TIME MANAGEMENT

Simple Steps For Time Management



Follow these eight simple steps for time management. You’ll find yourself more productive with more time to spend on growing your small business.

Every small business owner invariably lacks one thing: time.

Running all aspects of a business – production, sales, marketing, research, acquisitions, bookkeeping, accounting, human resources – consumes more time than most small business owners have in a day.

The result is that not everything gets done, and the small business suffers.

When you’re short on time and have too much to do, you (and your business) benefit when you follow these easy yet essential steps for time management.

Straightforward Steps For Time Management
Plan ahead. Look a week, a month, even a year into the future. Don’t let deadlines surprise you. Note them down and plan a strategy to deal with them.
Get organized. Install time management software or simply get a pen and paper and just make a good, old-fashioned to-do list. Include a do-by date for each item. Schedule each task on your daily calendar. Besides the date, include the time block you’ll need to accomplish the task. Learn how to organize your time.


Streamline your work flow. If a certain procedure, habit or circumstance is choking off your personal productivity, find the source of the bottleneck and make the necessary changes.

Resist the urge to focus exclusively on the tasks you’re best at. If you’re a sales guru, great. But don’t devote every moment of the day to sales. Give market research and production some of your time.

On the other hand, don’t expect to do everything yourself – people management is key. Hire an accountant if keeping books is not your strength. Determine which tasks you can delegate to someone else – ideally, those tasks you’re less suited to. Schedule the tasks with the appropriate consultant, agency, or employee as early as possible. As much as you delegate, it’s your business riding on the line if the work doesn’t get done, or gets done badly, so schedule a follow-up. The best steps for time management often result in working less, not more.

Know when to call it a day. Walking the line between thoroughness and efficiency is the most commonly neglected of the steps to better time management. Resist the temptation to give your all to everything, 100% of the time. While that’s a commendable attitude, it’s far better to figure out what you can’t afford to stint on, and what you can.

Organize your personal life. Let your family and friends know you’re working hard to build up a small business. Arrange with them any necessary changes to your routine so your personal relationships become a resource rather than a hindrance.

Get enough rest every night and maintain your good health. Take vacations and take weekends off whenever possible. No matter how well you plan, if you’re too tired or unwell to function, a hundred steps for time management won’t do you any good. Rejuvenate yourself so you can function at your best when you’re most needed. Ample rest is one of the best ways to improve memory – helping you keep track of your tasks and activities from step #2.
You can’t create extra hours in a day. But you can learn the steps for better time management, streamline your business processes, and increase your efficiency to help your small business thrive from the very beginning.