Tip of the Week: Prioritizing Tasks for Better Productivity

Tip of the Week: Prioritizing Tasks for Better Productivity

Prioritizing tasks is one of the hardest parts of being a business owner. Countless tasks will pile up every hour of the day,and you might be lost trying to figure out how to proceed. Thankfully, you have us to offer you some strategies to approach your workday and be more productive with your time. Let’s get started!

Eliminate Non-Starters

It stands to reason that if you can’t work on one particular task, then it shouldn’t even be on the docket. You should betaking steps to address tasks that can be completed. This keeps tasks from piling up and progress at an all-time high. Once you’ve determined which tasks can be removed from your to-do list, either because it’s not time to work on them, or you don’t have the resources to actually complete them at this time,you can remove them from your list with the intention of following up on them at a later date.

Rank Your Tasks by Importance and Urgency

Some tasks you might put off simply because you don’t want to do them, or they don’t need to be done this instant. While this might seem like procrastination, it’s reasonable to take into account the urgency of the task, as not everything is important. After all, if every task is a priority, then none of them are the priority. For the tasks with an important time frame, just resist the urge to push it back as hard as you can. This will help keep you from missing a deadline.

Determine a Task’s Value

If an item will deliver the greatest benefit to your business as a whole, then perhaps it’s important to think about it with greater urgency. This is particularly the case for client or customer satisfaction. On the other hand, you need to consider tasks that will have a major fallout if they aren’t completed on-time. If you can compare each of these and weigh their importance, you can make sure that all important tasks are accomplished when they need to be.

What Does the Boss Want?

If the higher-ups in your organization set something as a priority, chances are you should consider it a priority as well.They want things done in a certain way, so it’s your responsibility to assist them with it in any way you can. However, their word isn’t the end-all-be-all. If you see something that could be improved or a process that could benefit your organization, at least bring it up. You have nothing to lose. If the decision benefits the consumer, then there is a greater chance of the decision pushing past the executive level.

What Are You Ready to Do?

You’re not a machine; you’re a human, and as a human you can only accomplish so much on any given day. Remember your limits and try to adopt a workflow that lets you get as much done as you can without going over your limits. It’s also critical that you keep in mind some tasks will inevitably crop up and throw a wrench in your productivity, so be prepared to adjust your workday’s tasks according to priority. Start with what you’re ready to accomplish and go from there.

WheelHouse IT can equip your business with technology designed to help you be more productive. To learn more, reach out to us at (877) 771-2384.

Be Mindful of These Security Issues

Be Mindful of These Security Issues

With all the stories in the news about data breach after data breach, it’s easy to get the idea that the only threats to your organization are those that are trying to break in. This can be a dangerous oversight–one that could cost your business’ future. If you ignore the possibilities, you could very well be putting your organization in jeopardy. We’ll discuss some of the major internal dangers that your business could face.

Internal Fraud

Scammers take many different shapes and forms,and we know that the last thing you want to do as a business owner is anticipate some kind of internal fraud happening behind your back.Unfortunately, any organization that deals with data is going to have to anticipate this as a possibility, as data is extremely valuable in today’s business world. Therefore, you should have measures in place to limit access to important data. Employees should only have as many permissions as they need to effectively do their jobs, and nothing more.

Excessive Access

Endpoints must be secured from threats, and if they are not secured, they could become infected. Infections could spread to your network from any endpoint, whether it’s a workstation in-house or a mobile device carried in by an employee. It’s critical that all devices used by a business have protections in place to ensure they are not vulnerable to attack.

Unsecured Applications

Your organization depends on software working the way you hope it to. While these applications are needed to ensure productivity, they also provide a window of opportunity for hackers and other threats to attack. If you don’t take the time to keep them patched and updated,they could become a threat to the success of your business. Even your cloud-based services must be secured adequately, as the slightest overlooked vulnerability could place your business at risk.

Human Error and Mis-management

Any business that relies on people to get things done will always be at the mercy of the unknown. Users are prone to error, and there will always be situations where people make mistakes. This much is unavoidable. Any employee could find themselves making IT mistakes, but it’s important to remember that they can be prevented with proper foresight and best practices.

Make sure that your employees know how important it is to review their work and ensure mistakes don’t happen. WheelHouse IT can help you keep your business secure from issues related to network security and user error. To learn more, reach out to us at (877) 771-2384.