There are many tips on how to create time for yourself and to manage your time in your business. Here are several items that may just help you remember the basics.
Do not allow someone else’s lack of planning destroy your time plan. Many people find it hard to turn someone down especially if it is a customer or a good friend. You more than likely have your day planned as to what needs to get done in your business and then along comes someone and wants you to “help” them in whatever problem they are having with their website, etc. Most of the time, the reason they are having trouble is lack of planning on their part or lack of understanding of some basic rules of software or programming. If you stop and interrupt what you are doing, it will impede your progress in your own business. Learn to just say “no” when the time is not right for you. Of course, if you are free to help, then that is fine as well. But, make sure that you are not being “used”.
Make time to train – If you have assistants or others that help you in your business, take the time to train them in specific tasks that will free up your time. This way, you will spend less time taking over tasks that they cannot complete and interrupting your productivity flow. Keep the things you need to work and to train in places where you can find them rapidly. Keep your filing system organized and don’t just file haphazardly, but logically and systematically and you will find that the work flows a lot smoother. Teach your assistants to do the same so that you can access what they do as well.
Switch tasks when you get stumped and cannot come up with the right solution to a problem – This makes your mind relax and stop concentrating on the problem. Somehow the mind, however, continues to work on the problem. When you go back to the problem, relaxed and refreshed, the mind jumps back in and the solution is usually revealed. Putting off a decision sometimes is the best path if you are not sure you do not have the right solution.
See if you can make routine tasks automatic – Do you have letters that need to be sent many times to clients? Do you have questions that are asked over and over again? Are there special situations that are resolved in the same way many times? Try to think through your business and the time being spent and put a series of autoresponder messages together that you can send when necessary. This will free you up tremendously for time to spend on tasks that are more creative and challenging.
Make appointments with yourself to do the important steps in your business – In other words, take the time to analyze what you need to do to grow or to keep control of your business in a better manner. There may be tons of pressing situations that are demanding attention, but you also need to have some time to be able to make important decisions and to think and plan on the important, rather than the mundane, items of everyday business.
If you take control of your time and your management skills you will find that your business continues to grow and prosper. You will be a much more relaxed and creative person and have a lot more fun working your business.