New/Latest Activity

19 October 2020, 12:35

When it comes to making a decision about which scheduling software to choose, software review websites can be a useful part of your decision-making process. Comparison sites allow you to see most of the top solutions in one place. You can also compare specific capabilities.

However, there are many websites to choose from. Type ‘best scheduling software’ into Google and you will get plenty of answers. Review websites can be really helpful, but it’s important to know how independent reviews are.

Looking for actual testimonials from users in similar industries to yours can be the most influential. Here are some of the software review sites that you might want to look at during your scheduling software search:

1. Capterra

With more than one million verified reviews published to the site, and thousands more added each month, Capterra claims to offer the ‘most robust, user-driven perspective on software in the world’. Capterra is free to use, though they do say that Software companies pay Capterra when they receive web traffic and sales opportunities.

Capterra does list all vendors, not just those that pay, so that you can make the best-informed choice. The trick is to look at the ‘Sort by’ box on the right hand side of the screen after you have made your search. The default setting it to show Sponsored (i.e. paid for) results first. Changing this to ‘Highest rated’ may give you a more helpful list. Always bear in mind the number of reviews and specification though.

A piece of software might have amazing reviews, but if it’s only from a few people or doesn’t quite offer the functions you need, such as all-device access, then you will need to keep looking.

2. G2

G2 aims to cut the time you spend researching software and make purchasing business technology ‘as easy as buying consumer products’.

They offer ‘unfiltered reviews’ from peers who use similar solutions and product rankings aggregated from peer reviews and social data. Search filters allow you to choose between the highest rated, easiest to use and Free or Paid for options. You can also look by size of company, languages supported and deployment, such as On-Prem or Cloud.

3. Software Advice

Software Advice allows you to connect with an Advisor to help you with your software search. It also features Buyers Guides and ‘Front runners’ which are based on recent reviews.

Their drop down filters enable you to quickly access software solutions suitable for your industry or used by companies with a similar number of employees to your own. Consider related searches to scheduling like Project Management, as these may offer suitable options as well.

4. Software World

Review sites like Software World are packed with trending software and real-time reviews. These B2B review sites segregate software ‘on the basis of value, cost- efficacy, accessibility, conductivity, and collaboration’.

Depending on your requirements, you might want to search for Resource Management Software or Employee Scheduling Software and look for companies displaying their ‘Top rated’ badge. They say their ratings are based on overall product performance and free from any bias. They take into account reviews and ratings, social media buzz, online presence and other relevant information.




If you’re still trying to narrow down which scheduling software or resource management software is right for your business then please chat live, email us at support@scheduleit.com or call us on +44 (0)1924 600 603. We will be happy to answer your questions, as well as organise a no-obligation free trial for you, so you can experience the benefits for yourself. Or start your 14-day free trial yourself in just 17 seconds, with no credit card required, by following this link.

26 June 2025, 15:12

Resource Hub - Customer and Resource Management

26 June 2025, 15:12

With more and more using 'Schedule it' as a CRM, or just needing a central place to find, manage, and track engagement with your resources, we have added the Resource Directory/Hub.

The Resource Directory/Hub centralizes access to all your customers, contacts, employees, projects, equipment and other resources into a single location to help you quickly find, get information on, or update them as needed. It gives quick and easy access for daily users without the need to access the advanced admin tools.

Use notes to keep track of your interaction with customers and clients. Adding a note to a resource automatically updates the resource's "Last Noted" date helping you track and sort by recent activity and engagement date.








Clicking a resource will open an information panel to show extra details like their attachments, connections, recent events booked against them and various statistics. From the information panel you can perform quick actions like adding a new task or event, emailing or calling, or edit their information in your database.

28 August 2018, 19:33

Make important information standout, add images, links and to-do lists.

Schedule It Online, and our mobile apps, uses simple extra characters to give you an easy way to denote rich content such as bold/italic items, numbered and bulleted lists, headers, and images. Click your notes to edit them, click the 'Preview Notes' button to finish editing to see how the formatted notes will be seen.

