Minimize Office Time
Are you tired of office work?
Do you despise doing it, but know it needs to get done?
Do you wish you could get your admin work done faster so you can get out of the office and back on the farm?
Imagine reducing the amount of time you spend in your office by half…
It doesn’t have to be a dream!
You obviously don’t want to spend any more time in the office than is necessary! If you wanted a traditional office job, you would have got one. However, office work NEEDS to be done. So how can we get the best of both worlds?
Here are some best practice tips to get out of the office and back on the farm:
Brain Dump your day, week or month.
You need to get as much out of your head as possible - you are not a machine and whether you think so or not, you can’t remember everything. Nor should you try!
Once you’ve got everything out of your head, circle your top priorities for the day. Try to keep to 3-6 priorities.
Now number them 1 - 6. With number one being the most important.
2. Time block your schedule.
Don't sweat, you don’t have to think through every second of every day (unless you’re into it). And before you say “It won’t work for me” I’ve heard it. I work with farmers, and you can create a very basic schedule to start.
Here are the key things to remember:
Start with one or two days and block off tasks that you can count on to be recurring, like bookkeeping, feeding the animals etc.
Review your schedule the night before.
Adjust as needed.
3. Task Management.
Everyday tasks and assigning “to-dos” can be hurting your productivity. If you are constantly telling everyone, each day what they are suppose to be doing etc it can take too much time. So anything you can do to reduce that - is time saved.
There are many systems and tools that can be used to manage your every day tasks for you and your family or staff that can be kept as daily or weekly lists also that can save you time. Some tools are:
Google Keep - Free and can be used on your computer or your phone
Asana - A project Management tool - also free
Task Management Spreadsheet - I have a free copy click HERE to download it
4. Use the right software
Using the right software can make ALL the difference in your business, and no, this doesn’t mean that you ask your friend what they use and you do the same thing. The software that you use should work based on the flow of your business… which could be completely different from your friend's business. Also you should consider what you are already using, how it works and what additional software it can integrate with. This is KEY!
Remember this isn’t a one size fits all solution and can vary greatly depending on you, your business and your current software. Make sure you take the time to map out what your doing, what needs to be added and how to choose the correct software that will last you longer.
Each farm's needs are different and there truly are many different options. If you are curious about what I do or how we can work together, check out my website here or book a complimentary consultation HERE
