5 Ways To Tame Time
Tame the Time-Eating Beast & Be Your BEST!
How Small Business Owners Can Wrangle More Time Out Of Each Day
How Well You Manage Your Time Shapes The Future Of Your Business
As small business owners, we begin by doing everything on our own and quickly realize there is not enough time in the day to get to everything on our ever-growing list. We either get so involved in the administration of the business, we have no time left for actually building our business -or- we focus on work, work, work and let the marketing and general office duties fall behind…
Has Your Life Become A 3Ring Circus?
Do you feel like you are juggling too many things at once?
Are you continuously trying to stuff too many “to-do’s” into a VW when you need a tractor trailer?
Tame Time
Be the Ring Master!
Those who struggle with time management may feel a bit overwhelmed and believe that ‘this’ is the way it is. But letting the inability to tame this circus-creating monster can surely affect the success of your business. By improving your Time Management at work, you may also be able to create and support a healthy work-life-family balance. We all need time with family and friends to relax, connect and make happy memories.
How Can You Get Time Under Control?
Here are 5 Tips to help you tame the chaos and find time to focus on what is really important to you in your business.
DE-CLUTTER WORK SPACES
Yes, we’ve all heard that “a messy desk is a sign of genius” and I used to use this as a mantra for my creative personality, but I can now affirm that I am much more creative and productive as I keep my desk and office in order. A clean environment provides much needed flow for ideas and efficiency!
Too much clutter is a sign of being disorganized - you do not want your staff or clients to think you are not on top of your game. More than that, you cannot afford to let your own subconscious sabotage your daily agenda and your future success.
A cluttered work space makes it difficult to find what you need (even if you do know what pile it is in) which eats up your valuable time. This leads to getting off schedule and stress; stress makes you less productive, effective and creative - which? creates more stress. It’s a Catch 22 that is difficult to stop.
De-cluttering can be a time-eating monster! It is best to make this a priority and allocate a day to get it done! I know from experience it is not an easy task. As Your Business Helper, I am willing to assist you here so you can break that viscous cycle.
Get Organized
No, de-cluttering is NOT organizing, although you can begin the process by cleaning your work spaces. Organization is going a step further:
> Take the “To File” box/pile/bag and actually DO IT!
> Clean & Arrange Cabinets & Supply Closets
> Clean & Organize your Desk Drawers
> Clean & Set Up Office that creates a welcoming atmosphere for anyone who enters but also welcomes YOU every time you come to work! If you’ve taken Step One (De-Cluttering), you may have overlooked a pile or two - now is the time to go through them to make sure it is something you really want or need in your space.
> Make sure only current files are on your desk - file away completed projects
> Have your calendar or job board Easy-to-Access and see from your desk
> If others share your space, make it a group effort!
Get On Schedule
Making a daily and/or weekly To-Do List is a valuable process but going further to create an actual Schedule for yourself (and perhaps any staff you have). This will help you stay on track and keep you motivated throughout the day.
MANY BUSINESS OWNERS & MANAGERS have difficulty in creating a schedule that works for them. There are several factors to consider in mapping out your day or week. It is worth it to take the time to do this even if you ask for help!
Don’t know which method is best for you? Contact Your Business Helper to help you create a scheduling process that is easy to duplicate each week or month & flows most efficiently with your daily work goals.
One thing that may keep you from putting in too many overtime hours and increasing your stress levels at work and home, is to consolidate your business & personal calendars.
As business owners and managers, we tend to focus in on the business at hand, forgetting about family commitments or other events when we do not see them on our daily schedules. By combining work, family and personal calendars, everything is in one place. it will remind you that you have a life outside the business!
Know Your Priorities
Having that To-Do List & Schedule now leads you into Setting Your Priorities that will give you more focus and ensure you’re using your time most effectively. Time Management and Goal Setting Professionals all stress the importance of prioritizing.
DAILY ROUTINES: A real Time-Saving Technique is to group all related routine tasks into one time block, perhaps 2-3 times a day and disconnect from them while you focus on those priorities! Voice mail, texts, social media, and email can often distract us. It may be beneficial to assign them a certain time in your day - then block them until it is time to check in again.
Perhaps you can designate 15-30 minutes during the morning, during lunch, and before you leave for the day to check in. Phone calls should be grouped into routine tasks if not an essential part of your business. If your business relies on your making calls, you will need to set aside a block of time for this purpose.
*When you answer an unexpected call, text or email or even accept an unannounced guest in your office, you are releasing the reins and allowing other people to set your priorities! Let your voicemail pick up phone calls during your most productive times of the day and return them during one of the designated times.
DELEGATION: We’ve been talking about what happens when you try to do everything on your own. A lot of small business owners are a “One-Man-Show” though and many feel they just can’t afford to hire help or get help outside the business. The decision to move forward and outsource certain tasks can be a difficult one -but- once you choose to do this, you realize how much more effective you can be. You can’t afford NOT to outsource when working on your own – Time is Money!
Set against the perceived disadvantages of help is one overwhelming benefit – the more you delegate/outsource, the more time you have to grow your business. Take a fresh look at your to-do list and make an honest assessment of what you can realistically hand over to someone else. This is the ultimate achievement of implementing time management strategies.
Your Business Helper may be able to handle certain tasks for you like social media, website design & management, emails, other marketing tasks, etc so you can hone in on doing what you do best!
When you begin to manage your time well - focusing on what’s of most importance - you will soon realize you have fewer “emergencies” and less urgent things to attend to by the end of the day/week/month. You will feel more in control, less stressed, and better able to handle these lesser problems because you’ve got everything else covered.
Just Say “NO”!
Your #1 PRIORITY IS YOU & your business! Learning to say No -even to yourself- is a fine art that we all struggle with on occasion. Having easy access to your consolidated calendars will make this easier and reduce guilt when you make the decision to put YOU FIRST. It will also reduce the risk of “Burnout” and your self-sabotage.
Over-committing yourself and/or your business may make you feel anger and resentment, which causes stress in both your work and personal life. Having to bury these negative emotions while at work only feeds that time-consuming beastie that leads you round and round in circles. How can you stop the spinning?
> Insist on appointments during work hours - even from friends and family
> Follow the Tips 1-4 because they all lead to you taking more care of your business, your staff, and yourself so you can enjoy your time at work and have a fulfilled personal life.
> Don’t take on more than you can handle in a day or week - most people are willing to wait a few days to get on your schedule. Customers are people too - who have their own emergencies in life that they stress over and often try to push their stress onto you. Value your company and your service/product and don’t take the risk of lessening it by rushing the end result.
> Set your hours for the day and stick to them! If you need to pretend you still punch a clock, that is fine. Punch Out and GO HOME!
If this is the year you want more from the effort you put in -but- need a bit of help to Tame the Time Eater, see how BlackWhite Business Helper can assist in making sure you reach your goals! Text or Leave a Message for me at 704.252.4913 and I’ll call you back within a few hours. You can also reach me by email at BlackWhiteBusinessHelper@gmail.com. *I usually return calls and answer mail between 9-10am or 5-6pm.