This type of plain text formatting is called Markdown and allows you to quickly write rich content. It is an incredibly powerful writing tool which will allow you to write rich content far faster than almost any other method. It is also readable to others with any other software or device that may not support other methods of formatting.


Your notes can look like this...

---

Above the notes area are a number of icons to add the formatting for you but you can also type it manually.

To create italic text, surround the text with single asterisks (*).

To create bold text, surround the text with double asterisks (**).

To create text which is both bold and italic, surround the text with triple asterisks (***).

To create strikethrough text, surround the text with double tildes (~~).

Style	Key	If you type	You will see
Italic	*	this is how to *italicize this* text	this is how to italicize this text
Bold	**	you can **bold text** too	you can bold text too
Italic & bold	***	have ***Italic & bold***	have Italic & bold
Strike-through	~~	~~this is crossed out~~	this is crossed out
Headings	#	# a big heading	a big heading
	##	## a smaller heading	a smaller heading
	###	### heading	heading
Table	||	|| col1 | col2 | col3 || || data1 | data2 | data3 ||	col1 col2 col3 data1 data2 data3
Text list	-	- list item	list item
Dropdown list	- [[]]	- [L-1] Option1, Option2, Option3	Option 1Option 2Option 3
Quotation	>	> indented text	indented text
Checkbox	- [ ]	- [ ] still to do	still to do
Checkbox ticked	- [x]	- [x] this is done	this is done
Line	---	---
Clickable link		https://www.google.com	https://www.google.com
Show an image	[url]	

---

Using checkboxes to create task lists inside your events

Type this simple text...

Tasks to do:
- [x] Order form received
- [ ] Order checked **(Important)**
- [ ] Order Sent

And get these clickable boxes and formatting

Tasks to do:
Order form received
Order checked (Important)
Order Sent

14 August 2017, 19:58

We have a video coming soon...

To import EVENTS into your online account go to the Settings menu (Top Right) then choose Import. In the import window you can then paste your data, or open your CSV, iCal, or VCS file, then choose which of your data columns match with the fields in your online account.

Each line of your import file or text is an event. Each event needs at least a start and end date/time. E.g.
2023-01-29 09:00,2023-01-30 17:00, Some title, John Smith

You must select a default resource to import your events into. This is only used as a fall back in case the importer cannot find the resource names in your file to know where the events should go.

5 June 2017, 09:07

Events can be colored in a number of ways to help you quickly see its status or condition. Its background color, foreground color, and the inclusion of colored notch can all be set.

- You can show the background color for your resources/keywords as small bars with or without the resource name, at the top of your events. This allows multiple different colored markers on a single event. Hovering over the event shows the bars and the resource/word you associated with that color. Note that resources with a background color of white will not be shown at the start of an event.

You can have an unlimited number of resources/keywords that can color your events and these can help you track different status like Confirmed, Paid, Cancelled, Busy, Free, Vacation, Holiday, Sickness, Call Out, Breakdown, Service, Training etc.

- Within an event you can press the color icon next to the title to manually change the background and text color of the event. As this is a manual process you have no way to see what that color represents. We recommend adding a resource/keyword that describes what the color means, like the word 'Confirmed', and within that resource set the 'Event Color Option' (from the second color icon next to the title) to the colors you want the event to take when this is selected. Now you no longer need to manually pick an event color as its set automatically for you.

- You can also create a template event. Marking an event as a template means you can use it in the future to create copies with all the same preset resources, colors and other additional information. See this FAQ on how to create a template.








If you do not wish to use colors and dont want the see them in your event you can set the resource background to white or unselect 'Resource Colors' from the Layout menu in your Timeline view.



#color,colour,marker,style

24 August 2023, 10:02

The following steps guide you through creating a custom application integration between Schedule it and Okta for user login authentication.

Create a new app integration

From Schedule it Account Settings > Single Sign On (SSO) page, click the Okta link to populate the SSO form with the initial details.

Change all the <YOUR_DOMAIN_HERE> tags for your Okta domain.

In the Okta Console, click Applications > Create App Integration.

Select OIDC - OpenID Connect as the Sign-in method.

Select Web Application.

Click Next.

