The Benefits of Time Blocking

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StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article |Time Blocking|The Benefits of Time BlockingTime is one of the most important factors when it comes to business. Too little of it and you rush, anxiety levels increase, and you can miss vital bits of information. Too much of it and you can overwork your ideas or slip into the world of procrastination.

Managing your time will increase productivity and also help you unwind and relax, giving you a healthier work-life balance. It promotes productivity and is particularly useful for people who work remotely or are separated from their team.

One of the most effective ways of creating efficiency in your days, and reaching project deadlines, is time blocking.

The method really is as simple as it sounds. Unlike a timetable, you set your calendar and tasks into dedicated blocks. You are committing a set amount of time to each task. Colour coding will help you differentiate between projects and personal tasks.

Not only does this help you to structure your day, but it can also help your team understand how you are working and structure their time blocking around you too—giving you maximum team productivity.

Every business, small or large, should make time management the foundation of their working day, learning this simple method is the cornerstone of a more successful and productive atmosphere at work or home.
Does time blocking really work?

The simple answer is yes, even the easily distracted among us benefit from time blocking.

Making To-Do lists is a great start. However, most of us will recognize that a to-do list doesn’t always help us manage our time effectively. There are specific tasks that we know should take a couple of hours, but end up taking a full day because we are distracted or interrupted. We also tend to rush through tasks at the end of the day to ensure we complete them, or forget to reply to emails and lose potential business.

Time blocking for remote workers or sole traders is particularly useful for days you have family members around. If your family can see the blocks of time you have set to work on specific projects, they know not to disturb you, giving uninterrupted hours for you to dedicate to the task set.

If you are part of a team in a busy office, the method can be very effective. Sharing your time blocking calendar enables your colleagues to see your timeline and to avoid disrupting you. It’s like a friendly ‘do not disturb’ sign. It will make the whole project management team more dynamic and effective, giving you a positive pathway to your deadlines.

A team of individuals can be hard to manage on group projects. Every person naturally has a different time in their day when they are least, or most, productive. Establishing these times and creating a team time block will help you to get the most out of all team members, leading you to your deadline and allowing for contingencies too.

An important thing to remember is that time is fluid. You should be able to adapt your time blocking to any unexpected issues that arise in your day. The method makes this simple as you can effectively move blocks around the remaining hours of your day.

What are the main benefits?

When a team leader works out how to manage projects successfully, they often will be working on simultaneous project briefs. With time blocking, you are prioritizing the most critical tasks first.

With extended deadlines and a simple to-do list distractions slip in, and workers may be tempted to help a colleague with something or agree to a meeting with a potential new client. The process of time blocking gives accountability and a mini deadline. There is a clear directive, and everyone understands that certain hours will be dedicated just to one task.

Breaking a to-do list into daily, weekly or even monthly time blocks makes sure that those high priority tasks are completed, and everything else comes second.

When you create your team’s time blocks, always add a contingency into the timing. Tight turnarounds can increase pressure on individuals, and while some may thrive on this, others will crumble. The contingency should be a small amount of extra time in each block; up to 30 minutes is usually a good starter.

Another benefit is with fewer distractions comes efficiency. If you are self-managing a time block, then it’s worth switching off all your communications devices, such as your phone or notifications. Team leaders setting high priority tasks could add this to the time block. Suggesting that during individual blocks that all communication devices are set to ‘do not disturb’ this will give even more focus to ensure projects are completed without distraction.

Time blocking is also an excellent tool for setting realistic timelines. It can be easy to be pressured into quick turnarounds on projects. Still, it is better to underpromise and over deliver on time than it is to pressurize your team or set yourself impossible deadlines. The project manager should utilize the method as part of the pitching process, to enable them to know what is possible.

Saying ‘no’ to people isn’t always easy, mainly if it is an important client asking for a quick favour or one of your bosses calling you into a meeting. Having a dedicated time block allows you to turn down any interruptions that could cause a delay in the project while allowing you to see if you could fit it in during the rest of your day or week.

Finally, it sets our reminders on a deadline too. Many businesses are guilty of not completing a quote or a pitch for new work because live projects are getting in the way. Having an effective time blocking system will help remind you to reach out to new or past clients and ensure your after sales are on point, and you are still attracting new clients and projects.

How do I start time blocking?

It’s pretty simple to get started, especially if you are already an avid to-do lister.

