Top 5 Time Management Hacks To Get You Ahead

by Aymeric Gaurat-Apellii, founder of Weekplan

Peter Drucker quoted, “Time is the scarcest resource, and unless it is managed nothing else can be managed.” If time is not used effectively, it can spoil the whole game. Most of us complain that we don’t get time to do something we would love to do. But the fact is you’ll never get enough time, you will have to produce it.

We often think that we are overburdened with work, but the reality is that there is always room for improvement when it comes to managing time. A person can perform a set of tasks in a day, another person can perform the same set of tasks in 5-6 hours. It’s all a matter of efficiency and concentration.

Here are 5 time management hacks that will make every second worth:

Prioritize : Where do your tasks lie?

Many of us fail to judge which task is important and which task is urgent. The day a person learns to prioritize his tasks, he would be a master of his time.

We all are in a time crunch and our tasks are never ending. You can start with segregating tasks on their nature of how urgent and how important they are:

• Start with putting those tasks on high priority in Quadrant I which are urgent and important These are the tasks which can’t be avoided or procrastinated. For example, tasks with deadlines and health emergencies are categorized under this section. Manage time allocation to these tasks in such a way that they consume less of your time. Also, avoid emergency situations which can take a lot of your time.
• Secondly, put the tasks which are important but not urgent in the Quadrant II. These are your long term goals which will yield you results. It is the most important quadrant and will consume most of your time. Tasks like strategic planning and preparing reports are categorized under important and not urgent.
• Now come the tasks that are urgent but not important. These are the tasks that are not of much value but urgent. Tasks like taking a phone call or replying to an email which are distracting in nature should be put in Quadrant III. Keep in mind to spend minimum time on these tasks.
• Lastly, keep all those tasks in Quadrant IV which are not important and not urgent. These are the tasks that kill your valuable time like surfing the internet, gossiping with colleagues and chatting with friends.

Plan out everything.

You must have heard people saying start your day with a plan, which is not the correct method. To be effective, you must plan your day the night before. Doing so will put less stress on your brain in the morning and you’ll be able to work more effectively. Planning your schedule on a weekly basis is the best option. You get more room to adjust urgent tasks in between your preplanned week which is less stressful in comparison to planning on a daily basis. You just have to make a few adjustments rather than planning schedule from scratch every day. Use a daily schedule planner, or better, a weekly planner where you can assign yourself tasks and plan the whole schedule of a day or a week.

Once you have planned what tasks need to be done on what day, allocate time to each task. Putting a deadline to each task increases your productivity. Deadlines imply a goal needed to be achieved. And a goal-driven activity is sustainable itself. Nothing could be better than self-imposed deadlines. Putting a time constraint helps you achieve goals you have defined for the day.

Learn the art of saying NO.

Learning to say no is important. If you want control of your life you have to be stern at times. We all want to be liked by all and stay in everyone’s good books. But sometimes saying yes to others take a toll on your schedule and mess up your time allocation to each task. You have to get this thing straight, not everyone can be a people pleaser and being a people pleaser does no good to you in the long run. Set boundaries and learn to decline someone’s request in a polite manner.

Saying no is a great way to keep you focused on your task and it also keeps distractions at bay. Once you agree to do a task for someone, it is likely that they will approach you again to get their task done. Hence, you get distracted from your tasks. Learn to say no to others and yes to yourself.

Early bird catches the worm.

Get up early in the morning. Make it a habit. Get an uninterrupted sleep at night for at least 8 hours. Waking up early gives you time to exercise. And by doing exercise in the morning, you stay active throughout the day. Exercising not just keeps you fit but also increases your stamina which keeps you going throughout the day. Harvard biologist Christoph Randler found that people who wake up early in the morning are more proactive as compared to those who wake up late. Also, early risers are better planners and anticipate problems efficiently.

Sync multiple calendars at one place.

Managing multiple Google calendars can be a hectic task for those who manage more than one Google account. A lot of time gets wasted in logging in and out of accounts for accessing calendars to view upcoming events.. Weekplan is a free weekly planner that allows you to integrate multiple Google calendars at one place making it easy for you to keep a track of all your upcoming events.

You will find various blogs, numerous hacks and a lot of eBooks telling you how to manage your time and be productive. But, to be effective and manage your time efficiently is in your hands. Use an app that lets you manage all your tasks and reminds you about an upcoming event. The key to success lies in managing time effectively and efficiently.