In Sign-in redirect URIs, paste the Redirect URL from your Schedule it Account Settings > SSO > Redirect URL.

In Sign-out redirect URIs, paste the Redirect URL from your Schedule it Account Settings > SSO > Redirect URL.

Download and add the Schedule it logo to your app so its easy for your users to recognise it.

Click Save.

Copy the Okta Client ID and paste into your Schedule it Account Settings > SSO > Client ID.

Copy the Okta Client Secret and paste into your Schedule it Account Settings > SSO > Client Secret.

Save your Schedule it settings.

Update each of your Schedule it users SSO details to include their SSO ID from your provider.

If you are unsure of the ID provided by your SSO provider, then you can attempt a login (from your Redirect URL)which should show the ID provided.

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24 August 2023, 15:58

The following steps guide you through creating a custom application integration between Schedule it and Okta for user login authentication.

Sign in to the Slack API Console.

Create a new app integration

From the Schedule it Account Settings > Single Sign On (SSO) page, click the Slack link to populate the SSO form with the initial details.

In Slack, click Create New App > From scratch.

Enter a name, Schedule it SSO, and choose a workspace where it can be used.

Click Create App.

Scroll down to App Credentials.

Copy the Slack Client ID and paste into your Schedule it Account Settings > SSO > Client ID.

Copy the Slack Client Secret and paste into your Schedule it Account Settings > SSO > Client Secret.

Save your Schedule it settings.

In Slack scroll down to Display Information where you must enter a short and long description and add an icon.

Press Save Changes.

On the left select OAuth & Permissions.

Add the Redirect URL from your Schedule it Account Settings > SSO. Redirect URL.

Update each of your Schedule it users SSO details to include their SSO ID from your provider.

If you are unsure of the ID provided by your SSO provider, then you can attempt a login (from your Redirect URL)which should show the ID provided.

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26 August 2023, 11:51

The following steps guide you through creating a custom application integration between Schedule it for user login authentication.

Sign in to the Google portal :

Create a new app integration

From the Schedule it Account Settings > Single Sign On (SSO) page, click the Azure link to populate the SSO form with the initial details.

In Google select Credentials > Create Credentials > OAuth Client ID

Set the Application Type as Web Applications

Enter the name, Schedule it SSO, and choose a workspace where it can be used.

Add the Redirect URL from your Schedule it Account Settings > SSO > Redirect URL.

Click Create.

Copy the Client ID and paste into your Schedule it Account Settings > SSO > Client ID.

Copy the Client Secret and paste into your Schedule it Account Settings > SSO > Client Secret.

Save your Schedule it settings.

Update each of your Schedule it users SSO details to include their SSO ID from your provider.

If you are unsure of the ID provided by your SSO provider, then you can attempt a login (from your Redirect URL)which should show the ID provided.

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25 August 2023, 07:27

The following steps guide you through creating a custom application integration between Schedule it for user login authentication.

Help documents from Microsoft.

Sign in to the Azure portal.

Create a new app integration

From the Schedule it Account Settings > Single Sign On (SSO) page, click the Azure link to populate the SSO form with the initial details.

In Azure select Azure Active Directory

Select Azure Active Directory > App registrations, and then select + New Registration.

Enter the name, Schedule it SSO, and choose a workspace where it can be used.

Set the Redirect URL type to Web.

Add the Redirect URL from your Schedule it Account Settings > SSO > Redirect URL.

Click Register.

Copy the Application (client) ID and paste into your Schedule it Account Settings > SSO > Client ID.

Copy the Directory (tenant) ID and paste to replace all the <YOUR_DIRECTORY_TENANT_ID_HERE> tags in your Schedule it Account Settings > SSO

From Certificates & secrets press + New client secret

Enter the name Schedule it SSO secret and press Add

Copy the secret Value (not the Secret ID) and paste into your Schedule it Account Settings > SSO > Client Secret.

Save your Schedule it settings.

Update each of your Schedule it users SSO details to include their SSO ID from your provider.

If you are unsure of the ID provided by your SSO provider, then you can attempt a login (from your Redirect URL)which should show the ID provided.

