We’ve all either used or heard the term ‘so little time, so much to do’ before. It’s especially true within small businesses, no matter whether they’re just starting up or they’ve been trading for years.

With the recent economic difficulties, businesses and their employees are having to work harder and longer to ensure that their business is able to stay afloat and flourish. Limited budgets make the expansion of the workforce less and less possible whereas business growth is still highly sought after. So how do you successfully balance the two, without running yourself or the business into the ground?

Time is the most valuable asset that any business has, and I’m sure wishing for an extra hour in the day isn’t too far from any business owners mind. We’ve put some tips together about how both employees and business owners can ensure their time is used strategically so that every workplace runs efficiently:

A united workforce – A team who are bonded and dedicated to towards the same goals is more likely to be able to work together to pick up the slack when the going gets tough! Ensure that everyone is confident and comfortable with their responsibilities and targets so that the team is able to organise themselves well.

Make use of call management services – If you have a peak time throughout the business day for calls, ensure they are diverted to people you know will be able to answer them. Nothing is more stressful having the phone ringing off the hook and you’re too busy to answer!

Plan ahead in case of disaster – When disaster, such as a power cut, strikes have measures in place to ensure there’s minimal downtime for your business! See here for more info about building an effective disaster recovery plan. It’s also important here for you and your employees to allow time to go off

Prioritise – Every week or every morning, make a list of the tasks you have to get done and put them in order of priority, so that you can organise yourself and your team and provide structure.

Give yourself time off – Overworking yourself is a sure-fire way to decrease your output, so it’s vital that you have time to switch off from the office. When you don’t NEED to be using technology, don’t! Take regular breaks and give yourself a couple of hours every day to unwind – remember the importance of your work-life balance!