Save Time When Running Your Business

Last Updated April 03, 2017

Managing your time can help you get more done, have less stress, and actually gain more freedom. It all starts with understanding where your time is being spent. For example, if you want to spend less time going through email per week — you need to begin by figuring out how much time you actually spend going through email.

Try this simple exercise for the next 30 days to gain better control of your time.

PLAN to PLAN: Set aside 30 minutes at the beginning of each day to simply plan.
Avoid jumping straight into email at the beginning of your work day. Instead, keep it closed and use this time to really focus on what needs to get done. Jumping into email can be a distraction.

Step 1) List out everything you need to do
Doesn’t matter if it’s a personal matter or business related. The idea here is to get everything you need to do out of your head. This frees up cognitive space allowing you to focus on tasks throughout the day instead of worrying about what else needs to be done.

Step 2) Estimate how long each task will take you
Humans are awful at estimating how long a task will take. Do your best, and over time, look to improve your estimates. Next to each task write down the amount of time it will take you to complete it.

Step 3) Place the tasks in your calendar
This will help you understand exactly how much you CAN accomplish in a day. And as distractions come up, or emergencies interfere, simply move that task to a later time/day.

Step 4) Respect the Calendar
Everything will fail when you choose to ignore the plan you put in place for yourself. Once you’ve placed tasks in the calendar, respect the time you’ve allotted. If you don’t complete a task within the time you estimated, stop the task and set aside time to finish it later. Then, get better at estimating how much time you need next time.

Step 5) Repeat Daily
This needs to become a routine. We want to rely on disciplined scheduling and habits more than sheer willpower for effective time management.

Being able to effectively manage your time is one of the best skills you can look to develop as a business owner. We hope this simple exercise will help you be more effective this season.