by Angela Fairbanks

​There are countless seminars, workshops, and planners designed to teach us how to simplify our lives. The idea that we should spend more time and more money to save time and save money seem backward until you stop and understand the formula and the process behind bettering your time management system. Here are three straightforward systems to follow this morning to help you better manage your time by bedtime tonight. 


1) Utilize software
Utilize software that is designed to help you track your time and use it most efficiently. TimeClockGo.com is an easy-to-use software platform designed to help people keep track of work hours. According to their website, a person can "Easily track time on any device to streamline payroll, send accurate invoices and save thousands each year." They do allow a generous free trial period, so you can check out their services to make sure it is a good fit before committing. Another important time-related software platform used by many is Timetrade.com. Timetrade is an appointment scheduler that easily integrates with your Google calendar. It generates a link that can be placed inside your email or other documents, allowing others to schedule an appointment with you quickly. That appointment then syncs automatically with your Google calendar. It almost seems like magic! 
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2) Simple Tools
In addition to using software platforms to help you better manage your time, you can implement some simple tools daily that will yield significant results. The first recommended tool is called a Timed Timer. You can find these on Amazon. A Timed Timer is similar to a regular countdown timer in that it counts down from one hour. The main difference is the big, red visible swipe that appears and subsequently diminishes as time runs out. There is no sound to the timed timer. I prop mine up close to wherever I am working, always to visualize how much time I have left to work on a project. The Timed Timer motivates me to stay on task. 

Another easy to implement solution is to set an audible timer on your computer to announce the time every half hour. Having the time told sounds like an insignificant thing, but it yields significant results. You would be amazed at how quickly time passes when surfing the internet or wandering through social media. The startling announcement of the time often snaps you back into reality with a jolt! An added benefit is that if you are on a Zoom call, it helps keep the meeting moving along.  A quick YouTube search will give you instructions on how to do this, or here is  a link at the time of this blog for Mac instructions. 
 
The CDC has a handy PDF free of charge that is a stress self-checklist. Utilizing a tool like this weekly or bi-weekly and the tools mentioned above helps make sure you are on track with self-care. You can best manage your time if you take care of yourself and manage your stress level before getting out of control. 

​3) Block Scheduling
The third recommendation is block scheduling. Arrange your schedule for the week with set chunks of time on set days for assigned types of activities.
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First of all, I advise you to do this monthly. Start with an open canvas, your open calendar. You already know your body clock, so work with that instead of against it. If you realize you're not going to get up at 5:00 am every morning, don't try to force yourself to set that alarm to get in that early morning run. It's just not going to happen. Be realistic in your goals for the first month. Once you get used to blocking scheduling, you can add goals in the coming months. 

Next, make a list of all the things you do in a week. Your list might look something like this: 

• Work
• Exercise
• Bible Study
• Playtime with kids
• School time

Those are all important but don't forget to put on your list things like:

• Mealtime
• Outside appointments
• Date night
• Bathing/getting ready
• Housekeeping tasks
• Sleeping

When people try to develop a schedule, they often forget to put in those "secondary" tasks because those are the basics or the natural things we do daily. But they do take up our time, and we will do them, so we might as well schedule them. How often do we call to make a doctor's appointment, and we let the doctor tell us when to come in rather than requesting the time we would like to come? Remember, you are in charge of your schedule. 

​Utilizing these recommendations should help immensely in improving your time management immediately! If you need more help, please feel free to contact me at angie@angiefairbanks.com.
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Email marketing is a powerful tool that allows businesses to gain information regarding current and potential new customers to get an enhanced understanding of who they are and what they may require from you in future. When followed up with personalized and relevant content via email or through various social media platforms, a business can grow exponentially. An email database is more than just a collection of names but rather it is a collection of personal information that is exclusive to each consumer. When used correctly, an email database can be more effective than Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook. Here are the 5 top benefits of creating an email database:

For authority
An email database is a permission based asset, which means that every consumer that signs up typically has given a business permission to share content and communicate with them. This not only gives a business authority, but it also allows business to build their audience and target them correctly.

Tailored offers
An email database is proactive and allows you to communicate with a qualified audience that is interested in your products or service. This enables a business to tailor their offers by creating messages that appeal more to a specific segment of audience or subscribers.

Full ownership
When you create an email data base, you own full control and access to it. Other social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook can collapse or institute changes in their privacy or user settings, which can hamper your ability to communicate instantly. On the other hand, your email database is not controlled by anyone and is not influenced by decisions made by other businesses.

For higher sales and profit
Target audiences who subscribe to email newsletters are interested in some of the offers and benefits on offer, which enables businesses to boost their sales and profits. Despite the popularity of social media platforms such as Facebook, the fact remains that there are still consumers who have not signed up to them.  However; almost everyone has an email which expands a business’ reach and audience.

To build brand loyalty
Email databases can be one of the best ways for a business to build brand loyalty. Since databases allow you to interact with consumers one on one, it gives you insight into their spending habits, which creates the opportunity to show appreciation by posting discounts and special offers. Actions like these can encourage one time customers to become repeat clients and it builds brand loyalty from existing customers.