Small business owners, managers, and office workers looking for time savers in the office have many options at their disposal. Several simple, often overlooked changes in the office or workspace can significantly save time, improve productivity and increase job satisfaction.
How to Save Time in the Office Via Better Organization
The more organized an office and its workers are, the less time will be wasted searching for necessary items and information. Here are a few ways to tackle all the clutter and ensure that necessary or urgent items are easily accessible:
- Desk tops should be clean and orderly. Workers can easily eat up precious time searching for a pen that works, digging out their key board, or otherwise trying to locate some lost, but essential item (such as desk space!) on their desk top.
- Make sure the office is stocked with the necessary supplies and that all the needed equipment is present and working properly.
- A clear, detailed paper filing system is a must! Be sure to maximize file holders and cabinets. A tremendous amount of time can be lost searching for that illusive customer invoice or purchase receipt.
Organizing an Employee's Schedule to Maximize Productivity
Most people recognize for themselves that certain times of the day are more productive then others. The goal in time management is knowing how to maximize the productive times and better manage, and, yes, even make use of the down time.
- The ubiquitous to-do list is a simple, yet highly effective time management tool that should used in some form throughout the day. It is also a good idea to spend a few minutes at the end of the day thinking about the follow day's agenda.
- Office workers should try to do related tasks in groups or “batches”
- Make sure there is sufficient time for breaks scheduled into the day as well as the work week and year. Where possible, this includes scheduling yearly vacation time as well as sick leave and personal days. Where workers feel revitalized, they will be more focused and productive.
- Eating a proper breakfast and lunch in a timely manner can significantly effect productivity.
- Workers should have a list of down time activities, such as filing, cleaning up clutter, and answering emails.
Organizing the Workspace with Time Management in Mind
The actual set up of an office can greatly impact time management and productivity and in short, itself be a big time saver. Here are some tips business owners and managers should keep in mind when setting up their office:
- There should be adequate lighting and ventilation and the office temperature should be kept in a comfortable range. According to the Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety, the optimal temperature range is between 21-23 C (or 69-73 F).
- Office equipment should be purchased and set up with worker ergonomics in mind so that less strain will be placed on the body and thus fewer breaks will be needed.
All the technological advances in mobile computing and communications can and do have two contradictory consequences: 1. Numerous tools exist that can greatly improve time management in the office environment and 2. At the same time many of these tools can be big attention-grabbers and time-guzzlers. Here are a few time management tips for technology:
- First, workers should make sure that their computer desktops are well organized.
- Work time spent on social networking sites, such as Twitter or Facebook which are well-known time-guzzlers, should be limited.
- Concerning email: workers should do away with email updates that can constantly interrupt workflow. Email messages should be filed in inbox folders with labels such as, “Urgent,” “Read,” and “Personal.” Where possible, a separate email account for personal messages should be created and used.
- Office workers should choose the standby option on their computer instead of shutting it down when they step away for short periods of time.
- When dealing with a lot of customer information, business owners and managers should look into the numerous corporate software applications designed to store, manage, analyze, and back up vital and sensitive business information so that this info can be easily located and accessed by those who need it. Some of these apps, such as Redmine, are even free. There are also several collaboration tools, such as Google Docs, that can save valuable time by improving information sharing and communications.
- Finally, it is worthwhile for all office workers to be fully trained on any of the software tools that they are using. Many programs have underutilized features, such as mail merge, that can be big time savers in the office.
Susan Brown - Susie Brown is a small business consultant and freelance writer specializing in business and personal finance.
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