The process should start with a simple list of everything you need to get done. You may find it easier to start with a day, or you might prefer to do a whole week or even a month.

Once you have your list set out, you then need to work out the order of priority, which jobs are most urgent, what order is best to do them in.

It’s then time to look at your working day. This will either be the time you are in an office, or if you work from home, you may decide to set your day up into the most productive times. This depends on your personal circumstances. Some remote workers prefer to work early in the morning or late at night.

The high priority jobs need to be allocated first and should happen when you feel you are at your most productive.

Your time blocking should also include moments in your day for rest, including mealtimes or socialization. A typical working day includes trips to the restroom, cups of tea and periods of exercise, by scheduling these into blocks, you will be more productive on your priority tasks. It can also help to leave one hour free, in case any emergencies or revisions come into your day. You can then move around your blocks. While the method does require commitment, it should also be able to move organically to fit with a realistic schedule.

Once you have set up a rough version of your time block, it’s time to move it onto a calendar. There are lots of different ways you can do this, including making your own and printing it out. Having a hard copy helps us access and stick to our tasks much easier. Setting the alarm on each time block will also help you know when its time to move on to the next project.

When you start to add your tasks to the calendar, use a colour-coded system. It helps to have a theme for personal and for work, then different colour selections for high priority and lower priority.

As you get used to working this method, you may find you complete tasks quicker than expected. If this is the case, you should move all your tasks back. You can use any time you have at the end of the day to complete lower priority tasks or to pat yourself on the back and take a well-earned rest.

The more you use time blocking, the more productive you will become. It may seem a little complicated to begin with; however, once you have formed the habit, you’ll make light work of building your projects into time blocks.

So, if you have been struggling with deadlines or managing multiple projects and people, this method is an excellent foundation for driving your business forward, building new strategies and helping guide your workforce and clients towards a healthier working day.

Long Hours of Screen Time? Here’s What You Should Do

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StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article |Screen Time|Long Hours of Screen Time? Here's What You Should DoMore and more of us are spending most of the day in front of a computer. All this time looking at the computer can have a real impact on your health and, without the proper support, there could be long term consequences too. We’ve all seen the pictures of what we might look like by the time we retire or how humanity could evolve and it’s genuinely scary.

Now that more people are working remotely, this is a good time to examine how you work and what is best for you. For many people, the realization that their chair at home is better or that they are more comfortable in a particular light has a significant impact. This is the moment that employees and employers alike should be considering the future of work – the where and the how.

So what should you consider?

Working in Comfort

Back problems and eye strain are classic symptoms of long hours in front of a screen. Many people experience headaches and tiredness as a result but you may also have tingling sensations and a bad mood too!

Let’s deal with eye strain first. Experts have created computer glasses to help people focus on screens that also reduce exposure to harmful blue light. A bit like reading glasses, these glasses are designed to bring a computer screen, which is usually a little farther away, into focus without making you strain. You should also take a few minutes each hour to stare off into the distance to allow your eyes to relax.

Back problems often come from sitting in a poorly designed chair for far too long. The first thing to do is to make sure that your chair is suitable for you. Even ergonomic chairs can be problematic, especially if you are shorter than 5’2”! But no matter how tall you are, the best way to sit in a chair is to have your feet comfortably flat on the ground (or possibly a stool), your back straight but not tense and whatever you are looking at should be at eye level.

Taking Breaks

Even with the most comfortable setup, you should still take regular breaks. Going for a walk in your lunch hour is ideal as this will get your body moving and prevent your muscles from seizing up. Walking is exceptionally good for your back as it is low impact and you can do it anywhere.

You might also like to think about whether you really need to spend so much time at the screen. You might find that some activities can be done with a pen and paper or through other techniques. When you take a more creative approach, you might even find you have more innovative ideas.

But let’s also consider what you do at home. If you get in from work and then spend the evening in front of the TV or yet another computer, you might like to think of alternative things to do, at least a few nights a week. Mix it up!

COVID-19 Brings An Entirely New Dimension To Risk Management

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StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |Risk Management Strategy|COVID-19 Brings An Entirely New Dimension To Risk ManagementRisk management has always been an essential pillar of managing a successful company. But the current global pandemic is bringing it into sharp relief and showing many firms that their existing strategies simply aren’t up to the task.

