When it comes to running a business time literally is money. Creating and optimising an effective time management diary can help you make the most efficient use of your time. Effective diary management requires excellent organisational skills, some intuition, and a whole lot of creativity.
Here are 6 tips to help you manage your diary.
1. Use an Electronic Diary
An electronic diary connected to your Microsoft or Google account will allow you to sync all your electronic devices such as tablets, laptops, and phones over the cloud. Your entire schedule that was previously spread out across all three devices is now available in one easy to manage spot. This way, the next time someone asks you about your schedule you won’t be fiddling around in your diary to tell them about an opening.
2. Sync Multiple Diaries
Chances are that you have several online diaries on the internet. Depending on how many diaries you have to sift through, keeping up with your daily schedule will get messier. This is why it makes sense to sync up all your diaries instead of opening more accounts.
3. Constantly Review Your Diary
You run the risk of getting your daily schedule mixed up depending on how many invitations you receive. One solution is to periodically review your online diary every couple of weeks to see if any unimportant events slipped their way into your diary. The last thing you need is to learn only too late that the meeting you scheduled for today already took place a week ago. You can share your diary with your receptionist as well so they can see your movements. Most telephone answering services will also have highly trained staff so they can access your diary and prioritise your appointments.
4. Colour Coding Important Meetings
Most diaries have your meetings and schedules laid out in a monotonous colour scheme. It becomes hard and tedious to identify keep meetings, reminders, or events based on a dull colour scheme that gets boring with time.Most online calendars let you use different colours to mark events on the basis of their importance. If you use a physical diary, make sure to write generic things in blue or black, and use a highlighter to highlight important events.
5. Give Yourself Break Times
Most entrepreneurs find it difficult to pull themselves out of their hectic work schedules. It is not productive to needlessly subject yourself to long hours of work without taking periodic breaks. Make sure you schedule a few breaks in your diary. Try adhering to this schedule since regular breaks improve both mental and physical health.
6. Send Yourself Reminders and Notifications
It is a good idea to set up notifications for meetings so you don’t miss them. Some people prefer to be notified 30 minutes in advance while others like to be given a tiny 10 minute window to prepare for events. If you have a jam-packed day, set yourself reminders to ensure you have all the things you need before leaving home or office.
If you have meetings with clients who are outside your business, use reminders to check in with them periodically to see if they are still committed to the meeting. You can also schedule reminders to keep up with the deadlines for projects, assignments, and reports.
And if you’re struggling to keep on top of your diary, perhaps its best to get a professional to do this for you. Click here to get our 14-day free trial at telephone-answering.biz.
