Ever feel like you have so much to do, but then at the end of the day it seems like you didn’t get anything done? Being busy is not the same thing as being productive, so even if you’re “busy” all day, how you spend your time might not be effective. Learning the right time management tools will help you to be a successful inbound marketer and balance your time better, keep you from getting burnt out, and, most importantly, actually get things done. 
- Schedule Office Hours
Having office hours at work is a great way to limit interruptions during your day. Schedule a set time each day or week when people can come and ask questions. This should help you to have more time to focus and get things done according to your own schedule.
- Get Organized
This may mean using a planner or bullet journal, a calendar, Google Chrome extensions to help boost productivity, or other tools, but find a system for keeping track of tasks and to-dos that works for you. Be consistent with your system, and make sure that new tasks or appointments are always recorded; they won’t do you any good written on a sticky note that is then lost.
- Create A Plan Each Day
An essential tool for time management is having a plan. Take a few minutes every morning, or even the night before, to map out your day before you jump into anything else. What do you need to accomplish? Write down the tasks and projects that need to be worked on, and at what time you plan to work on them.
- Prioritize
Once you’ve planned out what you need to get done that day, prioritize your list and plan to do the most important or critical items first. That way, if something does come up during the day, you’ve already gotten the most important tasks started. Plus you’ll feel a bigger sense of accomplishment if these priority tasks are completed at the end of the day.
- Eliminate Distractions
One of the biggest challenges with time management is removing distractions. Whenever you really need to get something done, create an environment where you can focus. Close your office door, put up a do not disturb sign on your cubicle, and turn off email or messaging notifications so you won’t be tempted to check them. You can even plan time in your day to respond to emails or phone calls, instead of responding instantly.
- Have An Agenda For Meetings
So much time gets wasted in meetings. Having a set agenda for every meeting, even something less formal like a brainstorming session, will keep the conversation moving forward in a productive way. Letting everyone who will be attending know in advance what will be covered also gives them the opportunity to prepare. Try setting goals for each meeting or conversation as well. What do you need to learn from it? And afterwards, make sure you got the information you needed.
- Stop Multitasking
Jumping from task to task without finishing any of them, or even making any real progress is not something to promote. Multitasking actually makes you less productive, so quit trying to do it, or claiming proudly how well you can. You’ll get more done if you are able to focus all of your attention on one task at a time.
- Set Time Limits And Work Within Them
Do you ever feel like you work better when under a tight deadline? Create your own deadlines and time limits to get something finished. For example, give yourself two hours to complete a certain task, instead of just working continuously for however long it takes to finish. Do your best to stick with the timeframes you determine.
- Take Breaks
You can’t be go, go, go all of the time, even when you are at your busiest. Make sure to take short breaks throughout the day, especially if you are working on a complicated or stressful project. Go for a walk, make a cup of tea or do something else that is unrelated to work. It will help to refresh your mind and you’ll come back ready to keep going.
- Learn When To Say No
Learning when to say no is important for time management, as well as for every other part of your life. Sometimes even if you want to help, you just can’t take on another project. And sometimes people will ask you to do things that don’t fit in with your goals and priorities. If you do have to say yes, then be sure to evaluate what else is on your plate and see what you can take off. Overloading yourself won’t do you or anyone else any good.
- Do Similar Tasks Together
Group similar tasks together and plan to do them at the same time. This can help streamline your focus because you’ll be doing the same type of work during that time period, instead of jumping all over the place between different types of tasks.
- Be Realistic
Be honest and realistic about how long it takes to complete certain tasks. Some things will just take you longer, or maybe you spend more time on things than you realize. Understanding the time needed to get something done will ensure that you give yourself enough time, and don’t end up scrambling at the last minute.
- Delegate
When it feels like there is too much to get done, prioritize and then delegate what isn’t as important or what someone else on your team is capable of handling. Your team is there to help, which is part of what makes them so great. It can be tempting to try and manage it all yourself, or to be afraid of looking like you can’t handle your responsibilities. But we’re all human, and we all need help sometimes.
- Create A Time Audit
Just like when you are creating a budget and need to record every purchase to know exactly where your money goes, the same can be done for your time. Keep a record for a few days of each and everything you do, and the time that it takes. Then see where more time is being spent than it should be, and find ways to eliminate or reduce those time-wasters.
Let HubSpot help with some of those tasks!