In the past, executives planned for a range of common disaster scenarios: data loss, power outages, flooding, and financial collapse. For many, though, the current pandemic came out of left field. The majority of bosses didn’t see it coming. It wasn’t even on their radar.

COVID-19 is a “white swan” event, not a black swan, according to Nicholas Taleb, the man who came up with the definition. He points out that the world knew about the risk of a global pandemic but instead chose it to ignore it. In his view, the coronavirus that started in China is something that was a known risk (like an asteroid impact). Therefore, it was something that people could plan for.

He contrasts it with the experience during the financial crisis where nobody could see how events might play out (because of the complexity of the financial system).

Risk management, therefore, needs to change fundamentally. Companies can no longer go about their business, assuming that everything will continue as usual. We’re now living in a world where every executive knows that things can come to a screeching halt overnight with practically no warning. The challenge is to ensure that companies survive.

So, what changes are we likely to see?

StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |Risk Management Strategy|COVID-19 Brings An Entirely New Dimension To Risk ManagementCompanies Will Insure Against More Known Risks

Now that executives have had a taste of real risk, we’re going to see them increase their demand for business interruption insurance. More companies will want to know that they have a safety net, should something similar happen in the future. Furlough schemes protect workers, but they don’t provide comprehensive cover to allow companies to escape tricky market conditions following a disaster. Even with government support, a lot of companies we know and love today won’t be here in the future.

Companies Will Save More

Over the last decade, companies have borrowed a tremendous amount of money. Part of it has to do with their desire to boost their stock price, but a large part of it has to do with the fact that borrowing is now so much cheaper. Capital was once scarce, but today, we live with an abundance of the stuff. This fact pushed interest rates down to the point today where the average firm can borrow at a couple of percent, perhaps less.

The current crisis, however, has revealed to executives how dependent they are on lines of credit. If the money dries up in the future because of some catastrophic event, they will need to fall back on their reserves. And, currently, they don’t have much of those. Most firms are living on a knife-edge, unnecessarily.

Risk management practices are likely to change substantially, moving forward. Companies have had a taste of what an economic catastrophe looks like, and they’ll be planning so that they aren’t wrong-footed by the next one.

The Significance of Data Optimization During Covid-19 Pandemic

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StrategyDriven Organizational Performance Measures Article | The Significance of Data Optimization During Covid-19 Pandemic | Data Optimization | Data ManagementUntil recently, very few CEOs, IT, or marketing professionals would have put ‘data optimization’ high on the list of agenda items that keep them up at night. These days — and by my estimation — this notion has become a top priority for the majority of businesses. Given the impact of events surrounding COVID-19, I view this not a matter of if, but when decision makers also arrive at this conclusion.

The simple fact is that businesses need to be able to build trusted relationships with their customers beyond the physical spaces represented by storefronts and square footage. As ironic as that sounds, what distinguishes data is its human factor. Interpreting and making decisions based on data during a time when competitors are trying to capture the attention of their consumers is vital.

Today, amid a global pandemic and subsequent overhaul of how businesses access and interface with their customers, we find ourselves suddenly competing on a level playing field that is the attention of a phone, computer, or TV. No foot traffic, no event, launch, or experience — just time and attention on a screen, and it’s the ones who have optimized their data who are winning.

Here are a few tentpoles to consider points of entry towards optimizing your data:

The Customer

The modern customer has high expectations and demands that enterprises strive to achieve — at all costs. A business with quality data optimization services has comprehensive information that is customer-centered, dynamic, and always available.

As a result, there is a real-time ability to address all customer demands without going through a complicated, costly, or time-consuming process. Naturally, as customers become more aggressive in having their requirements met, your business stays a step ahead of competitors, when it comes to availing quick and accurate solutions. The most critical aspect of better data management is the reduction of inefficiencies in operations that cost businesses as much as 25% of their revenue. This is because enterprises with better control over their data reduce the potential of making mistakes. As a result, their trustworthiness among customers in any niche industry grows, and they become seen as market leaders.

Direct Sources

Long gone are the days when e-commerce strategy meant focusing only on SEO. Mike Ewing, a Customer Success Strategy & Operations Manager, writes on Hubspot, ”if you rely on free/direct sources of traffic, you are fighting shared losses. Direct has gone from 75% to 9% over the last ten years, while e-commerce has been growing 15-25%.”

