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magazine
17
Top tips for work-life
balance
Bhavin Turakhia, serial
tech entrepreneur
and founder of the
enterprise messenger
and productivity tool
Flock, offers advice on
how to stay productive
during the working
day and achieve that
all important work-life
balance.
n
Automate, automate, automate.
Go through your daily
workload and identify areas where tasks can be automated.
Any task that you have to do multiple times is ripe for some
kind of automation. If you manage a team of people, for
example, you may want to automate tasks such as creating
employee timesheet reports or approving reimbursement
claims. Those in a marketing role may want to automate the
process of posting updates on social media or monitoring
engagement. Deploying tools to do this can free up your time
for tasks that require more thought.
n
Reduce email and get answers instantly.
We all know
the dread of working through a full inbox, only to see the
messages pile up again as tasks and decisions drag on
endlessly. Tools such as instant messengers for business let you
collaborate with co-workers and instantly get the answers you
need to complete tasks.
n
Eliminate meetings.
Work meetings are one of the biggest
drains on people’s time. Make sure you stick to an agenda and
keep regular meetings to a maximum of 45 minutes. Modern
tools that let you connect with multiple people/teams via
messaging or video are another great time-saver.
n
Set up ‘concentration blocks’.
Mark out a block of time
during the day, when your mind is at its sharpest, to work
on your most important tasks. If possible, allocate two hours
for this purpose. Put your messaging app on Do Not Disturb
mode, so your co-workers know only to disturb you in an
emergency. By focusing all your mental energy on the most
important tasks without fear of distraction, you will be able to
complete seemingly insurmountable tasks much easier than
expected and tick them off your to-do list.
n
Find time in unexpected places.
There are moments
during every day when we are idle, for example when sitting
in the car or on a train. As many daily tasks can now be done
on your work phone, this time can be used productively by
downloading work programmes as apps. Even if you are the
driver, you can listen to podcasts on important industry topics
or use the time to achieve personal goals, for example by
listening to a language learning podcast.
/
WORK LIFE
Bhavin Turakhia
5
My laptop privacy screen
It always amazes me how much sensitive information is easily readable
on other people’s personal devices, especially when travelling. I recently
came across privacy filters, which effectively prevent your screen from
being read by someone sitting nearby, whether on a train, plane or even
in a coffee shop. Security breaches aren’t always about being digitally
hacked, they can also be from someone watching what you’re doing on
your laptop. Privacy filters are an inexpensive way of preventing this from
happening.
6
My Bose SoundLink Mini
speakers
These Bluetooth speakers pack an
enormous punch. They’re easily portable
and are brilliant for creating an impressive
sound quality when watching a film
on the iPad or for background music
while getting up in the morning. They’re
also great for an impromptu stay-up-
late moment in a hotel bar when a
bit of music is needed to inject some
atmosphere – something the sales team
at Brother UK have come to appreciate
over the years!
Follow Phil Jones on Twitter
@PhilJones40
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