Are you wasting valuable time?
We’ve all heard the saying, “time is money.” But have you ever really stopped to think about it? Every time you’re taking a phone call, responding to an email, or replying to a text, you’re taking time out of your day to do so. And for the majority of us, who have limited time in our days as it is, that can often be time wasted.
Did you know the average employee wastes 1 hour and 42 minutes a week scheduling and rescheduling calls? That’s an hour and 42 minutes that could be spent doing something productive or even better yet, something outside of work. Even influencers, who don’t work a ‘typical’ office job, can get caught up in the cycle of wasting time.
We waste even more time on the miscommunications that come with our many forms of communication. Communicating across technology can be difficult. Even in 2022. No matter how clear someone thinks they’re being, there is usually a need for clarification from the other person. Something gets lost in translation or gets lost in a string of emails and chats and next thing we know we’re on a phone call simultaneously digging through emails trying to figure out what the heck is going on. It takes an average of 18 minutes to find a resolution to a workplace misunderstanding or miscommunication that initially takes place over digital communication channels. All of that time wasted costs businesses and people money. In fact, crossed wires are costing U.S. businesses an average of $361 million dollars each week!!
So what is the best solution to this? We’re all about working smarter, not harder. The best solution would be to streamline processes and communication channels.
Consider keeping communication to a maximum number of channels and reassess how important information is shared. We don’t need anymore, “this meeting could’ve been an email,” scenarios. But keep in mind important information should be clearly conveyed and usually in person is the easiest way to do that.
Opt to try a new form of communication. Recently video communication has seen a rise amongst businesses because it provides the digital communication most of us prefer with the in person communication that oftentimes lends itself to clarity. And we’re not talking about Zoom or Skype. We’re talking about newer technology, like Loom, that makes video recordings and screen recordings simple.
Here are a few ways Parker is practicing clear communication in the workspace in order to save time:
- Moving 1-hour calls to 45-minute calls
- Using slack and Monday to organize processes and communication
- Providing agenda’s prior to meetings to make sure you stay on track
- Move trainings to Loom so you can efficiently look back on them or offer them to other viewers / team members
- Creating boundaries – and stick to them! You’re worth it!
Keep in mind, in order for this to work, the people you’re communicating with need to be on board as well. But we’re sure once you bring up the want for clearer communication, you’ll have more people on board than you originally may think. But remember, time really is money when it comes to the grand scheme of business things!
