Entrepreneurs deal with the constant challenge of effective and efficient time management. With hectic schedules, towering business and personal demands, and pressure to ensure every aspect of the business operations are running smoothly – 24 hours a day may not seem like enough time to accomplish everything. Don’t fret. There are ways to manage your time and fit in as much meaningful, important work in your hours without being overwhelmed.
1. Develop a great morning routine. This is a simple concept of starting the day with the right attitude, mood and perspective. Morning routines can easily affect how you go about other significant tasks for the day. For example, waking up feeling remorseful or uninspired can result to a negative vibe that could affect both you and your staff’s productivity throughout the day. Meanwhile, waking up on a positive note with the intent to succeed will most likely boost your efficiency. Set a healthy morning routine – whether it is meditation, quick run, hitting the gym or simply having a hearty breakfast – and religiously follow it.
2. Delineate urgent and important tasks. Your urgent tasks and important tasks are two entirely different things. The most urgent matters may not always be the most important. Simply put, urgent tasks require immediate attention and action. Important tasks, however, help you achieve business goals without necessarily being considered as urgent. One can easily get lost in accomplishing small urgent tasks that tend to be more time and energy consuming. The sooner you identify which is which, the sooner you can prioritize and focus on the important and more gainful tasks.
3. Declutter and eliminate distractions. Once you set your goals, be fully engaged and committed to accomplishing it. Yes, it can be tempting to check your e-mail every now then or visit your social media accounts when a notification pops up but these are black holes that can eat up your time and attention. When you are out of focus, you are most likely less productive. Minimize the clutter not only in your work area but also in all other aspects of your life so you can function much more efficiently. If you have a pile of company files or business cards lying around, take the time to organize them. Collate your to-do lists and reminders in one application or notebook. A workspace that is clear of clutter and distractions can improve your drive to perform more tasks in less time.
4. Delegate tasks. Efficient and effective entrepreneurs know when to take on the task and when to delegate. Those who are just starting out, however, have the tendency to micromanage to make sure that everything runs smoothly. This practice promotes distrust in the organization and often leads to unsatisfactory, half-baked work. Remember, one can only do so much work in a day. Eliminate mediocre work at all costs because this could easily be dismissed as a loss. The amount of time you spend polishing or redoing outputs could be well spent on other important projects. So, hire smart people in your team, outsource if you have the means, take on goals that you can successfully achieve and hand over those that you can’t. This will boost the overall productivity within your business.
5. Do reward yourself. Anyone can use a little motivation and inspiration. With the amount of pressure and workload resting upon your shoulders, it will be healthy for both you and your business if you take time out and reward yourself. Celebrate your business milestones as well as achieving your personal goals. Take the time to breathe and do the things that you love doing apart from running your business. Don’t live to work, work to live. The happier you are, the better your performance will be.
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