Just the other day I was talking to a business owner that had just moved house and was devastated to lose his diary. At first, I was confused…I thought you could just re-download it from the Cloud, but then I realised he meant a good old-fashioned hard back paper diary!!! It had all his appointments for the coming weeks and months in it, plus notes on upcoming and past projects, client phone numbers, and even his girlfriend’s birthday in it!
Now, I often think of myself as a bit of a dinosaur, but even I can see the advantage of technology when it comes to time management for your business (well frankly for your personal life too).
There are lots and lots of tools out there that you can use, from digital diaries and calendars to project management systems, video conferencing and CRMs…I’m not going to go through each individual piece of technology, there are plenty of articles out there comparing Zoom with Teams and Outlook with iCal, but what I will do in this article is give you a quick run-down on the kinds of time management tools that are available and how you could use them.
Calendars
Examples: Outlook, Google Calendar, iCal
Ok, the main piece of tech that most people have switched to in order to more effectively manage their time is the online calendar. As well as entering appointments and meetings you can also set reminders and block out time for family or even a bit of downtime! My friend’s reason for not having one? He didn’t like the layout…well there are lots of different versions and in most of them you can change the layout too. Don’t like a week-to-view, easily switch to a day-view or even month-view.
Scheduling Tools
Examples: Hubspot, Calendly, Zoho
In combination with your shiny new digital calendar, you can also set up a scheduling tool, where people such as prospects, customers, and even your Mum can book an appointment with you. If you link this up to communication tools such as video conferencing software it will even set up the digital meeting space for you.
Task Management
Examples: Trello, Asana, Monday
These tools allow you to create to-do lists for yourself and others. You can use tools like this to manage the workload of your whole team, creating projects to collaborate on, setting deadlines and priorities and tracking progress.
Time Tracking
Examples: Toggl, Ever Hour, Harvest
These tools can help you monitor how you spend your time – preventing time-wasting and improving productivity. They can also be integrated into Task Management software so you can monitor and review how much time your team are spending on their tasks and ensure you are quoting and invoicing correctly.
Email Management
Examples: Outlook, Mail, Gmail
We all know about email these days, but did you know that many email programs have functionality which can help you prioritise your emails. Many other pieces of software such as CRMs and calendars can also integrate to your email program and save you even more time.
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But the benefits of joining our NoLimits business community don’t stop there. By becoming part of our community, you’ll have the opportunity to connect with other business owners, share insights and ideas, and build valuable relationships that will help your business thrive. Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to supercharge your business and join us today!
Communication
Examples: Teams, Zoom, Slack
Communication tools have been around for a while but have really taken off since Covid and the move to more flexible working. Instead of lengthy email conversations or driving miles for a twenty-minute meeting you can now jump onto a quick video call.
File Sharing
Examples: Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox
Cloud sharing platforms allow multiple users, even in different businesses to share files easily and securely. Many offer free versions up to a certain amount of storage. All you need is an internet connection to keep all your documents in the Cloud.
Automation
Examples: Hootsuite, Zapier
There are many automation tools which allow you to set up long- or short-term automations for repetitive tasks. You can automate emails such as chasing up quotes or invoices or use tools like Hootsuite to schedule social media posts for weeks in advance.
Note Taking
Examples: Evernote, Onenote
Rather than taking notes in a good old-fashioned notebook, why not try a note taking app instead. Your notes will always be saved in the Cloud, you’ll be able to search them easily (rather than flipping back through months of notes) and you can sync them across all your devices. Some even allow you to still write your notes with a stylus rather than typing them.
Accounting
Examples: Xero, FreeAgent, Sage, Quickbooks
As we move towards Making Tax Digital keeping your accounts in software rather than traditional books or even spreadsheets is going to become the norm, so you might as well get used to it now. Cloud-based accounting software significantly reduces admin time spent on accounts and you can even snap pics of your coffee receipts on the go!
CRMs
Examples: Hubspot, ZoHo, Salesforce
CRMs or Client Relationship Management Systems allow you to organise and streamline your relationships with your Prospects and Customers. You can use them as a simple way to keep all your contact details together, but they can do much more than that, organising your sales pipeline, marketing and even project management if you pick the right one.
Apps
Many of these pieces of software have an app version, so you can utilise this time-saving technology even when you are out and about.
I hope this article has helped you to understand some of the ways you can use technology to manage your time in your business. Did you know that as a member of NoLimits you can access discounts for many of these software including Monday, HubSpot and Sage?
By Duncan McKechnie
Join the NoLimits Business Community
Are you a business owner looking to take your business to the next level? Join our innovative community of like-minded professionals and gain access to a wealth of valuable resources, including a community portal to chat with other business owners, ebooks, business development software, and growth events that will transform the way you do business. Best of all, these resources are completely free and will be available to you forever.
But the benefits of joining our NoLimits business community don’t stop there. By becoming part of our community, you’ll have the opportunity to connect with other business owners, share insights and ideas, and build valuable relationships that will help your business thrive. Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to supercharge your business and join us today!