 

Aymeric Gaurat-Apellii is a software consultant, programmer, blogger and the founder of Weekplan, a weekly planner web application. Read more about time management on his blog.

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Does Your App Struggle To Meet Customer Satisfaction?

Does your business have an app? How successful do you think your app is? More than $10 billion is spent on developing mobile apps each year, however less than 10% of mobile apps are classified as successful. The definition of success varies from revenue to engagement, depending on the objective of the app, but all mobile app developers agree that to maximise the chances of an app being successful, the user experience should be smooth and the app should deliver value to the end user. The only way to know this is if you receive meaningful feedback on the app.

In an article published on the Forbes website titled “Listening to customers yields success”, author Alan Hall claims that many businesses fail because they tend to forget to listen to what the users want out of your app. When it comes to mobile app development, decision makers and app developers within the organisation can easily get caught up in creating a product that ends up being tailored to their needs and wants, rather than the needs and wants of the apps end user.

Businesses need to implement a system where they can get accurate feedback quickly so they can optimise their platforms and improve their customer satisfaction. Appee offers a non-invasive solution that can provide app developers with feedback in real time and in a structured way so that improvements can be made quickly to enhance the user’s experience with the app.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg experienced this first hand when people were predicting the death of Facebook following the meteoric rise of mobile applications like Vine and Instagram. He admits that he made the mistake of not listening to his users and focused on an HTML5 solution, rather than a native app.

It wasn’t until the company really started to listen to its users and made the switch to a native mobile app that they started to see improvements in their user’s engagement and satisfaction on the platform. Later, when they identified people’s messaging behaviour, they invested in developing the specialist ‘Facebook Messenger’ application that would only provide a messaging service similar to Whatsapp. Although they forced their existing users to download the app, this has been a huge success since its launch and has allowed Facebook to maintain a strong engagement rate within its applications.

What are some things that businesses need to consider to improve their app?

Ask the right questions.

Getting the right feedback depends on the questions that are presented to the people. Construct a framework that is based on the benefits that you would like to achieve for the organisation and the app user.

Getting answers from qualified people.

Business leaders and app developers want to get insights from the people that will benefit the most from their mobile application. That’s why it is ideal to target those active users that have installed and are engaged with the application. The feedback from these users will help to improve the app and attract other potential users that have a similar profile.

Getting the data in a structured format.

This is a common oversight by many people that want to get data from their mobile app users. Data is only valuable if it can be organised and analysed to provide benefits for the business. That’s why organisations need to invest in a system that will structure the data so they can easily analyse it and make quick decisions to optimise their mobile app.

To increase the mobile app user’s satisfaction, organisations must listen to the voice of the customer. By encouraging feedback from the end users (customers) using intuitive and targeted feedback campaigns, within the app itself, app developers can work with the business leaders to ensure the app is satisfying business objectives as well as the end users expectations.

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How To Succeed As A Product Manager

by Beata Green, Director of HeadChannel

New technologies emerge daily and bring ingenious products to the world. It’s generally accepted to praise developers and designers for bringing these products to life but there is usually someone else behind the concepts and ideas. And this is the product manager who dictates the strategies and processes, controls the product’s lifecycle and ensures that it meets all the set demands.

“One reason product management is such an appealing career is you get to sit at the intersection of technology, business, and design.”
― Gayle Laakmann McDowell

The major responsibility of a product manager is to help the team (and the company) deliver a necessary product to its consumers. There are a few things to say about each component separately:

help the team.

Product managers need to ensure that their teams prioritize tasks effectively and make the right decisions based on the set goals. This way, all the team members understand what’s going on, why at this specific time and what the outcome will be. As a result, every team member will be able to influence the whole process and will thus feel involved in the project. It is necessary for you as a product manager to listen to everyone, take their ideas into account and share your product ideas with them.

(and the company).

Product managers should also understand the company’s goals. Ideally, they should motivate their teams to do what it takes to help the company achieve its final goals.

deliver.

It is one of the most important processes in a product development lifecycle to deliver the product. The product itself can be ideal and work faultlessly, but what really matters is how it enters the market. A good product manager should find the moment when the product is truly ready, even though this moment needed endless rounds of testing and revisions.

necessary product.

The quality of a product is decisive. From the earliest stages of product development, it’s vital for a team and, in particular, for a product manager to build creative and ingenious solutions.

