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player ready...The number of hours, minutes and seconds in each day is the same for small business owners, sales professionals, managers and Fortune 1000 executives. Time is probably the most limited resource any person in business has.
Google time management and the number of hits exceeds 100,000 million. Of course the entire idea of management time is an oxymoron as time is a constant.
What business professionals can do is better manage their own behaviors and learn how to invest the time they have to become more efficient. Email is one example of how to improve the use of time.
Think about all the emails received. How many of those emails require essentially the same response?
Gmail offers the user the opportunity to create “Canned Responses” through its settings button. For those with other email accounts, a Word document could be created for the same purpose. This way any regularly used response can be quickly copied and pasted into the email message. The response is now free of spelling errors and grammatically correct.
Then there are all the functions on the smart devices. Yes, it does take time to learn the functionality of the device as well as the numerous upgrades to the software. However by redirecting some free time such to learning about the functionality of the smart device can make the user more efficient and effective.
Beyond the technology, another tactic to maximize the use of time is reflection. By scheduling 5 to 15 minutes each day to review what went well; what didn’t go well; who and what requires immediate attention the next day; and what can be improved can reduce wasted time.
As technology continues to seep into the daily lives of business professionals and the demands within those professionals roles expand, time will become an even more valuable resource. How business people adapt to those changes (think upgrades) will contribute to their long-term success.
Leanne Hoagland-Smith is an author, speaker and executive coach. Her weekly column explores issues that impact the bottom line of firms with fewer than 100 employees. She can be reached at 219-508-2859.