We all have recurring tasks. Some are daily: brush teeth, make bed, etc. Others are weekly: laundry, vacuuming, submit timesheet. Monthly tasks could include filing receipts, cleaning out files, paying bills. Then there are the annual tasks such as filing taxes and changing the batteries in the smoke detector. We need to make sure that we are managing these recurring tasks without letting them manage us. If we were to make a list of all of our recurring tasks it would likely be overwhelming. Thankfully, most of our daily tasks are such a habit that we don’t even really think about them, we just do them. The weekly and monthly tasks probably require a bit more thought because we don’t do them as often but they still qualify as fairly routine. It’s when you add in the semi-annual and annual tasks that we start to think about just how much time we spend on recurring tasks. The good news is that there are steps we can take to keep all these tasks under control.
Technology, technology, technology. Don’t try to keep track of these tasks in your head. Use a calendar, write it down and set reminders. Now you don’t have to worry about forgetting something, you’ll get a handy reminder so that you remember to complete the necessary task in good time. Need to include some other people so that you can get the job done? No problem. Back office technology makes coordination easy. Of course, Stockpile easy small business inventory system falls into this category, as well. With Stockpile in your corner you can really harness the power of technology to handle recurring tasks.
Know what needs to be done and how it should be done. Don’t waste time trying to reinvent the wheel each time you perform one of these recurring tasks. Once you’ve done it once you should be able to improve your process until you are able to quickly and easily complete this task each time it comes up, regardless of how infrequently that may be. Read our previous post on process mapping for more details. Once you have your process map you’ll be able to clearly see what worked and what didn’t.
Shortcuts don’t mean shortchanging your projects. Using the best tools to make your job easier is a great thing. It saves time, reduces the amount of wasted effort that goes into a task and just generally improves your efficiency. Researching shortcuts can be time consuming but the effort will pay off in the long run. This is especially true for recurring projects. You’re not expending energy researching something that may only be used once or twice, it will be utilized each and every time this recurring project comes up. You will gain far more time than you spent researching a solution.
Get More Done Thanks to Stockpile Easy Small Business Inventory System
Our goal is to help you get things done. That was one of the motivating factors when we created Stockpile. We believe that even small businesses deserve a powerful inventory management solution. Stockpile is an easy small business inventory system that allows you to quickly and easily add and delete inventory, track items within a single location or across multiple locations and run reports as needed. Plus Stockpile is mobile compatible so you can access your inventory data anytime, from anywhere. Get Stockpile today and see what it can do for you!