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8 June 2021, 10:07

Under the price on our pricing page here is a full list of the differences between each plan.

From your Account Settings you can click the Upgrade Plan button to see the price to upgrade your current plan.


These are just some of the differences between the Startup Plan and the Business Plan...

Startup has:
- no backups, you must do your own each day
- is not GDPR compliant, you cannot store real names or PII data
- uses lower security servers, also no 2FA
- only stores a maximum of 10000 events then you must delete old events
- only support by email, no telephone or live chat

Business has:
- full automatic data backup
- legally GDPR compliant if you need to store any real names, addresses, company details etc.
- can store up to 250000 events
- live support
- custom reports
- Custom form fields in events
- 2 way Outlook and Google sharing
- Access to the API and Integrations

Enterprise has:
- higher event storage
- advanced custom rules and workflows
- batch API request, higher rate limits


To see the upgrade price just press the Upgrade Plan button in your Account Settings page.

14 September 2016, 08:32

Yes we offer a REST API to allow access to the data in your online account. In addition we have Webhooks that can send information to other services based on actions that happen in your account.

We also partner with Zapier to make integration with our API even quicker and easier. Connect to 1000+ of your favorite tools with our Zapier app. Get our Zapier app here.

Within our API we use Hypermedia to allow you to explore the API and its calls. You can use many API browsers to see and interact with the API for your account with tools like Postman. Once you are logged into your account simply start your API browser and point it to https://www.scheduleit.com/api/.

API calls are made via the HTTP methods GET, POST, and DELETE. The responses return status codes indicating success or failure, along with any applicable headers, and JSON representing the affected fields (or nothing) in the message-body.

Mandatory requirement for API access - Error checking
So we can work together to deliver you and all our users a reliable service, a mandatory requirement to access the API is you must include error checking in your scripts and check each response for a response code of 200 (OK), 429 (Wait 1 Minute), 400 or 403 (access denied). Occasionally our system will reply with a 429 response to see if your error checking code is working. Your script must wait one minute before trying again. Failure to do so could results in your API access being blocked, or your account being put on hold. Other error codes may also be returned and your script must track them. If constant errors are returned your script must stop sending requests until the issue is resolved.

Reply code 200 = No issues. Keep posting.
Reply code 400 or 403 = Login or security issue. Stop posting or wait one hour before posting again, and inform your IT to investigate.
Reply code 429 or any other = Wait one minute before posting again.
3 errors (non 200 codes) in a row should also cause your script to stop posting or wait one hour before posting again

If you are using Zapier they also have error handling steps you can use to inform you or pause on errors...
See Zapiers error-handling guide 1
See Zapiers error-handling guide 2


Lookup tables for repetitive searches
Searching for the same data repeatedly can cause API limits and safety alerts to be triggered blocking access. If your scripts perform the same search multiple times you should use lookup tables to temporarily store the results locally for reuse.

If you are using Zapier this page will help: See Zapier support page

Security & Access

Authentication to the API is normally done using HTTP Basic Authentication where your account login (account number_login name) and password are required. The most compelling aspect about HTTP Basic Authentication is that it's simple, and you should of course always use HTTPS when submitting HTTP Basic Authentication credentials.

Although the connection between you and our servers is encrypted and protected by the SSL layer it is advised not to put your login details as URL parameters where possible. These could be stored in the clear in our server logs as well as being visible to snooping if your SSL connection is not secure.

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Workspaces

All API data is retrieved from the main workspace (id=1) by default. If you are using multiple workspaces you will need to add a search query using the workspace ID to retrieve data that is NOT in the main workspace. Workspace IDs are shown next to their name in your Account Settings > Workspaces page.

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Retrieving User Information

Data is request via the URL path and additional parameters.

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API ROOT

The root path for all API calls is https://www.scheduleit.com/api/

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GET

HTTP GET requests are used to retrieve data without directly modifying it, in json format.

/api/data set name (returns a simple summery of the top 10 records if no additional query parameters are sent)

/api/groups

/api/resources

/api/events

/api/labels

Unless specific fields are specified only a summary is returned. You must specify the fields if you need additional record information. Request a single record to see and return ALL fields.