“Only move forward with creating a product that will be “above the bar.”
― Brian Lawley, “Optimal Product Process“

As soon as the product has been delivered, a good manager will cooperate closely with the customer or will analyse how the market has adopted this product to make sure it was developed as intended. If necessary, further cooperation with the team is required.

to its consumers.

The most difficult part of product development is understanding who is going to use this product. Ideally, product managers always represent the preferences of the consumers and always remind the team and other managers of the maximum usability intended for the product. It requires in-depth feedback analysis and concentration on UX.

Product Management Metrics.

But how to measure how successful a product manager is in his/her results? Despite huge efforts and seemingly good results, it’s important to use real metrics to arrive at a final verdict. Some of the most important are described below:

 

Marketing metrics.

This group of metrics covers numbers such as monthly unique visitors to the website and customer acquisition cost. Knowing how much it costs to get a new client will help your company to analyse and forecast its profitability.

Customer Success Metrics.

These metrics can be obtained through analysing a conversion rate. The easiest way to calculate it is to take those who signed up for a free trial of your product and then compare this number with those who decided to proceed with a paid subscription. The success of a product manager can also be measured by the number of support tickets generated. It can either show a usability problem or an increase in a number of customers. It’s also useful to measure the response time and how much it takes to close the ticket. Another kind of metric in this group is the churn rate which shows all the losses, e.g. in revenue, customers, etc.

Business Operations Metrics.

With this type of metric, it is possible to count the percentage of active users of the product, lifetime value, monthly recurring value and annual recurring value.

Metrics are vital for any business. As soon as you learn to use them properly, you will be able to discover new trends, identify challenges and make smarter decisions. However, consider the factors that might affect the outcomes. (See the image left)

Finally.

As product managers often act like mini CEO’s in a company, the value they bring is enormous. Ideal product managers will always be passionate about the product they are working on. It’s said that they do not manage the product, they manage the problems that this product solves. Still unaware of certain product management aspects? Simply join the discussion in the comments and we will gladly share our thoughts.

 

Beata Green is Director of HeadChannel Ltd., London based bespoke software development company. She is responsible for overall strategic direction and overseeing the company’s continuing growth, building closer client relationships and maintaining best working practices. She enjoys brisk country walks with her red fox labrador and then relaxing in front of a TV crime drama with a glass of red wine.

 

 

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Global Smart Cities Is What’s Trending

by Wendy Dessler, Super-Connector at OutreachMama

In the past people thought of a modern city as one that could be compared with New York or London. Because of increased innovation and technological changes over the last few decades, many cities around the world have not only become highly urbanized, but have also become smart cities.

What is a Smart City?

Until now, there is still a debate as to the exact definition of smart city. Nevertheless, we will simplify it, so it won’t be that complicated.

What do you think is the difference between a cellular phone and a smart phone? When cellular phones were introduced, people were amazed at how they were used to make a call and send text messages to people in remote places.

Little did we know that smart phone innovation would exist. The reason why we call it smart phone is because a lot of technological components are integrated into this phone. It means you can not only call and send text messages, but also connect to the internet, capture images, record videos, and more.

Smart cities work in a similar way. A smart city is a city that is integrating information and communication technology (ICT) with local facilities to increase the standard of living in its locality.

How Do Smart Cities Change Life?

In most big cities, almost all aspects of everyday affairs are powered by information and communication technology. Look around and you will notice that almost everything is connected with ICT. These things are:

• Traffic Lights
• CCTV Cameras
• ATM Machines
• Paging Systems
• RFID’s
• WiFi Zones
• Weather Control
• Telephone Lines
• Cable Systems

Take for example, the interconnection among cable systems, telephone lines, and WiFi. This is an example of ICT integration in a particular city, and a city that has efficient integration of almost all such components is called a smarty.

Smart Cities Are Rising.

In the advent of technology the number of smart cities around the world has been increasing. These cities have begun implementing mega projects to create systems that will connect all local institutions that also involve the public.

Even in the process of implementing such projects, big cities also upgrading their infrastructure and in doing so needs to replace and put in new systems to run fiber optics and need systems like the light weight trench box. Existing ICT technology is also incorporated in almost all city projects.

All these imply that smart cities are rising everywhere around the world.

Advantages of ICT Integration

• Public service becomes more efficient
• Safety and security are enhanced
• Technical issues are addressed immediately
• Local planning becomes systematic

Disadvantages.

