Category: Time Management

Laurie Vrvilo: 3 Time Saving Hacks to Boost your Productivity

Who couldn’t use more hours in the day? The truth is, most people can add more time to their days by being more productive with the time they already have. By being more deliberate in how you spend your time you can increase your productivity and have more time for additional tasks and leisure activities. 

Here are a few time saving hacks that can help you get started!

Get your most important tasks out of the way first

It’s important to take advantage of your most productive and efficient time of the day – which, for most people, is shortly after they wake up. By working on your day’s most important (and perhaps daunting) tasks during this time, you’re not only more likely to complete that task but you’ll often complete it much more quickly than if you were to try to attempt it later on in the day once fatigue sets in. 

Spend a month logging your time

If you’re in a profession that requires billable hours, you may already be familiar with the process of logging time. However, implementing this tactic for both professional and personal activities can be really eye-opening. It shows you exactly how you’re spending your time, and allows you to identify areas where there’s waste. Most people who try this exercise are amazed at how much time lower-value tasks like checking social media, surfing the web, and watching tv can add up to throughout the day. 

Establish a Task Schedule and Use a Timer

After you’ve logged your time for a month, use that information to establish a daily schedule for things you need to get done. Since you’ve been logging time, you should have a better sense of how long your daily tasks take, and thus should be able to establish a pretty accurate schedule. Once your schedule is established, use a timer to keep yourself on track and accountable. Also, be sure to schedule in time for yourself, your relationships, and your hobbies.

3 Work From Home Time Management Tips from a Virtual Assistant

With many people having to make the transition to working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic, it can be difficult for those not used to working remotely to maintain the same levels of productivity and motivation during the workday. 

While everyone’s working style and preferences are different, here are a few tips and tricks that can help make managing your time and staying motivated easier during this transition.

Lists, lists, lists!

Many office workers use lists to help them plan out their day and set priorities. The same should go for people working from home. Working out of your home can present its own set of unique distractions that might make you lose focus and allow both work and personal tasks to fall through the cracks. Set weekly and daily lists for all of the tasks you’d like to accomplish, and revisit those lists whenever you find yourself unmotivated or distracted by something at work or home. 

Have a dedicated space

Setting up a dedicated workspace in your home is very important to cutting out distractions and keeping yourself focused at work. You don’t need a dedicated room or home office – a corner with a clean and organized workspace works just as well. You’re really just looking for a place to “go to work” while at your home. This trick also sets a mental and physical distinction between work and home that many remote workers find helpful. 

Have “on” and “off” hours

Many people new to working from home can have trouble separating their work and personal lives. It’s important to distinguish between “work” hours and “home” hours. Be sure to avoid household distractions as much as possible while during work hours, and avoid work tasks during your designated “home” hours. This will help to ensure that you maintain balance in your work and personal life, while also keeping you focused and motivated on the tasks at hand.