Digital marketing is a fast-paced industry. One minute you’re juggling with a task, and another minute, you find yourself working on another.

With so many things you have to do in each project or client, staying in control can be a real challenge.

To maintain a work-life balance and ensure that you get things done on time, you need to create boundaries and manage your time well.

Check out these tips to stay in control of your work and your sanity as a digital marketer.

Set Time Limits

Staying on task takes discipline. One of the best ways to stay productive in a very dynamic workplace is to time your tasks. Designate a time limit for each activity. Here’s an example:

• Check and reply to emails for 15 minutes.
• Work on a major task for an hour.
• Perform deep work for two hours.
• Take a break for 15 minutes before resuming work.
• Work again for 2 hours.
• Read a book for 20 minutes.
• Squeeze in a workout for 45 minutes.

Setting a time limit for your activities can significantly drive your productivity by letting you focus on one task at a time, instilling discipline, building momentum for tough or unappealing tasks, blocking interruptions, and creating mental expectations that you will stay on a specific task until the time is up.

Be Clear on Deadlines

Before you start working on a project, make sure you are fully aware of the deadline.

Sometimes, clients will assign you projects without knowing when they expect them to be completed. In that case, make sure to ask.

Deadlines help us collaborate toward achieving a shared goal. It helps set expectations. This way, you can take control of your work, free of confusion.

Being clear about the deadline helps you avoid surprises when someone changes their mind regarding the project timeline.

Track Your Time

If you’re working from home, you need to create a winning structure for your day-to-day work to stay focused.

Consider using a time clock app that shows you the exact amount of time you’re spending on each task. It also gives you a clear idea about how long different tasks take. This way, you can better strategize your workflow and become more productive.

Apart from giving you insights into the intricacies of how you work, tracking your time also helps you step back and appreciate its immensity. The right tool allows you to visually map out everything you’ve accomplished for the day and gauge your progress.

Categorize and Delegate

To stay organized, you need to categorize tasks or projects based on importance and urgency.

Tasks that need to get done ASAP should be calendared accordingly so you can finish them faster. If you can delegate tasks to someone else, such as a team member or a fellow marketer, do so.

Speaking of delegation, you want to look for someone who has the skills and knowledge to perform the task.

Eliminate Distractions

Right now, people work in different situations. Some work at home, others in a shared office. Whatever your work setup is, you must focus on deep work. Distractions are inevitable, especially if you work from home.

Here are some tips to avoid distractions while working from home:

• Create a barrier. Set up a defined workspace or room for work.
• Put your phone in “do not disturb” mode. Notifications from social media platforms, apps, and games can be extremely distracting. You can adjust the settings to be notified of important calls or messages.
• Take breaks. Scheduled breaks help resist the temptation of walking away from your desk prematurely.

Invest Time in Education

You might find this idea counterintuitive, but spending time learning a new skill can help you save time in the future. For example, using a new tool that lets you manage marketing campaigns across different platforms will greatly save you time and effort and maximize your efficiency at work.

Furthermore, data analytics, storytelling, and content marketing skills can help you quickly develop effective strategies.

Only Use Tools That Show Real Benefits

So many tools have surfaced today. There’s likely an app or software for anything and everything. Unfortunately, having so many tools can sabotage your efforts to stay productive.

Choose Your Channels

Social media is a powerful place for digital marketing. All digital marketers utilize social media to reach a wider audience.

However, be careful about your strategy. Note that the more channels you’re active on, the more time you’ll have to spend on social media. Thus, you want to choose the channels that most benefit your project.

You don’t need to be on every social media platform to achieve your marketing goals. This is where data analytics comes into play. By studying your target demographics, you’ll know where and how to connect with them.

Use Templates

A lot of digital marketing tasks are repetitive. A handy hack is to create some templates that you can use repeatedly. Templates for emails, project proposals, and communications will make your life much easier.

Conclusion

By paying a little more attention to the activities you’re spending time on and creating a suitable work structure, you can stay in control of your job. So start implementing some of these time-saving tips for productivity and time management and notice a big difference in your job and well-being.

About the Author:

Meggie Nelson is an HR Manager at AMGtime and a passionate freelance writer with an ongoing curiosity to learn new things. She is deeply convinced that valuable experience sharing is key to business success. Meggie believes in a win-win formula and utilizes it daily in staff management.

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