An Intuit checklist

TIME MANAGEMENT
AND PRODUCTIVITY
CHECKLIST
Managing your time and ensure you are
maximising your productivity is crucial for any small
business. You need to stay profitable to stay afloat.

Below is a list of activities you can undertake to

make sure you maintain effective time
management and enhance productivity.

Ensure that you allocate time to each task that has

been accounted for in your budgeting for each client.
If a task is going over the allocated time, work out why
1 and speak to the client if necessary to see if extra budget
can be approved. If not, work diligently,
to finish the task competently.

Maximising your productivity means working out the

best time of the day to complete certain tasks that work
in when are at your best.
2 If you are a morning person, schedule the hardest tasks then
when you are peaking intellectually and feel fully alert.
Schedule less important tasks to time in the day when your
priorities have been completed.

Block out certain times of the day to complete

important duties.
That means switching off your phone, quitting your
Outlook – and having a reply message stating you can’t
3 be contacted for a period of time – not responding to
any social media notifications. Research shows that pure
concentration on one duty enables you to complete it
more effectively and efficiently.

Use the latest IT tools to increase your productivity.

For repetitive tasks, see if you can streamline them so
4 they are set up automatically, and for accounting manual
processes such as data entry, invoicing and reporting,
use appropriate software to make your life easier.

Minimise interruptions by having short, dedicated

meetings (15 to 30 minutes) where clear
responsibilities are outlined with colleagues and even
5 putting notifications on emails messages that you will
respond within a certain time frame. Have either a
dedicated office or quiet space wherever you work so
that people know not to disturb you unnecessarily.

Focus on completing one task at a time.

People pride themselves on multi-tasking but the reality is
that it doesn’t help you finish any one task quicker. By
6 directing your energy on the one objective you need to
complete, it will be accomplished quicker than you had
scheduled. No interruptions equates to dedicated time,
energy and focus on what you need to do now.

Prioritise healthy eating and drinking.

Healthy eating and drinking from dawn to dusk, will
7 improve concentration and retention and make you
feel better.

Improve your workspace area.

No matter where you work, having the right chair,
8 appropriate desk, natural light and access to fresh air, will
make you feel healthier, increase productivity and ensure
your time management remains on track.

Time management and

productivity are two important
aspects to running a successful
small business.
Take control through improving your knowledge of the time at
which you are most efficient, dedicated concentration time to
finish tasks and ignoring distractions.