As a business owner, learning how to manage your time is crucial. For interior designers in particular, it’s an absolute must! However, it’s one of those tasks that’s easier said than done. For many, the idea of trying to figure out where time is wasted is hard enough to handle. However, if you want your business to continue to grow, learning to budget time wisely should be a priority.
Improving your time management skills doesn’t have to be hard. In fact, there are seven simple ways interior designers can boost productivity, streamline tasks, and stay on track. Keep reading to find out what they are!
1. Track Your Time
Before you can begin improving your time management skills, it’s important to understand where you’re wasting time in the first place. The easiest way to figure that out is by tracking your time.
For a week or two, grab a notepad and track what you’re working on from the second you arrive to the moment you leave the office.
In 15-minute to half-hour intervals, write down what you’re doing. This way, you’ll be able to see how easy it is to get distracted and spend 45 minutes looking at Facebook.
2. Use The Right Software
The next best thing you can do to improve your time management is opting to work with project management software made for interior designers. Why? Because it’s made for you! Other software programs can be difficult to work with; they don’t take into account the unique day-to-day tasks of designers.
When everything you need is built into one program, your daily tasks will be streamlined, making it that much easier to organize your workflow and get things done in a timely manner.
3. Make Lists
Lists are about to become your new best friend! Using a list is a great way to prioritize tasks and maintain a clear image of what needs to be done.
There are two lists that are important: daily lists and weekly lists. Every Sunday, sit down and make a weekly list of things that must get done by the end of that week. Your daily lists then help you reach those weekly goals.
4. Use a Calendar
Whether it’s on your phone, in an agenda, or taped to your wall, a calendar is important.
Similar to lists, calendars help you see everything you can expect for the upcoming weeks. You’re not going to forget about clients and deadlines if they’re posted right in front of you. For interior designers, calendars (or planners) can be cute and stylish too.
5. Create Deadlines
A deadline is a great tool for time management, but it only works if you stick to it.
Once you add a deadline to your calendar or your weekly list, it’s crucial that you stick to it. Maybe that means putting other jobs aside for a few hours. If you don’t create deadlines, jobs can go on forever. Every interior designer knows how annoying the never-ending job is, so stick to deadlines and get it done!
6. Don’t Multi-Task
Okay, this one might confuse people. You might be thinking, isn’t time management about being a great multi-tasker? For the most part, the answer is no; multitasking is bad.
When you try to multitask, your brain has to work extra hard to accommodate both tasks, meaning you’re doing things halfway and it’s taking a longer amount of time. Instead, focus on one thing at a time and give it your all. There’s nothing worse than finishing a project and feeling like you didn’t give it 100 percent.
7. Celebrate Accomplishments
This one is important—allow yourself time to celebrate. Whether it’s finishing a job or hitting a bigger goal, improving time management skills is no fun if you don’t let yourself celebrate your accomplishments.
