In a large organization, specialists focus on particular tasks. Small business owners are responsible for every aspect of their business. Time management is critical for small business owners to focus on tasks and stay focused.
Improve time management by investigating your current use of time. Determine your current habits and adopt proven time-management techniques to maximize efficiency.
Start with the following steps:
A small business owner, on a certain level, is their business. Everything about the business depends on the owner. When you are more efficient, every part of your business improves.
Time management’s benefits include:
Manage your time by improving your task management and focus.
Task management succeeds when you are able to maintain your focus.
Know that your focus is your most precious commodity. Guard it.
Select a method to help manage your time. If possible, choose a digital method like Microsoft To-Do . It can import and integrate data from different sources. Gathering contact information, important emails, schedules, etc. in one place saves time.
Game-based rewards motivate others who enjoy using apps like Forest. Beware of time managers that are phone-based. They may lead to unnecessary distractions.
Some prefer making written lists or using paper organizers.
Know your long-term and short-term goals, but make daily tasks achievable. If your long-term goal is to build a pyramid, your daily tasks should be small steps. “Research the cost of limestone,” or “Investigate the zoning restrictions for pyramid building.”
Select the first priority for each day and add two or three more. Do not overload your priority list or it becomes meaningless. Have other lists for emails, phone calls, and minor recurring tasks.
Take five minutes at the end of each day to determine the priority tasks for the next day. Begin each day reviewing your schedule and your priority task for that day.
Small business owners are notorious for wanting to control all details. Business owners must learn to delegate, outsource, and automate whenever possible. Keep tasks you enjoy, and those that inspire you on your task list. Let go of the rest.
If your business is thriving hire someone to mow your lawn, deliver dinner, and clean your house. There are people that can do these things as well as you can. Reward your hard work and make your time at home quality time.
Your focus is under attack at all times by both benevolent and calculated attempts to steal it. Celebrating an employee’s over-the-weekend engagement can derail Monday morning’s plans. Self-serving social media sites are distracting by design.
Your brain records everything in its line of sight. It distracts you, making it harder to focus. When you start a project, do so in a clean area.
Don’t waste time or focus trying to remember birthdays, appointments, or names. Document it all. Take the pressure off yourself and don’t waste time looking for the information later. Don’t buy an expensive, time-wasting lunch to apologize for the phone call you forgot to make.
If you hate a task, do it as soon as you can. Do it first thing in the morning, and early in the week. Dreaded tasks cause loss of focus due to procrastination. While completed dreaded tasks lead to a motivational sense of triumph.
Can you imagine a topic that has wasted more time or focus in the history of any workplace? If you bring in lunch, choose a venue for each day of the week and stick to it. Also, write down what you want from each of those places so no one has to ask you for your order.
Some people are more productive in total silence or working with music. Some like shared office space, some need to be alone. It’s your business, do your work on your terms.
Developing a system personalized for you is the key to successful time management.