How to Reclaim Your Time by Managing Your Tasks

You started a business so you would have more flexibility and freedom. So why are you working around the clock? It’s not uncommon to lose sight of your vision as an entrepreneur. When you’re racing to put out one fire after the next, it’s tough to think about the big picture.

That’s not to say you can’t succeed as an entrepreneur and make time for the things you love. However, the answer is more complicated than better time management. Finding balance as an entrepreneur requires managing your tasks. Only through task management can you accomplish your highest priorities and avoid what we at Piso13 call the tide of urgency.

What does task management look like in practice?

Prioritization

In its simplest form, task management schedules tasks based on priority. Every entrepreneur has tasks that MUST be done today, SHOULD be done today, and COULD be done today. Completing the most urgent tasks first keeps your business moving forward without dragging out your workday.

The Opus One Daily Planner app makes this easy by letting users categorize tasks according to urgency and importance and sequence tasks within each group. After going through your tasks, schedule them by simply dragging and dropping them into your calendar. You can even create repeating rules for recurring tasks.

Opus One is more than a digital to-do list, however. In addition to planning daily, weekly, and monthly tasks, Opus One keeps you focused on what matters with goal-setting tools that carve out time for professional and personal goals.

Streamlining

What if you’re already prioritizing tasks and still struggling to get everything done? If you have more high-priority tasks than you have time, examine business operations to see where you can streamline workflows.

Routine and repetitive tasks are the first target when improving operational efficiencies. These tasks, while time-consuming, don’t directly relate to your company’s mission. Think about things like bookkeeping, time tracking, and inventory management.

Some time-saving solutions are obvious, like letting employees clock in and out from their phone rather than lining up at a time clock kiosk. Others, like upgrading to a real-time inventory management system, require more time and planning to implement. Go for software with the ERP features you need without the traditional headache like QuickBooks Enterprise. It streamlines your operations across workflows without demanding that you and your staff go through a steep learning curve. Also, it integrates well with other business technology. The more your business apps talk to each other, the less you need to do yourself.

Collaboration

Unless you’re a solopreneur, you’re probably not managing every aspect of your business yourself. However, you still need to keep an eye on what’s happening in your company.

Yet no one wants to spend their time micromanaging — and your employees don’t want a micromanager either. Constant surveillance is linked to lower morale and decreased productivity in teams.

Task management software gives employees the autonomy they crave while letting you keep a close eye on projects. Task management apps let you assign, manage, and monitor tasks from a collaborative dashboard. Not only does this make it easy to see who is working on what, the best platforms include progress tracking and automated reminders so your team never misses a deadline.

Stop using time management to try and cram more work into your day. To be more effective as a business owner, you need to manage what you spend your time on, not just when you spend it. Invest in task management tools that help you prioritize, streamline, and delegate your to-do list. With apps like Opus One, you can spend less time rushing to do more and more time doing what matters. Give it a try today

Thanks to Tech Deck for this article.