your whereabouts as they can view your schedule if you allow them to do so.
These tools let your employees and other people know when you are in the office or out of office. They can also know when you have a scheduled meeting and other details that might keep them from spending too much time tracking you. That means they can know the right to call you and schedule a meeting with you.
Challenges
Well, there are so many productivity and time planning tools on the internet today. Indeed, they are so many that sometimes the tech itself can get in your way. A recent study carried out by Basex, a reputable research firm, the average attention span of employees is approximately three minutes. Therefore, there is a challenge here when it comes to using the tools appropriately.
Workers should also beware of time-wasters that are likely to disguise as good time management options. For instance, if you are using Instant messenger or Tweets to share essential details with your employees, it is easy to get distracted. Thus, you should be cautious enough not to get caught up checking other people’s activities on Instant Messenger or Twitter. In most cases, these other users have nothing to do with the task at hand, and therefore, you should focus on using the toll for work-related reasons.
Different ways to improve
It is essential to keep some essential things in mind and make sure that the time management tools you use don’t cost you more time. To begin with, unless you own a company that specializes only in staying on the cutting edge of time management tech, do not be among the first entities to test-drive a new time management tool.
Keep in mind that new programs, also known as beta releases, are sometimes fraught with bugs that need to be fixed. Rather, wait for a more refined version of the program. It is also recommended to develop an outstanding time management plan for your entire organization instead of relying solely on technology.
For example, you can map out your time or days the way you create your daily schedule. Set the amount of time you will spend on social networks such as Twitter or Facebook reading news. You should stick to that schedule. Experts advise that you should also schedule regular assessments of the strategies that may be working and those that don’t. After all, you do not want to continue using time management tech that’s costing you more resources.
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