If you’re truly efficient at managing your time, you’ll want to know the tips in the first paragraph, so here they are: Set clear SMART goals, prioritise tasks, delegate, automate or outsource non-essential work and don’t be scared to say ‘no’. If you’d like to get into more detail on how to achieve all that, read on…
Set SMART goals
I’m not going to dwell on this section because we all know how important SMART goals are for turning dreams and wishes into actionable plans with real results. But I will remind you that those dreams and wishes don’t have to be huge – SMART goals can work on any level so use them for getting you over that hurdle that saps your valuable time.
Know your own worth
Speaking of your valuable time – do you know how much it is actually worth? The simple calculation to work out how valuable your time is, goes like this:
- Write down the amount of time you spend actually working (x) and
- The amount of money you earn during that time (y).
- Divide y by x and you get your hourly value.
As business owners we may argue that all the revenue of our business is due to us, so this number would be part of the calculation.
Prioritise tasks
With your SMART goals and the basics of productivity in mind, figure out which tasks you should be giving most time to; maybe even designate more budget to, or more learning for so you can nail them.
These are the tasks you should be focusing on and not being distracted by other ‘shiny new things’, or even dare I say, firefighting somewhere else.
Embrace the power of delegation, automation and outsourcing to free up your time for these high-priority, high pay-off tasks.
Plan your week
I’m a big believer that spending one hour planning each week can save almost a day’s implementation. Put your planner to good use and block out hourly slots, put your auto responder on your emails and turn your phone to silent. Schedule those prioritised tasks first and never try to tell yourself you’ll have a perfect week! Allow time for life to happen…
Get a handle on those pesky distractions
Not suggesting that anything other than work in your life is a pest, but there are ways you can manage distractions to improve your use of time.
I suggest a simple tool called ‘The Distractions Log’ that shows you what you may be getting distracted by during the day so you can identify solutions as to how to prevent that happening.
Take a break, or a holiday…
It doesn’t matter how short or long your break is, as long as you’ve planned it, prepared for your absence and return, and most importantly actually stopped working! What stops you taking a break?
Burnout creeps up on you, slowly chipping away at your mental and physical health until you suddenly feel overwhelmed and ill. Even taking small breaks actually improves your productivity, and a longer holiday provides much needed recharge time. Try doing something completely different from your day to day, and get outside, be creative, move, cook (and eat!) and be social.
Set boundaries, and stick to them
Don’t be afraid to say no to anyone. There’s only so many hours in a day etc. etc. Knowing your goals and your high pay-off activities that will get you hitting those goals will help you say no, and give you a very reasonable way to deliver that message. If your emails and phone are off, don’t break your own boundaries, if your door is closed for a while, don’t open it until the allotted time.
Saying no is healthy.
Further reading
If managing your time is a subject that interests you and you’d like to read more, here are some useful links that might be worth looking at:
Poor Time Management Can Lead to Poor Business Performance – Entrepreneurs Mentor Blog
Eat That Frog! Brian Tracy (you can read my review here)
7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Steven Covey