Boundaries and Business can Co-Exist

­As businesses, we live by values and reputation. We want to be known as a brand who delivers. In a fast-paced market, we want to address everyone as much as we can. We say yes to every opportunity that comes our way and we gain a reputation as a brand that works hard and provides good customer service. Every business wants to be able to serve everyone, but when demands rise, we have to make sure that quality is not compromised. We also have to consider the fact that there are other things that we need to accomplish outside our business. If we are too accessible to our customers or those we work with, we won’t have time to accomplish those needs.

Boundaries may seem like a bad thing when it comes to business because we want to be accessible to everyone, and at the same time, give them what they need at the shortest possible time. However, when we are always accessible, we might not have enough time to accomplish quality work. We end up with so many things in our hands that need to be accomplished in a rush.

This is why we have to set up boundaries. Sooner or later, people will notice the decline in the quality of how we do business. To avoid this, we need to change our working habits. We need to adopt a more effective technique in dealing with high work demands.

Here are some tips on how you can meet your demands without compromising your personal time:

Let others know when you can accomplish a task – when people or customers approach you for a task, give them a deadline. Ask the latest time you can give them the task or let them know when you can finish the task. In doing so, your customers know when to expect the task instead of leaving them hanging. This will also prevent your customers from constantly following up on the task. When you give them a deadline, you are able to schedule your work. And because you have enough time to do it, you can make sure that the task you are going to deliver is of the highest quality.

Ask others when they can accomplish a task – this is the reverse of the first item. When you are working with others and you give them a task, ask when they can accomplish the task. This will give them some time to schedule their work and have time to accomplish the task that you need from them. This ensures that you receive good quality work and you won’t get disappointed when you receive their work. Also, get into the habit of giving someone a task ahead of time instead of giving someone a task and expecting immediate results. You don’t want to rush someone and receive a poorly accomplished task.

Schedule your tasks – if you can think of all the tasks that you need to do, schedule them. Schedule everything from the high priorities tasks to the least important ones. Once you have your schedule, make sure to commit to it. Increase your productivity by making sure you start and finish the tasks that you have on time. Following a schedule will help you concentrate and accomplish the work that you need to do. You are able to finish them in your own comfort. Even the small ones matter. Instead of constantly checking your inbox, voicemail, or text messages, dedicate a particular time during the day. Constantly checking mail or messages will only distract you from what you need to accomplish during that time.

When demands rise, we have to make sure that we stay on top of things that we need to do. We want to make sure that we are there for our customers but we can only do that when we are sure we can give them what they need. We have to make sure that we have enough time to accomplish the tasks they need from us. Creating a schedule and committing to it will let us see how we can address customer needs without compromising brand quality.

These simple tips will help you stay productive even when you constantly receive tasks. Once people see your working habits, they will respect your deadlines and your brand. When you put everything in a schedule, you are likely to get things done and you avoid getting interrupted by others. Accomplish your tasks and you will have enough time to do the things you need for personal matters. 

What Everybody Needs to Know About Protecting Their Time

With busy schedules and a variety of things to be done, it’s hard to go on without organizing our schedules on our calendars. If we want to be productive, we have to take the time to fix our schedules for the week or at least days in advance. Then we have to religiously follow it so we don’t waste any time. There are many ways on how we can organize our schedules. There are planners, organizers, smartphones, your Outlook calendar, and many more. Digital calendars like the ones on your smartphone or Outlook are gaining popularity because of syncing capabilities. It’s easier to access schedules without the need to carry a planner.

When we schedule activities in our calendars, our tendency is to write down meetings and important activities for the week, only. We forget that we also have to do other tasks that need our full attention. What you can do is “block time” for your own activities. Even the simple ones if you need to. This is your way of protecting your time, a way to accomplish things that you need to do and have more control of your time. If you’re using Outlook, it’s easier to block your time because others can see that you can’t be disturbed. Here are some of the advantages of protecting your time:

·         Less invitations to last minute meetings – with fast-paced work environments, meetings are unpredictable. You do one, then two, the next thing you know you are stuck in more meetings. When you are finally done, you are piled up with more work and less time to finish it. If you already blocked your time, others will know that you are not available and you will avoid getting last-minute meeting invitations.

·         Prevent others from stealing your time – the concept is similar with last-minute meetings. If people see that you’re already busy with something else, they won’t bother you. They’ll let you work on the things that you need to do. You’ll avoid being volunteered to help or show the new employee around, or help out with other tasks.

·         Time to get things done – because you already protected your time and made others aware that you are going to be busy most of the day, you have more time to get things done. You become more productive and you don’t waste time bumping off schedules for unexpected tasks and meetings.

Now that you have an idea of how protecting your time can help you become more productive and in control of your time, here are some good practices that you can start with.

·         When blocking your time, include everything that you think will need some time to finish. Even the simple ones like running an errand. You can also include personal tasks so that you don’t forget anything and avoid stressing yourself out later on.

·         Make sure that you use just one calendar. This will make it easier for you to see and plan out your activities. You can separate priorities for work/life in your calendar. Sticking to one calendar will help you organize and protect your time properly. This also guarantees that no activity is overlooked or goes overlapping.

·         Show no mercy! Schedule as much as you can. Get into the habit of scheduling more than 50% of your time or more, in a day. This will keep you focused on the things that you need to do. Even if it includes the simple tasks and personal ones. At least you already get a clear idea of how you are going to spend your day. Making you more productive without wasting time on thinking about the next thing you are suppose to do.

Managing your time is important and protecting it will help you be more productive. With busy schedules, we tend to get things mixed up or sometimes forget about the things that we need to do. When we protect our time by putting down all our activities in a day or week, we are preventing others from taking our time and we are preventing ourselves from being distracted.

Protecting our time is important because it is too valuable to be wasted. Before we realize that we’ve already wasted most of our day, it would be too late and the next thing you know you are already running late to your next appointment. Start your week by blocking your time. Make use of just one calendar and schedule everything you need to do for the week. Then work on your daily schedule and do your best to religiously follow it.