Creativity vs time: software and balance in the workplace

In this age of shrinking markets and shrinking margins, creativity is the only agency currency. It’s the X factor that can’t be boxed, quantified or evaluated. It is the mixed result of human endeavour and divine inspiration. Sometimes it comes together in one moment of brilliance, other times it can be likened to mining gold — long hours in a dark tunnel with very little light.

The problem is that creativity requires time, and time — as they say — is money.

So how can businesses ensure that they are striking the best balance between time and money? Ensuring that their employees have enough time to be creative, and that the business continues making enough money to survive?

In the words of the late American management consultant, educator, and author Peter Drucker: “Efficiency is doing things right. Effectiveness is doing the right things.”

Efficiency and effectiveness work hand-in-hand, to create profitability, and if time is managed efficiently, and staff have sufficient time to manage their workload, the end result is more effective thought and creative output. More effective results, mean happier clients.

With happier clients, you have better paying clients. And more clients. Which enables you to hire more staff, and put in place better resources, in order to do more work, for more people.

A well run business attracts a better calibre of employee. And higher calibre clients are attracted by businesses with top talent. It’s a self-fulfilling cycle.

The reality is that time management is not easy. And businesses are complex organizations, with many moving parts. To further complicate matters, the nature of creative work requires a certain level of freedom of thought and action.

The end result is inconsistency at best, and ineffectiveness at worst. It’s a lose-lose situation, in which the business, its staff and its clients suffer.

Successful businesses in today’s tough industry environment are required to know how profitable each hour of work is. When your business is reliant on profitable hours, you better make sure you know how many you have, how many you have billed and most importantly, how many more you have available. The days of not knowing are over and success lies in managing your new inventory — time.

We have found that having tools and technology that enable these insights, is not only key to success but absolutely critical in making the correct and profitable decisions.

In order to run a profitable business, it’s vital to run it efficiently. And the easiest way to ensure internal efficiency is to work with intelligent business software systems that help management and employees manage their time and energy.

The ideal system would be an all-in-one management software platform, specifically built to optimize productivity, by providing workable platforms that streamline business processes right from initial briefing, through the concept development stage, and into final execution.

One of the most important byproducts of these systems is that they leave nothing to chance — everyone involved in the work understands what is expected, by when, and from whom. A better understanding between businesses and their clients, especially in terms of time and workload management, leads to better client relations.

Creatives often assume that efficiency spells the death of creativity. That time management kills the creative spirit. The reality is that efficient systems create more time for the business of creativity, and more time results in a better quality of work.

In the end, it’s the greatest friend a creative can have.

Feature image: imgix via Unsplash