Time management is critical to success in business, particularly for those in marketing. Marketers walk a fine line between ideation and execution. In other words, we’re expected to continuously innovate while also carrying out campaigns and strategies with the utmost efficiency. Juggling these two critical functions, along with the dozens of other daily tasks, can be quite the challenge. Thankfully, there are a few hacks to make managing your time a breeze.

Examine your workload.

There are plenty of tools available to help wrangle your daily schedule, but before you start downloading apps and installing software, it’s important to have a clear picture of what, exactly, you’re trying to organize. Start by using a notebook or whiteboard to jot down all of the things on your plate. Then, prioritize them in order of importance. This will serve as the blueprint for developing a more effective daily workflow.

Organize recurring tasks.

A busy marketer has many repetitive tasks on their to-do list. These tasks may include responsibilities such as:

  • Checking Google Ads and Analytics
  • Preparing for and attending/hosting meetings
  • Developing and executing content plans
  • Publishing blog articles
  • Creating newsletters
  • Monitoring social media

And the list goes on. Taking a few moments to organize all of your repeat tasks and automate as much as possible will save you hours of time down the road.

Use technology to create standardization.

Now that you have a better idea of how you’re spending your time each day, you’re ready to start optimizing. Using technology, such as a CRM platform, can enable you to automate a good number of the manual, repetitive tasks that are eating away at your productivity.

For instance, you can set up automated email drip campaigns, leverage AI to score leads and more. When these items are removed from your to-do list, you will be freed up to focus your efforts on projects and initiatives that will drive growth, innovation and profitability.

Delegate.

Just because you’re capable of handling every task on your to-do list doesn’t mean you should. Delegating some of the lower-tier items to other team members you trust will enable you to manage your time more strategically. Again, leveraging CRM technology can make this process fast, easy and efficient. Once you’ve assigned tasks to your crew, you can then follow their progress at a few clicks of a mouse.

Commit to being disciplined.

A time management strategy will only work if you are committed to disciplined work habits. As a busy marketer, you’re used to juggling many things at the same time. Phone calls, emails, client meetings, webinars…and so on and so forth. A lack of discipline makes it easy to become overwhelmed.

To avoid this, make a goal to create a schedule, automate as much as you can, delegate whenever possible and prioritize the rest. Check your task list regularly and mark items as “done” as you complete them. This will keep you on track and help avoid duplicate work and other inefficient practices.

The goal of any good marketer is to deliver exceptional value, both to the customer as well as to the company. Making the most of every minute of your schedule with better time management will help you achieve that goal consistently.