Get the ID and Name fields from all your Groups

/api/groups?fields=id,name

Get the id, name and email addresses from all your Resources

/api/resources?fields=id,name,email

Get the ID, Start and Title from all your Events within the default date range

/api/events?fields=id,date_start,title

/api/data set name/data record id (returns ALL the available fields of the requested record)

Get ALL fields from Event where the Event ID is 1234

/api/events/1234

Get the title of your Events where the Event ID is 123456

/api/events/123456?fields=title

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Search the data sets for multiple records.

Event search:

• search_id=search for multiple ids
  
• search_title=search text
  
• search_name=search text
  
• search_completed=search completed
  
• search_date_start=search date
  
• search_date_end=search date
  
• search_owner=search with tagged resource using resource id
  
• search_date_modified=(>,<,!) search date (e.g. search_date_modified=>2022-01-31)
  
• date_range_from=search date
  
• date_range_to=search date
  
• search_istask=search for tasks (1 or 0)
  
• search_isnodate=search for events with no date (1 or 0)
  

Resource search:

• search_id=search for multiple ids
  
• search_name=search name
  
• search_owner=(,!) search within a Group using group id
  
• search_data1=search details 1
  ...
  
• search_data10=search details 10
  
• search_price=(>,<,!) search hourly or fix rate/price (e.g. search_price=>0)
  
• search_date_modified=(>,<,!) search date (e.g. search_date_modified=>2022-01-31)
  

Group search:

• search_id=search for multiple ids
  
• search_name=search name
  
• search_date_modified=(>,<,!) search date (e.g. search_date_modified=>2022-01-31)
  

Get any Events linked to a resource with the ID 123, 123 OR 456, and 123 AND 456, and NOT 123 AND NOT 456

/api/events?fields=id&search_owner=123

/api/events?fields=id&search_owner=123,456

/api/events?fields=id&search_owner=$,123,456

/api/events?fields=id&search_owner=!,123,456

Get Events for 2018

/api/events?date_range_from=2018-01-01&date_range_to=2018-12-31

Get Events where the start date is from 2016-01-01, and where the title contains the word 'test'

/api/events?date_range_from=2016-01-01&date_range_to=2020-01-01&search_title=test

Get Groups where the ID is greater than 10 but less than 200

/api/groups?search_id=>10,<200

Polling and scraping:
Polling is when you request a set of records on a repeating time bases. Scraping is when calling for many records one after another to create a final list.

Whilst polling or scraping is not yet banned, it should be used with great caution and must be used correctly to ensure continued API access. Use a single batch/search command to return all the records at once rather than individually.

Polling for all records should never be used and will cause access to your API to be limited or blocked. Occasional polling is allowed to find new or recently updates records. If you are polling ensure your polling time is no more than every 20 minutes depending on the size of the data set returned.

When polling you must query for changed records since your last poll or date, and never repeat requests the same data set. Use search_date_modified to find changed events since your last check. Updating your last check date each time.

Get data that was added or updated after a date, on date, before date, and not on date...

/api/events?search_date_modified=>2022-01-01 (after date)

/api/resources?search_date_modified=>2022-01-01 (after date)

/api/groups?search_date_modified=>2022-01-01 (after date)

Other queries

?search_date_modified=2022-01-01 (on date)

?search_date_modified=>2022-01-01 (after date)

?search_date_modified=>2022-01-01 14:00 (after date and time)

?search_date_modified=<2022-01-01 (before date)

?search_date_modified=!2022-01-01 (not on date)

---

Return up to the specified number of records.

limit=search value

Get the Name of the first 5 records from your Groups

/api/groups?fields=name&limit=5

Get the Name and the first 500 records from your Resources

/api/resources?fields=name&limit=500

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POST

HTTP POST requests are used to add or update data to your account. Returned response is in json format.

POST /api/data set name

Create a new event by posting to...

/api/events/

Create a new group by posting to...

