Productivity – this is a common goal for many people. Whether you are at work or even just at home, you will most probably be interested in being productive, which means that you must be efficient. How is this possible? Many things can be done, and one of the most important is time management. To accomplish the latter, setting deadlines in time management is vital. But how to see your projects through the end, stick to the plan perfectly and deliver the exceptional results on time?
Why setting deadlines in time management is essential?
You Only Have 24 Hours
You do not have forever to finish your deadline at work, go to the gym and workout, spend time with family and friends, or manage your business. This limitation in the time that you have in a day makes setting deadlines in time management necessary. If you do not keep track of time, chances are, you will be missing a lot of essential things, which leads in a simple manner to the piling up things to do. You and your team will be lenient, believing that you still have time, when in fact, your time is already running short.
Such behavior causes unnecessary stress, making you feel you’re running out of control. There’s no smart strategy to deal with such anxiety unless you just get your team together, discuss the possible solutions to solve the problem, and then stick to the plan.
Choose the right software
First, it should be packed richly with lots of advanced features, helpful when running your own business, or working as a freelancer. TimeCamp provides you an automatic time tracking with reporting to reveal the real team’s performance. It’s also equipped with budgeting and invoicing features to bill the customers accurately. It’s especially crucial in the case of project completion, wherein employees will be paid by the hour. Using such a tool is essential to be able to know how long each employee has worked, and in the end, determine the corresponding payment. Some projects are better to be paid by the hour rather than by a fixed price.
It’s especially beneficial when you’re a freelancer because based on the estimated costs calculated by budgeting features and detailed reports, you’re able to bill your clients accurately. Manage time smarter to meet deadlines faster!
PS. You can get your free 14-day TimeCamp trial
See for yourself how it can help your team achieve more in less time 😉
Avoid Procrastination
Setting deadlines will help people who are used to procrastinating. By tracking time, it is possible to know how much time is left before the deadline of a specific project. This will help you to be in tune with the schedule that has been initially planned. If you do not track time, you might end up panicking that you only have a short time left before the project needs to be brought to completion. Tracking time for each task helps you to stay perfectly organized with your daily routine at work because you won’t have a single minute even to think about procrastinating (e.g., browsing social media every ten minutes or several dozens a day)!
Improves Discipline
Setting deadlines in time management can also be essential when it comes to discipline. In times like these, when we’re locked down at our houses, both working and living at the same place, it’s hard to stray entirely focused on our tasks. When you know how much time is left, you will be pressured to let go of distractions and, instead, focus on the things that you need to accomplish within a specified period. If you do not track time, you may end up being lax and doing other things, misbelieving that you still have the luxury of a decent amount of hours left. Set realistic priorities as well – not the good-looking ones just to boast about to the coworkers, but hard to achieve.
Determine Improvements
Another importance of setting deadlines in management is that it will help to determine the necessary improvements. You can learn from the time that has been tracked from past projects. Were the past deadlines reasonable? Based on data that your hours’ tracker shows, it can be seen that the schedule was a bit tight, you can allocate more time for the project so that it can be accomplished based on the schedule that is envisioned.
Make sure you do it your own way – even the best tips may not work if you’re not sure they suit you and your work style. Instead of being irritated continuously that meeting deadlines are ruined because of bad management habits, just set your own and stick to them.
Know When To Hire
How many times have you heard that your employees are complaining about being overwhelmed with the workload? How often they explained the delays by having fewer hours dedicated to the project than they really need to deliver the best results in time. Hours tracking allows you to find out that it wasn’t exaggerated, and the truth is your team is suffering the lack of workforce. Instead of wasting time reorganizing the daily work routine, take a quick look at the individual generated reports to get a clear overview of how your team is performing. If needed, try to hire new members – this way, you’ll show employees that you care about their potential, ensuring conditions for constant progress.