Aristotle said, “Quality is not an act, it is a habit.”

How true is that statement? When it comes to business, Aristotle nailed it. If you produce something well one time and poorly other times, your resulting product is not considered top quality. 

Let’s say you make custom t-shirts. You are pretty proud of yourself for producing several orders and are patting yourself on the back for doing such a great job with your business. The t-shirts are ready and shipped out. You did it! Cheers all around. 

Then, you get a call from your customer. Your t-shirts are not nearly as awesome as you thought because you failed to do one simple thing and it ruined the entire batch of shirts.

“Your freindly neighborhood spider man!” was printed on your new pest control customer’s t-shirts. Somebody forgot to check “i before e except after c” before screen printing the entire order. 

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time your new business has had to eat the cost of running t-shirts through twice. You’ve had spelling problems before and it has cost you. To think, if you’d just been in the habit of checking your spelling before every single printing, you could have saved time, money, and your reputation. 

Good habits can help your business. Period. And consistently implementing good time management habits can help you run a quality business and achieve your goals. 

Setting effective time management goals is essential to reaching targets, meeting deadlines, and maximizing productivity. With proper planning, it’s possible to reach goals faster so that more can be done in less time.

Time management skills are incredibly beneficial, especially in the remote working world where your team members may not have a clear sense of when tasks need to be completed. Having tools to help manage your own schedule helps ensure things stay on track while avoiding being overwhelmed with a large number of tasks at once. 

Breaking down activities into smaller goals will make them easier to handle and help you and your team focus on prioritizing the most important tasks first. Creating time management goals enables your people to plan their days effectively which saves immense amounts of time that would’ve been wasted on lesser important tasks or conversations.  

Time management goals defined

In a nutshell, time management goals are essential for any individual or organization striving to reach optimal productivity. By setting specific deadlines and prioritizing tasks, your team can focus their energy on activities that add value to their lives and businesses. Planning ahead and eliminating time-wasting activities are key steps in the process of effectively managing one’s time. 

Through effective scheduling, using techniques such as ‘time blocking’, individuals can allocate specific blocks of time for different tasks or activities, helping them stay on top of these commitments without feeling overwhelmed. Additionally, delegating certain tasks to others allows more time for higher-priority tasks to be completed.

These strategies work well when a consistent effort is made to stick with them despite any urgency or interruptions that might arise throughout the day. Time management goals will help individuals control their workloads and help ensure a better balance between responsibilities at home and in the workplace. 

Sticking with these strategies gives individual team members the opportunity to maximize their efficiency in order to meet various demands placed upon them, allowing them more free time in their day-to-day life as well. With mindful administration of your time, it’s possible to achieve maximum productivity and master a balanced lifestyle.

Goals with benefits

Time management and goal setting both offer many benefits to you and your team. When it comes to reducing stress levels, time management can be a useful tool. By planning well and understanding their priorities and goals, your people can stay on track with their tasks and better manage how they spend their time. 

Doing this helps them stay calm, focused, and productive even in high-pressure situations. You want your employees to be able to operate effectively when the proverbial heat gets turned up in their work rather than melting down.

The practice of effective time management and goal setting also leads to greater decision-making skills. Your people can gain clarity on what is most important to them, which gives them the power to make choices that are aligned with their values and goals. (Great management means empowering your team!) 

By prioritizing tasks, people can maximize the use of their resources every step of the way in order to reach their goals more quickly without compromising quality or efficiency. This type of practice allows for more flexibility by enabling people to have a greater understanding of what needs to be done when decisions come up that require quick thinking or need adaptation on the spot.

How can you get started on your own time management goals?

SMART goals have become a bit buzzworthy in the last several years. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. 

Creating SMART goals for time management can help managers more effectively prioritize their responsibilities and complete tasks in a timely and efficient manner. For example, a manager may set a specific goal of completing a project by a particular deadline as part of their overall time management plan. This goal should be measurable, achievable, relevant to their overall objectives, and have an established timeline for completion.

In addition to setting goals related to specific projects or tasks, you and your team can also set goals focused on improving your general time management skills. For example, you may want to improve your ability to focus on important tasks without becoming distracted by minor ones. By setting these types of goals and tracking progress towards them, your team can become better at managing your time throughout the day and completing projects more quickly and effectively.

Task prioritization

Prioritizing tasks is a vital part of managing multiple projects and objectives because it enables your team to prioritize their efforts and make the most effective use of their time. By using tools like the Eisenhower Matrix, managers can categorize tasks into “urgent” and “important” categories for easier decision-making. 

The most critical tasks for the day should come first in order of priority, taking into consideration organizational goals and needs. This will ensure that key deadlines are met without neglecting other areas of the business.

The urgent and important tasks should be tackled first before moving on to the less urgent but important ones. For instance, a manager might attend to a pressing financial report or client issue before dealing with minor matters such as responding to emails or conducting research. 

Items that are not urgent or considered low-priority can be delegated to other team members or postponed until they become more pertinent. With effective organization and prioritization of tasks, you and your team can maximize productivity levels while running efficient businesses. This minimizes the possibility of things falling through the cracks.

Procrastination is not your friend

Procrastination can be an issue that affects even the most motivated person. It can cause frustration and stress, as well as impede progress and success. No thank you. You’re trying to hit your goals, not run from them! 