/api/groups/

Update an existing event with the ID of 1234

/api/events/1234

Add a new Event

cURL
$ch = curl_init();
$fields = array(
'title' => 'the title',
'owner' => '220',
'date_start' => urlencode('2016-09-29 09:00:00'),
'date_end' => urlencode('2016-09-29 17:00:00'),
'notes' => 'the notes',
'custom1' => 'custom 1',
'custom2' => 'custom 2',
'custom3' => 'custom 3',
'custom4' => 'custom 4',
'custom7' => 'custom 7',
'custom8' => 'custom 8',
'custom9' => 'custom 9',
'starticon' => '1',
'color_text' => '#66FF66',
'color_back' => '#FFFFFF',
'priority' => '7',
'completed' => '75'
);
$post_data = '';
foreach($fields as $key => $value) {
$post_data .= $key.'='.$value.'&';;
}
rtrim($post_data, '&');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, 'https://accountnum_loginname:password@www.scheduleit.com/api/events');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $post_data);
curl_exec($ch);

Add a new Resource

cURL
$ch = curl_init();
$fields = array(
'name' => 'the resource name',
'owner' => '10,456,789',
'email' => 'fred@example.com',
'color_back' => '#A9f5A9',
'color_text' => '#66FF66',
'color_event_back' => '#FF0000',
'data1' => 'Manager',
'data2' => '',
'data3' => '',
'data4' => '',
'data5' => '',
'data6' => '',
'data7' => '',
'data8' => '',
'data9' => '',
'data10' => '',
'skills' => '123,456,678',
'geonav' => ''
);
$post_data = '';
foreach($fields as $key => $value) {
$post_data .= $key.'='.$value.'&';
}
rtrim($post_data, '&');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, 'https://accountnum_loginname:password@www.scheduleit.com/api/resources');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $post_data);
curl_exec($ch);

Add a new Group

cURL
$ch = curl_init();
$fields = array(
'name' => 'the group name',
'color_back' => '#66FF66',
'positionv' => '5',
'min_resources' => '0',
'max_resources' => '0',
'hide_from_main' => '0',
'hide_from_event' => '0'
);
$post_data = '';
foreach($fields as $key => $value) {
$post_data .= $key.'='.$value.'&';
}
rtrim($post_data, '&');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, 'https://accountnum_loginname:password@www.scheduleit.com/api/groups');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $post_data);
curl_exec($ch);

---

DELETE

HTTP DELETE requests are used to delete data from your account. Returned response is in json format.

DELETE /api/data set name/record id

cURL
$ch = curl_init('accountnum_loginname:password@https://www.scheduleit.com/api/events/123456');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST, 'DELETE');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS);
curl_exec($ch);

#api documentation notes spec webhook

10 August 2025, 12:25

Did you know that the average employee in the UK completes only 3 hours work each day, irrespective of how many hours they are in the office. In fact, the longer they spend in the office the further their productivity decreases after 50 hours.

Whilst according to a study by the Harvard Business Review the average business leader works a 72-hour work week. Does this sound familiar?

Productivity in the workplace is a perennial problem no matter the size of the business or organization. There are, however, some things both employers and employees can do to maximise productivity.

In our list of top tips to increase employee and staff productivity are:

• A solid onboarding process
• Scheduling email time
• Focusing on one task at once
• Find the productivity zone
• Prioritize activities
• Be prepared and informed
• Delegate tasks
• Reduce your management tools

Let's take a deeper look at them.

A Solid Onboarding Process

Businesses that have a solid onboarding process for new employees improve productivity by more than 70%. Bringing in new employees can be the responsibility of one person e.g. the line manager or a team of people e.g. colleagues, line manager and HR.

Whether you are a small business or a large organization the key is to have a process that includes training, technology and socialising with other employees.

Schedule Email Time

The average worker spends 13 hours each week on emails, making up 28% of the hours at work. New and current employees will benefit from time being set aside for checking, responding to and sending out emails.

This can be scheduled into their weekly work tasks in blocks e.g. 1.5 hours per week or 30 minutes per day, depending on which system suits the business best. Scheduling in this time during the week as a priority also has the benefit of employees not needing to check at home after coming back from work.

