Using time management techniques to track your time can feel challenging at first. Intentionally spending time focusing on productivity is not something people naturally do. However, time management systems can bring you closer to your goals more rapidly than sporadically focusing on productivity during the work day and then wondering why you still have a long list of “to-dos” at the end of the day.
Recently, Adi Klevit spoke with Brett Knopf, Founder of KnopfKnows Solutions, about his time management systems. Continue reading for the “how-to” he shared, and listen to the full episode for the Systems Simplified podcast for more information.
How to Systematize Time Management to Free Up Your Day
Building a time management system can help you free up time and work more productively. Here is a method you can use to create a time management process that works for you.
1. Set your goals.
What do you want to accomplish this year, this quarter, this week, and today? Set your goals so that you aren’t just shooting for “more productivity.” Instead, you want to have a specific aim that you can take action toward accomplishing.
2. Create measurables for those goals.
How will you measure the steps you need to take to accomplish your goals? The first step is to build metrics to help you track the steps necessary to achieve your aims.
For example, you may aim to sell fifty thousand units by December 31st. To achieve this, you may need to work with marketing to create a campaign, train your sales team to close more effectively, build an onboarding process to add more personnel to the sales team, create a company-wide incentives program, ensure production is set up to produce fifty thousand units, and more. By listing everything that needs to be done, you can set up metrics for tracking how many action items you’ve completed in a day and the overall sales numbers. That way, you know that you’re completing the overall project and that your actions contribute to the sales numbers as they add up to fifty thousand sales.
3. Do a time study.
Look at your calendar and journal throughout the day to see how you spent your time. The key here is to be honest with yourself and ensure that you note where time was spent productively and where it was wasted. It may be productive to do two hours of planning or go to the gym to clear your head – and it may be unproductive to have an hour-long agenda-less meeting. This is why being honest with yourself during a time study is vital.
4. Reframe how you manage your time.
Time management is about setting an intention and performing the actions that help you accomplish your goals. Here are the steps to take:
a. Set up a journal entry that includes your goals for the day.
b. Title a section “Productive actions for the day” – this is defined as anything that directly funnels into your goals.
c. Go through each action on your calendar and determine if that action was productive.
d. Document how it went. Did everything go according to plan? Why or why not?
e. Examine the metrics. Did what you do today get you close to measurably accomplishing your goals?
f. Adjust your calendar for tomorrow, the next week, or the next month accordingly.
5. Continue to intentionally manage your time.
Intentional time management can be difficult, but it provides excellent results. You may find yourself cutting back on meetings, reducing scroll times, and accomplishing the goals you’ve worked toward.
Do you have questions about building business systems in your company? Get in touch with the Business Success Consulting Group team today!
