Here in the 21st century, time management is a major concern for just about everyone. However, this is even more the case for busy entrepreneurs. That’s because an entrepreneur is ultimately the one responsible for every facet of how their business is run. It’s critical that they know where best to apply their resources, including their time.
Even so, it’s vitally important to understand that good time management isn’t all about working harder; it’s about working smarter.
Let’s take a closer look at some ways you can do exactly that.
1. Set priorities and learn to delegate.
Stellar time management is all about planning. Identify your personal priorities when it comes to running your business and set your schedule up accordingly. If something isn’t a time sensitive priority, it either needs to fit into the mix around the things that are, or it needs to be dropped from your to-do list altogether.
Learning how to delegate is key when it comes to making the best possible use of your own time, energy, and resources. Enlist the aid of team members and services that can help you handle tasks like scheduling, billing, basic customer service, and other routine activities.
Learn to ask yourself whether or not a given task absolutely must be performed by you before adding it to your own schedule. If the answer is “no,” delegate it.
2. Handle the most important tasks first.
“The early bird gets the worm.” It’s not just a saying! Studies actually show that those with performance peaks in the morning really are more productive than those who hit their stride in the evening instead. There’s a benefit attached to becoming a morning person when it comes to the way you run your business.
Take care of the most critical tasks on your agenda first thing in the morning to ensure they get done promptly and efficiently. Then move on to the next most critical tasks, and so forth. Reserve the end of your day for tasks that you’d ideally like to get done, but that can ultimately wait for another day if need be.
3. Schedule absolutely everything.
Never underestimate the value of a carefully kept calendar if you’re really busy. It’s crucial if you’re serious about getting everything done in a timely manner to the high standards you no doubt expect of yourself. The busier you are, the more important adequate scheduling skills become.
Don’t just organize your schedule by days, either. Set aside specific blocks of time to work on dedicated tasks. Even more importantly, make sure you allocate yourself enough time to get those tasks done without feeling like you’re rushing or cutting corners. Don’t forget to pencil in some time at the end of your day to get organized for the next day!
4. Perform regular time audits.
When you’re super busy, every spare minute of your time counts. You may think you know how your time is being used, but it’s important to document how you’re really using your time. Don’t leave any room for error. Make time audits a regular part of how you approach time management in general.
Time audits can help you identify possible drains on your time, including some you may not be aware of (social media, frequent email checking, and even certain people who demand lots of your time are common culprits). Once you know what yours are, you can get to work cutting down on the amount of your time they waste every day and setting boundaries. Audits will also help you get better at estimating how long a given task will really take you.
5. Look for ways you can automate as many tasks as possible.
As touched on above, many people fall into the trap of trying to get more done by working harder when they should really be looking for ways to work smarter. Smart workers make good use of technology and productivity tools capable of automating various tasks.
With resources like Springbot in your corner, you can automate a wealth of different functions to perfection. Examples include data collection, email marketing, ROI tracking, customer segmentation, social media management, and lots more. Not only is it next to impossible to handle all of those things manually – but the right automation resources can probably do the job better than you can.
Looking for more business tips and tricks? Check out the rest of our blog posts here!