Also, make sure emails are addressed to those that need to be in the email rather than sending out blanket emails. Those who are not in the email can use calendars, daily bulletins and schedules to check for important information.

Focus on One Task at a Time

Traditionally, multitasking was a skill to be envied as it meant multiple tasks could be completed at the same time. However, multitasking in the modern era has moved away from classic multitasking and now it often means stopping one task and going onto another task before the previous task is finished, known as interrupted task switching.

This impacts productivity in the workplace by as much as 40% reduction, as well as taking 25 minutes to get back into the task that was previously being worked on.

Try going one week with focusing and being present on the task at hand, e.g. in meetings avoid using phones and laptops and concentrate on participating.

You also want to encourage employees to prioritise these tasks. Using Eisenhower's Urgent/Important Principle to understand the difference between important and urgent tasks is critical. Eisenhower's Urgent/Important Principle helps you quickly identify the activities that you should focus on, as well as the ones you should ignore and we cover it in more detail below.

Find the Productivity Zone

With an average of 7 distractions per hour or in other words being interrupted every 8 minutes it is becoming increasingly difficult to stay concentrated on work activities, from smart phones to emails our concentration is affected.

The most productive hours of the day are thought to be in the morning generally between 8am and 12 noon, or 11am Monday morning.

This is a good general rule, but we all fall into different categories of early birds, night owls and in-betweeners so work on finding your most productive hours of the day.

Quick win: Figure out when you and your employees concentration peaks and plan the most important activities in this productivity zone.

Prioritize Activities

Stephen Covey said, “The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”

Effective scheduling of your priorities is a great way to get more done in the time you have, especially since we are not able to add hours to our day to complete work tasks.

Eisenhower created the Urgent-Important Matrix which is a time management system he created when he realised he had two kinds of problems “the urgent and the important.”

Use this system to schedule your work tasks based on whether they are:

• Urgent and important
• Urgent but not important
• Unimportant but urgent
• Unimportant and not urgent

Quick win: Delete activities that fall into the unimportant and not urgent category.

Be Prepared and Informed

Employees know that when they come to work, they are on company time. While employees respect that, they still like to know what is going on, and what they are going to be doing each day.

They like to have access to the information that is important to them, such as what work is planned for them, when they might be required to work overtime, how much vacation time they've accrued. Scheduling software can keep track of such information and offer easy access for employees and planners.

When employees can access tomorrow's or the week's schedule, they know what's planned, and that leads to a feeling of certainty for the future.

If they happen to be assigned to a person, product, or project they don't particularly care for, they have the time to prepare themselves mentally, whereas coming in and finding out can be the beginning of a bad day. Additionally, by knowing what's coming the next day, employees can set up their mind, workplace, equipment and bring the proper tools.

It also shows an element of trust, privacy and autonomy by not having to have someone else look it up with them. If your company allows it, scheduling software can also let employees swap shifts, tasks, and plan their work to accommodate their work and personal lives. Allowing this level of access also eases the burden on managers.

Employees thrive in a well-organized workplace where they have easy access to information that is important to them. Being able to freely check planned work and up coming activities, is highly useful and beneficial to employees and employers alike.

Delegate Tasks

For business leaders, an average of 30% of the week is taken up by tasks that have no or little value. In Eisenhower’s Matrix that is the unimportant but urgent category, these work tasks should be delegated to others, e.g. social media, website maintenance, etc.

Did you know that business leaders and employees who are able to delegating generate 33% more revenue than those who don't.

Quick win: Don't just delegate tasks, give responsibility and authority. Allow others to choose how they will complete the task.

Reduce your Management Tools

Did you know that the average person uses 13 different time management methods? If this is shocking think about all the different apps, planners, diaries, calendars and computer software that you have encountered in the last few months.

You might be running an app on your phone to manage your time but then when you get into work your computer has software and then in the evening you may have a family calendar to show events and appointments.

Quick win: Simplify. Reduce mental switching costs and the chances of information inconsistencies by choosing one-time management system for work. One that can be used on smart phones, computers and tablets so you can open the same time management software every time.

3 July 2025, 11:02

Staff Scheduling Software for Small Business