Today, you need to find a way to seamlessly integrate direct traffic, transaction data, demographic data, paid search, comparison shopping engines, marketplaces, mobile, and social media. That’s a lot! Each medium comes with its own tools, database, and strategies — only by combining all can your business stay on top of your competition… and crush your topline goals and quotas.

Bottom line: Your products and services should be where your clients are.

StrategyDriven Organizational Performance Measures eBook


Speed

The data modern enterprises depend upon may have many different sources and a variety of structured and unstructured formats. In many cases, the data will contain inaccuracies, inconsistencies, redundant information, or other anomalies that make it unnecessarily difficult to access critical information in a timely and comprehensive fashion.

The data optimization process makes use of sophisticated data quality tools that help to access, organize, and cleanse data — whatever the source — to maximize the speed and comprehensiveness with which pertinent information can be extracted, analyzed, and put to use. That enhanced availability of critical information provides businesses with significant benefits.

Data optimization helps business leaders understand and improve their business processes so that they can reduce the wastage of time and money. Consider the information age, a time and place where consumers expect to get fast, accurate, and comprehensive information from the business they are dealing with.

Embracing Data

Amid the panic and unrest of a rapidly changing COVID-19 environment, business leaders in the trenches must lean in to leverage all tools to make themselves more digitally enabled… if for no other reason than to maintain their relationship with their customers during times when human contact is not an option.

We must all consider new ways to bring the human factor into decisions around data optimization. The time is now.

About the Author

Megan Silva is a data optimization leader and advocate. Over the course of her 15-year career in data, Megan has led numerous business and process improvement initiatives, with an emphasis and focus on increased capabilities and decreased costs. She is best known for her leadership on measurable and scalable results, defining customer journeys, aligning content for automated campaigns, and improving contact and data strategy. Megan holds a Master of Industrial Labor Relations from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

5 Best Strategies to Streamline Your Workflow

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StrategyDriven Process Management Article | 5 Best Strategies to Streamline Your WorkflowYour workflow is an essential part of making sure your business is at peak performance. However, there will always be areas of improvement that can remove otherwise redundant tasks or repurpose them into something more useful. But how exactly can you streamline your workflow without causing yourself too much of a headache?

What You Should Be Doing to Streamline Your Workflow

There are a number of things you can do to streamline your workflow. From making sure that you have the necessary manpower to automating various functions. However, not all of these strategies will be a winner and increase your productivity. So we’ve put together a list of the best strategies that you can use to streamline your workflow.

Observe Your First Workflow and Figure Out What Works and What Doesn’t

The very first thing you should always do whenever you plan out a workflow change is making sure you observe the workflow you’re trying to change. This lets you figure out what can be changed or removed from your process. The time it takes to observe your initial workflow will vary depending on your business, so make sure you’re ready to invest time in doing this.

Keep Everything Documented

Having documentation might seem to be a trivial matter, however, many businesses simply make changes and just move forward with their business without a paper trail behind them. This paper trail will help you in the future in case the new workflow has flaws that need to be ironed out or to cover yourself if something goes wrong.

Look for Areas You Can Automate

Automation is the way of the future for many businesses. Not only do you eliminate the need for a person to do the job for you, but it also eliminates human error. Manual work is some of the biggest problem areas of most workflows because of how it highly depends on the person doing it. An automated script will simply do it perfectly every single time. This let’s you shift your manpower to areas that truly need a human operator.

Involve Your Staff With The Changes

Your staff are the ones responsible for making sure that your business stays afloat and getting your products and services to customers. If there are people that would be the perfect help for figuring out what you need to change in the workflow, it’s your staff. They’ll be able to tell you exactly what you need to do to streamline your workflow. Interacting with them early on also let’s them prepare for the workflow changes that they’re going to have to do

Have the Right Person For The Job

We’ve previously mentioned that your staff is highly responsible for the success of your business as a whole while also being your best advisors when doing workflow changes. Your choice of staff can also heavily matter when it comes to making sure the work that needs to be done is done effectively. So a good strategy to improve and streamline your workflow is to have the best staff that can fit in with your business. There are some great ways you can do this. One of the best ways is to get a staffing and recruiting company to find the right candidates for you as they find candidates that fit in with your company culture and general needs.

Final Thoughts…

Your workflow is indicative of how effective your business will be. So it only makes sense to ensure that it is as streamlined as much as possible. With these streamlining strategies in mind, you will have no problems ensuring that your workflow is the best it can be.