It’s a common scenario. An enthusiastic entrepreneur has started their small business, however, almost a year later, the business is beginning to lag. The entrepreneur is flustered and beginning to think that maybe they are in over their head. They can’t seem to accomplish in a week what used to be completed in a day. Their concentration is gone and they find themselves looking for ways to avoid work.
Sound familiar? Time is one of the top concerns of most entrepreneurs – how to use it wisely, how to have more of it, how to stop wasting it!
Don’t put off what you can do now.
Sometimes a result of having too much to do, putting things off until later that should be done now can lead to your falling short of your goals. The best way to deal with what looks like the inability to focus is to find out what is causing you to leave things undone. Make sure you aren’t being unrealistic about just how much you can accomplish.
Another reason certain tasks are put off is dislike or a lack of know how. Outsource administrative tasks and anything else that you don’t like to do or don’t do well. Business solutions which involve outsourcing your tasks to a virtual team will help you to avoid the jobs that you really dislike or are not particularly good at, which results in their taking up more of your time.
Develop a routine of good habits. Willpower will only take you so far. Cultivating good habits may be difficult but once you gradually make each of these habits a routine, you will find your stress levels dropping. Most of the routines we have are not productive, they are our way of putting off what we have to do, in other words – procrastinating.
Minimize distractions.
Deal with distractions as they come up. For many, social networks and email are the top distractions. By not connecting to the internet unless necessary or shutting down your computer completely, you may find it easier to concentrate on what needs to be done. There is time management software available that can block certain websites for a stated length of time if this is something you have trouble with. If you work from a home office, turn off your phone if necessary and let everything go to voicemail. Distractions from your work cause a loss of concentration and momentum which can be costly if you are trying to reach your sales goals. Keep track of what causes you to lose focus on a daily basis and learn coping methods for each. We all have different things which distract us and different ways of dealing with them.
Organize, organize, organize.
Take a block of time and organize your workspace. Start with the top of your desk and go from there. Move on to your email and other programmes and bookmarks which are on your computer. Organizing your workspace is the first step in running a productive business, allowing you to keep your free time for yourself and not worrying about what has or has not been completed.
Once your office and supplies have been put in order, take a look at your business practises. Don’t re-invent the wheel. Doing the same things over and over with each customer instead of having one standard way of dealing with frequent questions is a waste of your time. Take a look at most websites and you will see a FAQ page – frequently asked questions. Create a standard list of the questions your customers ask more frequently and familiarize yourself with the answers.
Productivity and making good use of your time are learned habits, part of a routine. Starting with these three steps will make a big difference in helping you to reach your goals and stop wasting time.
Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
You fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way. ~ Pink Floyd
Chris Draper
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