Time management tools to help you get ahead at work

Unlock efficiency: Top time management tools for professionals

It can be challenging to manage your time well at work. For instance, you need to keep up with a multitude of tasks, projects, and demands. At the same time, you need to stay connected with your team and clients. This can spread employees or business owners thin.

However, there are several tools and techniques that you can use. These can help you keep yourself or your team on track. You can accomplish this by better managing tasks. You can also understand where time is being spent. Finally, you can work on reducing distractions.

Keep reading to learn more about the best time management tools. From time management software to mobile apps to general tips and tricks, these tools can help you limit procrastination and better utilize your time at work.

Time tracking tools

Many employees track their time via timesheets, timeclocks, or time-tracking software so that employers can review their hours worked. Time-tracking software and apps are helpful for employees or freelancers who need to keep track of billable hours for different clients or projects.

However, these tools also work well as time management apps when employees use them to track time spent on specific tasks or activities.

Keeping track of how you spend your time at work can help you identify where your time is being eaten up most. You may find that a particular task takes up more hours than it should. This can be because you aren’t managing your time well or get more easily distracted during that activity.

Some more repetitive and tedious tasks can be challenging to focus on. Therefore, you may need to experiment with music. For example, lo-fi music can sometimes boost productivity.

Alternatively, you might find a podcast. This podcast should provide entertainment. However, it should not become a major distraction.

You may also find that these repetitive workflows can be automated to require less time. For example, CRMs can often streamline the process of sending outreach emails or follow-ups by automating the process or providing email templates.

Time tracking can provide a wealth of useful and actionable information. To get started, check out these software options.

Clockify

Clockify is an excellent alternative to traditional time clocks or paid time and attendance software if you want a no-cost timekeeping option. It is a cloud-based time tracker application that can be accessed via desktop or mobile.

The service allows employees to track their time worked and log time spent on particular projects.

Clockify has a free time tracking plan that includes unlimited user access. This is a rare offering. Many free services limit the number of users. Also, subscription services often charge based on the number of users.

In addition, project tracking is great if you are in a certain industry. These industries include legal or consulting. In these industries, you need to track billable hours.

QuickBooks Time (Formerly TSheets)

QuickBooks Time, formerly known as TSheets, is a great option for small businesses that already use QuickBooks or Intuit services. It allows employees to clock in from their phones or computers and record their geolocation.

The integration is convenient if you use QuickBooks for payroll processing. The GPS tracking feature is also great for route—or field-based employees.

Hubstaff

Hubstaff is a time-tracking and productivity app. It is another great piece of software that your remote or dispersed teams can use. Teams can track time with Hubstaff and time spent on specific tasks or projects. This is a great way to track time for payroll and attendance purposes.

Additionally, it helps you better understand how your staff is spending time. For example, you may find that administrative tasks or meetings take up more of their days than you expected. Or you are likely to exceed the forecasted hours on a client project.

Having this real-time data can help you. It can give you a better view of your team members’ day-to-day activities.

Task management tools for teams

Time management is incredibly important when collaborating on projects as a team. If one team member falls behind, it often delays other team members’ work and creates a chain reaction.

If you need help keeping your team on track, consider using a project management tool to manage deadlines and project communication within your team. These tools can also be used by individuals who need help tracking their deadlines and to-dos.

Asana

Asana is one of the most popular project management tools for teams. The user-friendly application makes tracking and assigning tasks within larger teams easy.

Managers can create tasks or projects, specify subtasks, assign work to teammates, set deadlines, and communicate about the tasks within the app. It’s great for managing collaborative tasks as team leaders can add information on a task and delegate subtasks in a centralized location.

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One nice thing about Asana is that it has a free version. This version is for individuals or teams with fewer than 15 members. This also allows individual employees to use the tool.

They can use it even if their company does not have task or project management software. With Asana, you can assign tasks and deadlines for yourself. You can also see them in a calendar view or to-do list format.

This helps you plan out your week (or month). Furthermore, it lets you stay on track with your projects.

Trello

If you like to plan out your day, check out Trello visually. The format is visually similar to a planner, giving it a more familiar feel for those new to productivity tools.

Users can create “Trello cards” for each task they must complete. You can forward emails to your Trello to automatically create Trello cards.

This is great if you’re someone who tends to forget about tasks or let them get buried in your inbox. Managers can also forward or email tasks directly to your Trello Board or add you to tasks on their boards.

These cards can be organized across different columns. Many Trello users create columns about the status of the task, such as “planned,” “in progress,” and “completed.” Others use them to categorize tasks by priority, day, or category.

This flexibility is great, as one organization approach does not fit everyone. Creating cards for your tasks and organizing them to suit your thought process best can help you manage your time better by allowing you to visualize what needs to be done clearly.

