In today’s fast-paced business world, it can be difficult to keep track of all the tasks that need to be done. This is especially true for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), which often have limited resources and staff.

Task Management Tips for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses

There are a number of task management tools and techniques that can help SMBs to stay organized and productive. Here are a few tips:

1. Set priorities. Not all tasks are created equal. Some tasks are more important than others, and some tasks are more urgent. It’s important to set priorities so that you can focus on the most important tasks first.
2. Break down large tasks into smaller ones. Large tasks can be daunting and overwhelming. To make them more manageable, break them down into smaller, more manageable tasks.
3. Estimate the time it will take to complete each task. This will help you to create a realistic schedule and avoid overcommitting yourself.
4. Delegate tasks to others. If you have the resources, don’t be afraid to delegate tasks to others. This will free up your time so that you can focus on the most important tasks.

5. Track your progress. It’s important to track your progress so that you can see how you’re doing and make adjustments as needed.
6. Take breaks. It’s important to take breaks throughout the day to avoid burnout. Get up and move around, or step outside for some fresh air.
7. Reward yourself. When you complete a task, take a moment to reward yourself. This will help you to stay motivated and on track.

By following these tips, you can improve your task management skills and help your SMB be more productive.

Additional Tips for Managing Tasks at Work

• Use a task management tool. There are a number of task management tools available, both free and paid. These tools can help you to track your tasks, set deadlines, and collaborate with others.
• Set up regular check-ins. Schedule regular check-ins with yourself and your team to discuss progress and make adjustments as needed. But don’t overdo it, and don’t drop too many random “let’s hop on a video call” requests without a very good reason either. 

If your employees cannot trust you to manage your time together in a productive manner, regardless of whether or not you’re paying them for the meeting time, you stand to lose their trust and respect if you become just another work distraction.

• Be flexible. Things don’t always go according to plan, so it’s important to be flexible and adaptable. Be prepared to make changes to your schedule as needed.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you’re struggling to manage your tasks, don’t be afraid to ask for help from your team or a professional.

By following these tips, you can improve your task management skills and help your SMB be more productive.

How Connecteam’s Task Management Works 

Connecteam offers a variety of features that make it easy to manage tasks, including:

• Easier task management: Connecteam allows you to create tasks, assign them to team members, and set deadlines. You can also track the progress of tasks and see who is working on what.
• Better communication in the workplace: Connecteam includes a built-in chat function that allows you to communicate with team members in real time. You can also use Connecteam to send messages, files, and photos.
• Employee collaboration: Connecteam allows you to collaborate on tasks with team members. You can comment on tasks, add files, and track changes.
• Management and staff accountability: Employees can clock in and track time, complete mandatory training, and fill out forms from templates easily and quickly.

Connecteam’s Task Tracker: Manage Projects with Easy to Use Software

• Improving workplace communication: Connecteam’s built-in chat function allows you to communicate with team members in real time. This can help to improve communication and collaboration within your team.
• Improving employee and staff visibility: Connecteam allows you to track the progress of tasks and see who is working on what. This can help you to keep track of your team’s workload and ensure that tasks are completed on time.
• Improving productivity in the workplace: Connecteam can help you to improve your team’s productivity by providing a centralized system for tracking tasks, setting deadlines, and collaborating with team members.

If you are looking for a task management software that can help your business improve communication, visibility, and productivity, Connecteam is a great option.

Connecteam is Your Daily, Weekly, Monthly, and Weekly Planner for Global Business Operations

Here are some of Connecteam’s main features that can help businesses operate on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis:

Daily Task Planning

• Mobile app: Connecteam has a mobile app that allows employees to access their tasks, schedules, and company information from anywhere. This can help employees stay organized and productive throughout the day.
• GPS time tracking: Connecteam’s GPS time tracking feature allows businesses to track employee hours and location. This can help businesses to ensure that employees are working the hours they are supposed to and that they are not working off-site without permission.
• Chat: Connecteam’s chat feature allows employees to communicate with each other and with managers in real time. This can help to improve communication and collaboration within the company.
• Announcements: Connecteam’s announcements feature allows businesses to send out company-wide announcements to employees. This can be used to communicate important information, such as changes to schedules or company policies.
• Checklists: Connecteam’s checklists feature allows employees to create and track checklists of tasks that need to be completed. This can help employees to stay organized and ensure that tasks are completed on time.

