I was at a dinner last night and the topic of better time management come up. As entrepreneurs I know we’re always looking for ways to fit more time into our day.
At the dinner table some great suggestions were made on how we can utilise our time better. One of the guests, a fellow entrepreneur, says that he blocks off time in his calendar for tasks during the week. Almost like a checklist of what needs to happen and an estimation of the time it will take to complete the task.
Then these tasks are checked off upon completion, allowing him to be flexible on when he wants to achieve them in that particular week.
Plan to commit
Time management starts with your commitment to change. As each day passes you realise how busy life is, that you’re not getting to everything that you want to do.
Take action and commit to taking action on a daily basis. In order to achieve time management success you need to plan and protect that time that you’ve set out to do certain tasks. Great time management enables each of us to be more productive, more successful, more organised.
You wouldn’t miss an appointment with a client, so why would you miss one with yourself?
How do we go about managing our time better you may ask?
Here’s a couple of tips that will put you on the road to time management success.
Create a daily plan – therefore plan each day ahead of time. The best time I find for this is the night before. When I wake up in the morning I know exactly what is expected of me for the day.
Place time limits on each task – we only have so much energy to focus before our brains get foggy. Set out time increments of 40 minutes per task. This will allow you to remain completely focussed for that time period, and take a break before switching gears and tackling the next task.
Learn to say no – here we go again, the eternal mantra of learning to say no. How many times in the last few months have you read this golden rule? Quite a few times I’m sure. Don’t take on more than you can handle. Saying no is very empowering and gives you the opportunity to focus on tasks that you’re passionate about and that will make your business “wheels” go faster.
Prioritize – Learn to prioritize and let go of the rest. Apply the 80/20 rule. Spend 80% of your time on the 20% that brings in 80% of your income. Therefore don’t get distracted and fuss about unimportant details. Stick to the plan!
Conclusion
There is only so much time in the day. Spend that time wisely and even better spend your time on the things that bring you the greatest joy! Hint, this is where you get to test your delegation skills.
What are your tips to manage your time better? Please do share with us so that we may learn and grow together!