Aside from a budget concern, the only issue that ICT integration with other technology components is an accidental shutting down of most facilities that are connected among one another. This is rare, and it may happen only in extreme calamity. There have also been concerns about the making smart cities cyber safe, which is being dealt with by non-profit agencies.

The Future of Smart Cities.

If you look at the way technological innovation is developing year on year, you will not be surprised that many undeveloped towns these days will soon become smart cities, and the smart cities today will continue to innovate to become future models of urban development.

Conclusion.

Smart gadgets are the prototype of smart cities. They both become smart creations because of ICT. Furthermore, they become smarter and smarter as time goes by. In the case of smart cities, development in many aspects will continue to accelerate. Therefore, they should prepare for bigger projects in the near future.

 

Wendy Dessler is a super-connector with OutreachMama who helps businesses find their audience online through outreach, partnerships, and networking. She frequently writes about the latest advancements in digital marketing and focuses her efforts on developing customized blogger outreach plans depending on the industry and competition.

 

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The Do’s & Don’ts Of Digital Marketing For Local Businesses

By Aaron Boggs, president of RevLocal

For small business owners, keeping up with the latest and greatest strategies can be a daunting task – and digital marketing for one, is often rife with confusion and missed opportunities for local businesses. A recent study we conducted found that 75 percent of local businesses say they are investing in local search marketing, yet only 44 percent are tracking the effectiveness of their strategies.

For many business owners, the pain of running the daily operations coupled with a fear of keeping up with marketing online means many don’t know where or how to start. While there’s no one sure-fire formula, a few basic strategies can be a powerful foundation to help set local companies on the right path to digital marketing success.

DO go for Google.

This might seem elementary; however, a significant number of small businesses do not pay attention to their Google My Business page. To find potential customers online, you must first ensure you’re information is up-to-date on Google. Remember, Google wants to deliver the most accurate, active and appealing local search results.

Our study found six in 10 businesses are investing in SEO and social media and nearly everyone (95 percent) say they plan to increase or maintain their digital marketing budget for next year, which means it’s critical that you’re making the most of your listings.

DO stay positive.

Obviously, online reviews are an important ingredient to your overall online presence. Local consumers are motivated by word of mouth marketing online, and a portion of Google’s local search algorithm is dedicated to reviews of your business. For that reason, acquiring positive reviews should be at the forefront of your digital marketing strategy – and the best way to start is to ask. Start by engaging with local customers and solicit their feedback via online review sites. If you acquire emails, ask on email. If you have a front counter, ask at the counter. There really is value in creating fans.

DON’T forget to tell a story.

There is no shortage of social media platforms – and the truth is, they all matter. But realizing the value of social media is a company’s ability to tell stories to your followers. Pictures, videos, posts and blogs are all about connecting and engaging with an audience you want to influence. Without a story at the base, you’re facing an uphill battle when it comes to social media and its effectiveness on your overall digital marketing efforts.

DON’T forget to go local… and mobile.

The old website and organic SEO strategies of the past are no longer effective today. Consumers have been trained on mobile devices to quickly engage or disengage with your business. The most effective websites are simple, to the point and are optimized for mobile devices. Research shows that 85 percent of consumers are still going online just to find basic information about a business, including a phone number, address, driving directions and store hours, so at the bare minimum, it’s vital that you’ve updated the facts about your site online, so local customers can find easily find you.

DO find a partner you trust.

There is value in finding a digital marketing partner that does the work with you and for you. A great digital marketing partner saves you time, money and works as an extension of your business.   Nearly two-thirds of our surveyed businesses say they spend less than $500 per month on digital marketing. With the advancements in technology, it is possible for your business to find incredible value in choosing the right partner.

The world of local search marketing is evolving at an amazing pace. Customers are out there waiting to find you. Digital marketing is no longer a “nice to have,” but is a “must-have” for all businesses today. Simple strategies can help ensure your business is taking steps in the right direction.

 

Aaron Boggs is president of RevLocal, where he is focused on continuing to evolve RevLocal’s personalized approach to digital marketing that helps more local businesses maximize their online presence.  He will also focus on broadening the company’s national footprint and developing new partnerships and stregnethening existing ones, including deepening RevLocal’s integration with Google.

