Many of us have been in a position where we are being pulled in every which way. We live increasingly busy lives and our attention and focus are pulled between work, family, kids, friends, side hustles… maybe even some hobbies if you have the time.

All of this can lead to feelings of being overwhelmed, and at worst, feelings of being completely and utterly burnt out.

So, can IT help with this? We’ve written before about some of the ways that you can streamline your work when using email for example, but can IT be a long-term time saver?

The answer is yes. Here are some big IT time-saving tips.

The first job you have is to set a benchmark for where you are now. Without knowing what you’re spending your time on you won’t know how you can reduce time on things that are distractions, or not high-reward activities, to refocus you on more worthwhile tasks.

To get started with this look at how you can track how you spend your time now and do it for a couple of weeks to spot patterns. This can be done as simply as with a piece of paper and a pen, by meticulously tracking it in your computer calendar, or by investing in one of the multitude of apps that have been developed for the purpose of helping you to track your time.

Once you know what the distractions are it’s time to take action. Some of the biggest distractions or calls on our time are meetings (more on those later) and online distractions. If you find yourself being drawn away from focused work by the likes of news websites or social media, it might be time to block them to allow yourself that focus. There are plenty of tools available that will let you do this in a tailored way for you.

Then there is the possibility that some of the things taking up your time are repetitive administrative jobs. If you find yourself bogged down through tasks like invoicing, think about investing in tools or software that can help speed that process up for you. You might even go a step further and think about the types of administrative tasks that you can outsource wholesale.

There is no bigger drain on our time than meetings. Some are very necessary, but the more you go through your working life, the more you realise that some meetings could have been phone calls and some phone calls could have been emails.

One of the best ways to save time, in the long run, is to use a little more upfront in thinking about how communication needs to take place. Does it really need to be a meeting, and how long does it need to be scheduled for? Being jealous of your time up front means you’re able to spend more of it on constructive activity further down the line.

Let’s not forget the last thing you can do to free up your time, outsource your IT. The fact is that unless you’re running an IT business it’s unlikely that you’re an expert in IT. As such, by outsourcing your IT you will be freeing up more time for you to focus on the activities that build your business.

We’ve looked in depth before at the massive benefits that come with outsourcing your IT. Read our blog here.

If you’re tempted to look at how outsourcing your IT can help you save time and work more effectively, WebbyTech is here to help. Find out about the services we offer here, or contact us directly here.