One way of avoiding procrastination is by setting a specific time limit for completing a task and using a timer to track progress throughout the day. Setting limits allows us to clearly break down larger tasks into more manageable subtasks, making them seem less overwhelming and more achievable. 

For example, a manager might set a timer for 30 minutes to work on a report and then take a five-minute break before continuing to work. This will help create boundaries that must be adhered to in order to meet deadlines effectively. 

Additionally, breaking down large projects into smaller tasks encourages progress because it gives us achievable goals which are easier to focus on one at a time instead of having an entire mountain of work that needs to be accomplished all at once. 

For instance, if working on a team project, the manager might break it down into tasks such as creating a project plan or assigning tasks to specific team members. With regular check-ins scheduled at intervals, the manager can ensure that everyone is remaining focused by tackling smaller chunks of work each day rather than postponing due dates indefinitely through procrastination.

Take control of distractions

Managing distractions is an important skill for any business team. Turning off notifications and limiting email and social media usage can help minimize distractions and keep your team focused on the tasks at hand. 

Set specific times to check emails and refrain from checking them throughout the entire day in order to stay productive. You can also try to locate a quiet workspace or wear noise-canceling headphones when possible so that external distractions are blocked out in order to remain productive. (This is especially smart when you work from home and have noises going on in your home or neighborhood.)

It may not be easy at first, but developing self-control over distractions can be done with practice and dedication to the task in front of you. Make use of your available technology. Switch off nonessential notifications, mute sounds, or use tools like StayFocusd or Freedom to block distracting websites during work hours. 

Prioritize tasks or break projects into smaller chunks if it helps prevent distraction, then reward yourself once it is complete. It’s a great way to boost motivation — who doesn’t love a good reward?

Lastly, take breaks regularly throughout your day. This seems counterintuitive, but it works. Taking intentional breaks will help you clear your head and maintain focus for productive work sessions each time.

Develop a routine and stick with it

Creating a routine is essential for staying organized and productive in the workplace. By setting a regular schedule each day, you can avoid getting overwhelmed by emails, meetings, and other tasks. 

To begin establishing a routine, prioritize any essential tasks that need to be addressed during the workday such as responding to emails or attending staff meetings. You can also establish specific times throughout the week to review reports, make decisions, and complete long-term projects so that you have time to focus on important tasks without being pulled away by other commitments.

Another important aspect of establishing a routine is making sure your team members are all on the same page. If possible, hold weekly check-ins or team meetings so that everyone knows what their responsibilities are and can stay up-to-date on any changes or issues that arise. In a remote work environment, this is especially helpful.

This helps ensure that all tasks are completed in a timely manner and leaves room for open discussion so any concerns can be addressed quickly. During these meetings, it’s also a good idea to review your progress so far and make any necessary adjustments moving forward.

By keeping an organized schedule mapped out for yourself and your team members, you can significantly improve productivity and efficiency in the workplace which leads to greater success overall. 

Determine deadlines

Determining deadlines for projects and tasks is a key piece of project management. It helps teams stay focused, break down complex goals into achievable objectives, and ensure that work is completed on the planned date or timeline. 

Realistic deadlines should be set based on the scope of the job and available resources, as well as account for possible delays or roadblocks that may emerge along the way. In addition to setting a final due date for a given project, it’s important to remember you can dissect those big tasks into more manageable tasks, each with its own deadline so that progress can be tracked more easily.

When establishing deadlines, it’s smart to factor in any time needed for testing and feedback loops within the process so that adjustments can be made if necessary. Regularly review progress toward the due date and update deadlines as needed. 

This will help keep everyone accountable while providing enough room to make any changes without becoming overwhelmed by unrealistic expectations and it ensures that projects stay on track and issues are addressed promptly.

Assigning tasks and letting go of the reigns

Sometimes, you have to be willing to let go of the reins on every single task. Somebody else may need to do it. Delegating tasks is a great way to effectively manage workload, allowing you to focus on the tasks that require your attention. 

You’ve got to identify which tasks can be delegated to team members with the necessary skills and experience required to complete them properly. For instance, if you have a team member who is skilled at graphic design, why not give them a crack at handling a design task that isn’t in your wheelhouse or that you have no margin to complete? 

Setting clear expectations prior to delegating a task needs to happen if you want successful completion. Make sure you provide your teammate with a comprehensive brief detailing the goals, deadlines, and any specific requirements or guidelines for the task. 

This will help ensure that the task is completed efficiently and in line with your overall objectives. Be sure to give feedback throughout the process. Let your team members know how they are doing and remind them of any pending tasks or deadlines.

In the end …

That’s it. You are probably familiar with many of these ideas, but sometimes you need to see them all compiled in one spot so you can make a plan of action. And if you or your team already struggle to form good habits, you’re probably not regularly practicing these things so that you reap any of their benefits.

When you and your team can’t quite seem to get in a steady groove, regular productive habits probably aren’t happening. So, time management is out the window because little fires are popping up, distractions are happening, big projects must get done, and then the manager calls asking for an update.

You might just need a little help with your time management to get your team on track. That’s where Harvest comes in. Our time tracking software integrates with your existing apps and helps everybody to stay on task.

You can do this. You can get a grip on your time and tasks. You can form good time management habits and produce top-quality work. And Harvest is here to help.