8 Time Saving Tips for selecting the right Time Management Tools
Running a successful business while juggling your multitude of other responsibilities including family, pets, friends, and a little ‘me time’ is an art. And like any good artist, you will need some great Tools to make sure you hone your craft and stay on top of your game.
But where to start?
There are literally 1000s of time management tools out there, so choosing the right one for you can be hard work. Aside from choosing online or offline, you are faced with an enormous number of (potentially) time wasting decisions, including:
- Page to a day; week; month; year
- Task to a day; week; month; year
- Columns for each family member or one column for all
- Colour coding for different members of the household; stickers; post it notes; etc
- Shopping lists; ingredients lists; friends lists; networking lists; contacts lists; emergency lists; birthdays; anniversaries; national days; school holidays; etc
- To Do’s for you ; your partner; your kids; your nanny; your cleaner; your dog
- Alerts; alarms; warnings
- arghhhhhh!
It can be challenging.
Here are the 8 things you need to keep in mind when choosing the best Time Management Tool for you:
- Simple is better – choose a Tool which will help you plan and protect your time.
- Stay away from Tools that hurt – ie., Tools which are so complicated or cumbersome that they actually suck up hours of your time in learning and then maintaining them.
- Decide on your preferred medium – paper; phone; desktop. If you are a bit of a technophobe, stay offline until you have the time to commit to learning how to optimise your time management App.
- Online Tools – if you prefer online Tools, ask your friends which one App they find the best and get them to show you how they use it. Don’t waste your time searching for the latest and greatest.
- Take the time – regardless of whether you are using online or offline Tools, take the time to learn how to use them properly.
- Online and Offline – If you use a combination of online and offline Tools, make sure you coordinate them to ensure they are in sync.
- On the go – Choose Tools which you can easily take and update on the go.
- Choose Tools which you will enjoy using. For mine, a lovely leather diary and pen.
What is your favourite time management tool?
