The Do’s and Don’ts of Using Timesheet Templates

When it comes to achieving success, there are a few golden rules that every businessman follows. One of these rules concern the crucial importance of managing time and recording your tasks. Without such fundamentals, taking your business to the next level will be extremely challenging. It doesn’t matter where your business stands; whether you’re just starting up or managing a seasoned business, the importance of managing and recording your time remains one of the most important tasks you’ll need to do. 

Managing time can be done using various means, but u using timesheets have become quite popular thanks to its efficiency. If you’re still new to this practice, here’s what you need to keep in mind while using timesheet templates.

1. DO: Use Timesheet Templates

First things first, why exactly do you need to use a timesheet template? The answer is quite simple. Imagine needing to have a draft of everything the timesheet should include. Why spend a lot of time researching the best practices and testing out your own creations when you can just use any of these templates and get started right away. These templates have been tried and tested by the professionals who created them, thus proving to be an effective way to manage time and record tasks.

2. DON’T: Spend Too Much Time Creating the Perfect Sheet

Whether you choose to create a template yourself or use one that’s been created by professionals, keep in mind that timesheet templates are there to maximize your work efficiency. Don’t spend too much time looking for the perfect template or trying to create one from scratch; that will only waste your time. The perfect timesheet will be developed over time once you delve into work, so your main focus should be to start with something comprehensive yet simple to use. 

3. DO: Iterate the Sheets to Cover All Your Needs

Once you start working with the timesheet of your choice, you’ll find that there are certain essential elements missing. Here, your iteration process starts until you reach the perfect timesheet. Timesheets can be used for a variety of purposes, the most commonly known one is billing clients on an hourly basis. However, they can also be used, and they’re recommended for, any of the following tasks:

1. Logging employees’ work time
2. Project management
3. Payroll processing
4. Reporting
5. DON’T: Lose Your Data

Filling in the timesheet is not enough. You need to have backups in case anything gets deleted or goes missing. It’s going to be too difficult to fill in any missing information later on, so the best way to keep your work safe is to back it up. Timesheets can be used in many ways—some people use online sheets, and others prefer to work on a hard copy. Both scenarios require different forms of backups, so make sure you always have another copy saved, regardless of the kind of timesheet you’re using. 

4. DO: Be Consistent and Accurate

Filling in the timesheet can be as difficult or as simple as you make it be. The best practices in using timesheets recommend updating it on a daily basis with every task in due time. If you leave it until the end of the week, tasks are bound to get mixed up and a lot of guesswork will be involved.

5. DON’T: Forget to Generate Reports

You’ll never reap the full benefits of using timesheets without utilizing them to generate reports, analyze data, and act upon the insights you’ve unraveled. The information you get from analyzing the reports will give you a better perception of the performance of your team, the burden of the tasks and the coordination between your departments. By understanding the workflow of your business and pointing out any tasks that are time wasters, you’ll be able to get the most benefits out of this practice.

1. Make It a Work Culture, but Don’t Lose Trust

Finally, the best way to benefit from using timesheets is to make it a work culture. Encourage everyone to adopt this practice and build your work around it, but beware of one thing: Don’t lose the trust of your employees. The main purpose of working with timesheets is to create a more effective and efficient work environment. Timesheet templates shouldn’t be used to punish employees or make them feel like you don’t trust them.

Using timesheet templates is one of the best practices you can adopt to optimize your work efficiency and build a successful business. However, trying to create the perfect timesheet at the beginning will only need a bit of your time and effort. This is something that you’ll develop over time after experimenting with a template and iterating it to satisfy your needs. Always make sure that your work is backed up, and maximize your benefits by generating reports and making the use of timesheets a work culture.