The reality is that running a small business is no piece of cake. Between managing employees, administration, marketing, taking care of the clients, chasing leads, managing your online presence, among so many other tasks, you just don’t have time for anything. In this article, we will discuss how the best small business owners manage their time.

While we would like to tell you that you can relax, the truth is that a small business owner carries a lot of responsibilities and he never ends up being busy. However, there is a noticeable difference between being busy and being overwhelmed.

How the Best Business Owners Manage Their Time

So, in order to stop being overwhelmed, you need to manage your time the best way you can. Here are some of the best tips that every small business owner should use to better manage their time:

#1: Set A Schedule And Stick To It:

Yes, sticking to a schedule is easier said than done. But if you don’t even try setting a schedule, how can you be sure that it won’t work for you?

When setting a schedule, you need to have a daily calendar that displays all your tasks and goals for that day. The truth is that if you’re not an organized person, you need to improve your organizational skills. When you’re not organized, you end up losing a lot of time throughout the day. You can even have specific days for more generic tasks. You can set Mondays for billing, for example, Tuesdays to have stakeholders meetings, employees meetings, and so on. Even better, block specific times of the day for your most important tasks such as marketing. Besides defining your entire schedule, you need to stick to it. This is crucial.

#2: Stop Multitasking:

Whoever said that multitasking was a great skill everyone should have clearly doesn’t understand keys to success. The truth is that when you are not focused on a single task, this task will take you a lot more time to complete and it may not even be done correctly. And all because you weren’t focused on it. Learning to focus on the important will pay huge dividends.

#3: Start Delegating:

Many small business owners are terrified of delegating. We even understand this feeling up to a certain point. The truth is that you made a strong bet by opening your small business and you believe that you just need to be on top of everything; that no one knows how to do things like you.

However, this isn’t the right approach when you are looking to grow your business. The reality is that as a small business owner, you likely spend a lot of time doing tasks that could be easily delegated to others. And your employees may be able to do it faster than having you do the tasks yourself. And the truth is that no matter how hard you work, there are skills that you have and others that you can develop. But you just can’t do everything well. So find someone you can trust for a specific task and delegate it. Start slowly. Show them how to do a task, let them help you do it, then help them while they do the task and finally watch them do it all by themselves. One of the persons who can be a great help in the process is a small business coach. He can tell you which areas you should keep for yourself and the ones that you should delegate.

 

#4: Don’t Forget To Include The Time To Rest:

We are not just talking about resting during the holidays or over weekends. We are also saying that you need to take frequent and regular breaks throughout the day. While you may think that this is only a way to lose even more time, the reality is that your brain needs to pause to keep performing at peak levels.

#5: Take Good Care Of Your Space:

Organization is one of the skills that every small business owner should have. The truth is that when you have your desk filled with papers, with file folders all over the place among others, you can’t even find anything. So make sure that you unclutter your desk right away and maintain it organized. This will increase your overall productivity.

 #6: Get Rid Of Your Time Wasters:

 Every small business owner has their own time wasters. It may be checking your email, checking social media, or deciding on where you are going to lunch. These can all be time wasters that can be easily avoided. So, just identify yours and do whatever it is necessary to get rid of them.

 #7: The 80/20 Rule:

This is the most important thing to master. You probably already heard about the 80/20 Rule, also known as the Pareto Principle. In case you’re not sure about what it says, it simply states that 80% of results come from 20% of effort. While this may seem exaggerated, the truth is that you just need to make a clear difference between what requires your attention and what is actually important. So, you should then focus 20% of your time on those really important tasks. Block your calendar every day for the inclusion of the most important tasks into your routine. Don’t allow anything or anyone to distract you from doing this every day.

Conclusion

 As you can see, there are many things you can do that will allow you to be productive, busy, but not overwhelmed. The best small business owners manage their time with these strategies. And you’ll even have the time to take several breaks throughout the day. So, what are you waiting for? Start creating your own schedule today. For more ideas, read this article on how to profit through time management.

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