For many people, the word “fun” is not what comes to mind when they think of time management. Instead they think of it as just another important part of business. But who says you can’t make it fun? We have come up with a great way to track and manage your time that incorporates many key concepts. Here’s how it works:
- Plan out your entire day (or week, if possible). Budget a set amount of time for each project or task. Your total time should be a full work day or week (8 hour day, 40 hour week, etc.).
- Multiply that time by 60 (minutes), and then divide that number by 100 (8×60=480 480/100=4.8 min or 40×60=2400 2400/100=24 min). Now you have a percentage to base your work around.
- Based on the amount of time budgeted for each task, figure out what percent of your day that is (e.g 2 hour project of an 8 hour day is 25%). If your math is right, all of your tasks will add up to 100%.
- Now, set goals/rewards and punishments/improvements for yourself (and your team, if you can get them to play along). For example, if you finish with 5% of your day to spare, spend that time with a friend you enjoy – or if you finish 5% over your budgeted time, donate $5 dollars to charity.
- As you sit and figure out how much you went over or under your budgeted time, reflect on things that may have helped you or slow you down. Make notes of these to look back on.
You can skip the math at the end by using OfficeTime. Our great reports provide you with the percentages and stunning visual charts to help you better understand how you spent your time. By turning time management into a fun little game, it can be exciting and rewarding. Remember not to rush through your projects and to always budget and track your time honestly.
Until next time,
Stephen Dodd, Founder
OfficeTime, Your #1 Time Tracking Solution
(Give us a try – on us! Grab the free version of our App: http://bit.ly/OfficeTimeFree.)