5 Tips to Improve Time Management
Even if sales may slow down a bit during the holidays and winter season, this is likely still a busy time of year for you and your dealership team. Maybe you’ve tried lightening your workload to squeeze in more family time, or maybe your store has implemented shorter holiday hours. Either way, now is the perfect time to refresh ourselves on the benefits of good time management skills. Here are five tips for making the most of your workday:
Set aside thirty minutes of quiet time at the beginning of each day.
This may sound counter-productive if you’re trying to save time, but it can be an incredibly helpful way to set your day up for success. Use this time to determine what your goals are for the day, how to organize your schedule most efficiently, and to narrow your focus for the day ahead.
Write a to-do list.
Using an app or good old-fashioned pen and paper, write down your tasks for the day, ideally in the order that they need to be completed. It’s also helpful to decide on a small handful of tasks that must be completed that day, indicating those clearly on your list, followed by tasks that should be completed if possible. This is something you should work on during your 30-minute prep time for the day.
Keep track of time spent on tasks.
Sometimes we don’t realize how long we’re spending on simple tasks because we are getting distracted, people are interrupting us, or we haven’t implemented the right process to complete the task most efficiently. Once you start timing how long specific tasks take, you’ll be able to see where in the day you can trim the fat and make better use of your limited time.
Plan for the unplanned.
Allow some extra time in your daily schedule. If you overload yourself and don’t allow some wiggle room for last-minute tasks or urgent items that come up, you’ll get frustrated and overwhelmed. Being a business owner or manager means you need to prepare for the unknown.
Delegate tasks as needed.
As a dealership owner or manager, it can be tempting to do everything yourself. But it’s impossible to keep this up – it will only lead to burnout and stress. Be realistic with your time and priorities, and delegate tasks that you don’t need to do yourself. Rest assured that you’ve hired a great team that can help you get things done.
Learning to use your time wisely can be one of the most challenging parts of a business owner or manager’s job, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Practicing discipline and sticking to time management strategies like these can get you through even the busiest of seasons.
With that being said, Happy Holidays RVBusiness readers! We’ll see you back here in the new year with digital marketing advice to help you dominate 2018.