Evernote

Evernote is another popular tool for task management and delegation. It works well for individuals who want an application to manage their calendars and create to-do lists. Teams can also use the program to delegate tasks and collaborate on projects. Users can set reminders and create subtasks to manage their progress and time.

Gantt charts

If you don’t want to invest in a new program or app for your team, consider using Gaant charts for team-based time management. These charts can be created and utilized in Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.

A Gantt chart visually illustrates a project’s schedule and components in a bar chart format. They depict the relationship between tasks’ start and end dates, project milestones, and dependent tasks.

Displaying tasks in this format can also help employees. It can incentivize them to meet deadlines and finish their work. For example, if employees can see exactly where their work fits, they may feel more connected to the task and more motivated to get it done.

In this way, they can contribute to their team. Often, we procrastinate on tasks. These tasks may feel unimportant or less impactful. However, you might see that a coworker is waiting for your task to be done.

They need it before they can complete their portion of the project. This adds an element of teamwork. It can also make meeting the deadline feel more significant.

Time management tools

There are plenty of software options that can help you track and manage your time. However, there are also a number of techniques that you can use to boost your productivity—with or without software. Check out these time management techniques.

Virtual to-do lists

Many people find that making a list helps them. They make a list and check off items as they complete them. This helps them stay on track with their tasks. Moreover, checking off an item from your task list can be quite satisfying.

To-do lists also provide a nice visual of your progress throughout the day. This allows you to see if you’re on track to finish your work. It also helps you see if you’re running behind schedule.

To-do lists are great because they are an easily accessible time management tool. You can make one with a pen and any scrap of paper available, use a more formalized to-do list app like Todoist, or use the built-in reminders app on iOS.

Virtual to-do list tools are great for keeping track of past to-do lists and carrying over tasks across several days.

Pomodoro technique timer tools

The Pomodoro Technique is a popular time management technique that has been used for decades. It is designed to encourage focus and reduce distractions and multitasking. This technique breaks the workday up into 25-minute intervals called pomodoros.

To use the Pomodoro technique, you simply set a 25-minute timer and make as much progress on a given task as you can in that time window. When the timer goes off, you take a 5-minute break and then start the timer again for another 25-minute Pomodoro.

After four Pomodoros, take a longer 15-30 minute break. This can be done with a basic timer tool on your iPhone or Android phone or through a dedicated tool like Focus Time.

This is a great way to break up big projects into smaller, more manageable activities. Starting on a large project can feel intimidating. However, sitting down to complete 25 minutes of work will likely feel quite manageable.

This method also includes breaks. As a result, you don’t need to ignore your phone or other favorite distractions all day. Instead, you allow yourself a set amount of time to rest.

You might also scroll TikTok or grab a snack. This prevents wasted time and lost momentum.

Calendar blocking

You likely have a work calendar set up in Outlook or Google Calendar. You use this calendar for managing meetings. However, you may need to fully leverage that calendar for time management.

As a solution, consider adding important due dates to your calendar and adding reminders of upcoming due dates. This can be a great way to track tasks on your calendar.

You can also try setting meetings with yourself to dedicate time to work on important tasks. This can work similarly to the Pomodoro method. For example, you can block out half an hour or an hour with limited distractions.

Then, you can plan to take a break at the end of your allotted time. Or, you could plan to switch tasks at that time.

Time blocking is a helpful tool. You might use it if you struggle to dive into your work at a particular time of day. For example, many people have difficulty getting started on tasks first thing in the morning, while others may have difficulty after lunch.

Still, others may struggle towards the end of the day. Therefore, consider putting a task on your calendar. This can act as a reminder of what exactly you need to do.

Additionally, it can deter you from haphazardly switching between different projects and keep you from aimlessly scrolling through emails to decide what to prioritize.

Do not disturb

If you get distracted easily, consider using Do Not Disturb. You might also use it if you often feel overwhelmed by incoming notifications. Setting yourself to Do Not Disturb is one of the most effective time management techniques.

This is similar to the blocking off your calendar approach. Try this if you’re often distracted by your phone or social media. Put your phone on Do Not Disturb while focusing on a task. iPhones even have an adjustable focus mode.

This mode can block out social media, texts, and nonessential notifications. At the same time, it can allow Slack messages or other work-related notifications to come through.

This approach isn’t limited to your phone, though. Many remote workers struggle to focus on their work. They must promptly reply to messages on Slack or Microsoft Teams to demonstrate that they are working at their desks.

As a solution, try to schedule an hour or two per day when you can disconnect these communication tools. This time will allow you to tend to high-priority tasks, which require a greater focus.

Furthermore, if you have a highly communicative team, contact your supervisor. You want to ensure they understand that you want time to focus on improving productivity. You are not trying to take an extended break.

Additionally, you are not trying to run to a workout class at midday. This can be helpful.

Additional resources:
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