Weekly Task Planning

• Reports: Connecteam provides a variety of reports that can help businesses track their progress and identify areas where they can improve. These reports can be used to track employee productivity, attendance, and time off. They can also be used for showing clients how the breakdown of work occurred on their job.
• Time off requests: Connecteam allows employees to request time off through the platform. This makes it easy for managers to approve or deny time off requests and to keep track of employee leave. 
• Payroll: Connecteam integrates with a variety of payroll providers, making it easy to automate the payroll process. This can save businesses time and money.

Monthly Task Planning

• Performance reviews: Connecteam allows managers to create and track performance reviews for employees. This can help managers to identify areas where employees are excelling and areas where they need to improve.
• Training: Connecteam allows businesses to create and track training programs for employees. This can help businesses to ensure that employees are up-to-date on the latest skills and knowledge.
• Goal setting: Connecteam allows businesses to set goals for employees and track their progress. This can help employees stay motivated and on track.

Yearly Task Planning

• Budgeting and forecasting: Connecteam allows businesses to create and track budgets. This can help businesses to track their spending and ensure that they are on track to meet their financial goals.
• Operational planning: Connecteam allows businesses to create and track plans for the year ahead. This can help businesses to stay organized and ensure that they are prepared for the future.
• Staff awards and recognition: Connecteam allows businesses to recognize employees for their achievements. This can help to boost morale and productivity.

Connecteam is a powerful tool that can help businesses of all sizes to operate more efficiently and effectively. By taking advantage of Connecteam’s features, businesses can improve communication, collaboration, productivity, and profitability.

Here are some additional benefits of using Connecteam automation for task management:

• Mobile workplace app: Connecteam has a mobile app that allows you to access your tasks and collaborate with team members on the go, all day, from anywhere.
• Custom reporting and labor analytics: Connecteam provides a variety of reports that can help you track the progress of tasks, identify areas where your team is struggling, and make improvements.
• Integrations: Connecteam integrates with a variety of other business apps, such as Salesforce, QuickBooks, and Google Drive. This makes it easy to keep your task management system up-to-date with the rest of your business.

The Costs of Not Automating Your Task Management and Workflow

Here is an imaginary scenario or example where task management process at work breaks down and fails:

• A large software company is working on a new project. The project is complex and requires the coordination of many different teams. The company has a task management system in place, but it is not being used effectively.
• The project manager is not communicating with the team leaders effectively. As a result, the team leaders are not aware of all of the tasks that need to be completed.
• The team leaders are not communicating with their team members effectively. As a result, the team members are not aware of their responsibilities.
• The task management system is not user-friendly. As a result, the team members are not using it to track their progress. They’re losing tasks and responding to time-sensitive needs late.

As a result of these problems, the project is behind schedule and over budget. The company is at risk of losing the client. Employees are frustrated. One employee just quit and another was recommended to be terminated by one of your supervisors.

Now your business is losing money from churn. Your project manager’s mistake begins boiling up through the ranks of all your departments now. Some employees hide their frustrations the best they can while others simply throttle their efforts because they see the writing on the wall and how their best work may not be appreciated because of mistakes and reasons beyond their control.

You lose some of your most productive and best staff for something that could have been prevented, and since you’re unlikely to fire your project manager, you now have a sub-optimal business The cycle is bound to repeat itself in the near future, with further intangible and tangible losses.

It’s just one of the many ways in which businesses lose clients and “can’t seem to find good employees.” Don’t become one of them!

Free Task Management Tools

The fact something is free shouldn’t be the deciding factor, but there are many options. I also use Asana to keep track of ongoing tasks.

Asana Workflow and Project Management Review