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You’ll Know When Your Time To Grow Has Come

When a business has been launched and is starting to reach a customer base, it can feel like the calm after the storm. After all the weeks and months of worry, your baby is out there, and you’re working on something you love. The fear and stress begins to recede as you fall into a new working life, satisfying customers and focusing on repeat business. It’s a wonderful time, and one you should enjoy.

Fast forward a couple of months and you’re into a new quarter. It’s time to look through everything that happened in the initial quarter. Sort out your paperwork, chase up any unpaid invoices, get a hold of your business credit reports and check everything is it should be.

Ideally, when you look over all of this red tape, you will see positive signs. Perhaps you are ahead of your forecasts, or there is scope in your schedule to take on more work. It finally looks like all the effort of striking out on your own has been worth it.

With things looking good, it’s only natural to start thinking about next steps. As an entrepreneur, this seems sensible enough decision to make. A key part of running a business is in looking ahead and making sure that you have planned for the future. You have to be able to anticipate ideas and react, always knowing where you are going rather than focusing on the past. With a good opening to your business, it’s tempting to start looking at what comes next.

No one wants to be a doom monger, but hold yourself before you push ahead. When you created your business plan, you chose the expansion plans for a reason. Don’t suddenly discount those decisions in the face of doing well.

Try and see it as things are going well, so you should be continuing as you are for the moment. Yes, you want – and need – to move on to the next phase, but jumping the gun is dangerous. For a start, you may be experiencing an early success that you’re not actually going to see continue. Every business goes through boom phases; you need to see that the growth is consistent before you start making plans.

It may seem to go against your general spirit. It may seem that you would be better off making hay while the sun was shining, and that you should seize every chance you get. However, plenty of business owners have accelerated their plans – and soon, they are not business owners anymore. Bank the profits, keep working hard and focus the extra effort on building a customer base.

If you didn’t have any plans for expansion in your business plan, then it’s time to rewrite it after a few months on the job. You need a clear idea of where you’re going, and then you stick to it. You’re in this for the long haul, and as a general rule, don’t expand until you can afford for it to fail. That may sound a little pessimistic, but it’s healthier in the long run.

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Business Practices In 2016: Keeping Up With The Modern Era

Technology has changed business. In 2016, companies don’t just have to worry about what they offer physically, but also their digital presence.

The tech bubble has brought about all kinds of new businesses. New technology for smartphones and computers have changed how businesses operate in the new decade.

This has changed how companies must operate. There are now a number of new tools and platforms businesses now must make use of to compete.

But how do businesses keep up with this new, technology-rich era? Here are a few of the things they must consider.

Making The Most Of The Internet.

It has been commonplace for businesses to operate their own websites for around two decades now. However, new standards have been brought around that businesses need to keep up with.

Search engine optimization (SEO) has become an important part of keeping business websites up to scratch. This involves using targeted keywords and content to attract the right visitors.

Increasingly more people are using smartphones as a way to navigate the internet. This means websites must also make sure they are optimized for mobile, or offer a mobile service.

There are numerous other tools businesses use to keep up with the competition. Businesses often use the internet to track statistics and get new customers. Services like Saleshub offer sales enablement tools to businesses to improve their online offerings.

Keep Up With The Smartphone Crowd.

A Pew Research Centre survey recently found more Americans are relying on their smartphones for internet access. This is largely due to the fact smartphones are offering an easy, compact way for people to access the internet from anywhere.

This makes it increasingly vital for businesses to expand what they offer to the smartphone crowd. As previously mentioned, companies now have to optimize their services for mobile. Statistics have shown that 67% of smartphone users check prices online, and 40% make purchases. This number is likely to grow as smartphone usage becomes increasingly common.

This isn’t the only way businesses can use smartphones to their advantage. Many companies now produce their own ‘apps’ to reach out to their target audience. By putting their own software on Apple’s App Store and Google Play for Android, they can reach a wider market.

Some businesses might even take advantage of the popularity of current apps. For example, here’s some free ways businesses can use Pokémon GO to increase their visibility.

Keep Up With Social Media.

Today, a range of social networks are available both on computers and smartphones. This has become one of the most important things for businesses to keep up with.

Many consumers use social media channels such as Twitter to interact with companies. This can be used for feedback and complaints, and many users expect a response.

This has led many businesses to hire specialized social media experts. This goes to prove the importance of social media for business in 2016.

Some of the most popular social networks are Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Businesses are also starting to use networks like Instagram and Snapchat to reach an even wider audience.

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