5 Simple Things Executives Can Do To Help Their Team Save Time & Increase Their Profit

Sponsored by Anna Dearmon Kornick/Time Management Coach

American workers waste 2.9 hours each day on average – whether surfing the internet, texting, socializing with coworkers or a number of other distractions. That translates to U.S. companies losing an average of $1.7 million per year for every 100 employees because of wasted time.

Time management coach and keynote speaker Anna Dearmon Kornick shares her tips for improving time management and productivity among team members. Kornick, based in Louisiana, is host of the top 1 percent globally ranked podcast “It’s About Time” and author of “Time Management Essentials: The Tools You Need to Maximize Your Attention, Energy and Productivity.”

1. Maintain good calendar hygiene

To use your calendar more efficiently, Kornick recommends using a strategy called time blocking. This involves creating appointments in your calendar to represent each and every task on your to-do list. It includes checking your email, working on important projects, attending scheduled meetings, and even taking a break or exercising.

2. Conduct a meeting audit

The average employee attends 62 meetings a month, and 47 percent of employees say that meetings are the biggest time-wasters at work. Kornick encourages leaders to look at the current standing meetings and evaluate if they’re still productive and needed. Determine what meetings can either be reduced in duration or removed from the calendar altogether to free up time. “The more time you spend in meetings, the less time you have to get real work done that moves the company forward and closer to its goals,” she says.

3. Think beyond default settings

Kornick’s strategy involves scheduling meetings for 25 minutes instead of 30, or 45 minutes instead of an hour. Especially in hybrid and remote-work setting, it’s tempting to schedule back-to-back meetings over digital platforms like Zoom, but that leaves little time to process what’s been said or go over notes. “Going against the default in order to help your team take their time back is incredibly important,” she says.

4. Unite your team around common goals

You might not have thought about goals as being a time management tool, but having clear goals impacts how we spend our time on a tactical level. When everyone on the team understands how their work plays a role in achieving those goals, employees make better decisions about how they spend their time each day, week, month or quarter.

5. Create a shared language around work priorities

What is most important to one person is not always going to be the same for someone else. It’s much easier to align your team when the entire team is clear about what matters most, Kornick says. When she works with teams, she encourages them to categorize their priorities as boulders, big rocks or pebbles. This helps everyone on the team get on the same page around where time should be spent.

Kornick is available for both virtual and in-person time management team trainings. Visit annadkornick.com/speaking to learn more and invite Kornick to spend time with your team.