As a business owner, time is your most precious commodity. Every minute spent inefficiently is a minute lost that could have been devoted to growing your business, serving customers, or spending time with family.
Effective time management is crucial for success and sanity as an entrepreneur. Here are 23 tips to help you master your schedule:
Wake Up Early
Start your day early. Waking up before the chaos begins allows you to proactively set a schedule and priorities for the day ahead.
Create a Daily Schedule
- Create a daily schedule with time blocks. Dedicate specific hours for certain tasks like responding to emails, meetings, focused work sessions, etc.
Prioritize Using the 80/20 Rule
- Prioritize with the 80/20 rule. Spend 80% of your time on the 20% of tasks that are most crucial and profitable for your business.
Delegate and Outsource
- Learn to delegate and outsource. You can’t do it all yourself. Identify tasks that someone else could do and offload accordingly.
Batch Tasks
- Batch similar tasks together. Schedule times to knock out all emails, phone calls, errands, etc in focused blocks.
Set Deadlines
- Set deadlines and stick to them. Parkinson’s Law says work expands to fill the time allotted – so set due dates to keep things moving.
Take Breaks
- Take breaks away from your workspace. Small mental breaks can re-energize you and boost productivity when you return to work.
Avoid Distractions
- Say no to distractions and unproductive tasks. Practice politely declining low-impact requests that will derail your schedule.
Automate
- Automate what you can. Look for ways technology and tools can streamline redundant admin work.
Conduct Strategic Meetings
- Conduct meetings strategically. Have clear agendas, stick to schedules, and only include absolutely essential attendees.
Avoid Multitasking
- Avoid multitasking. It’s a productivity killer. Focus solely on one task at a time before moving to the next.
Build Routines
- Build routines and habits. Having systems in place makes time management easier over the long haul.
Disconnect Periodically
- Disconnect from time to time. Constant connectivity means constant distractions. Schedule tech-free time.
Prioritize Tough Tasks
- Do the tough tasks first. Don’t procrastinate on difficult but important items. Get them done early.
Review and Reassess
- Review and reassess regularly. Your time management approach isn’t stagnant. Evolve and refine it as needed.
Limit Early Meetings
- Limit meetings and calls early. Schedule heavier mental work for when your brain is freshest.
Consolidate Communications
- Consolidate your communications. Having everything flow through one inbox or platform reduces context-switching.
Work in Focused Bursts
- Work in focused bursts. The Pomodoro technique of 25 minutes on, 5 off can boost productivity.
Avoid Perfectionism
- Say no to unproductive perfection. Great is good enough – don’t agonize over every tiny detail.
Single-Task
- Do one thing at a time. Multi-tasking frays your focus. Concentrate fully on each task.
Time-Tracking
- Embrace time-tracking. See where your time really goes by monitoring your activities.
Wake Up Very Early
- Wake up early if you have to. If you struggle with morning productivity, start your day even earlier.
Manage Energy
- Learn to manage energy, not time. Take breaks to refuel when you need to renew your mental stamina.
Time management is an ongoing practice, not a finished skill. The best business owners constantly work to squeeze more productive hours out of each day. Use these 23 tips and you’ll be well on your way.
