New Ways to Manage your Time to Grow your Small Business in the New Year

Written by Manager on January 21st, 2016. Posted in Blog

Have you ever heard the phrase: “Work smarter, not harder?”  This is, at its core, what time management is all about.  Good time management requires an important shift in focus to results.  Being busy isn’t the same as being effective.  Spending your day in a frenzy, constantly managing the chaos of your day to day life is the opposite of being effective.  The following are a few ways to improve your time management habits so you can get more done in less time.

What is Time Management – “Time Management” refers to the way that you organize and plan how long you spend on specific activities.  It may seem odd to dedicate valuable time to learning about time management, but the benefits are huge: Greater efficiency, a better reputation, less stress, and more opportunity to gain new customers – to name a few. 

Never Touch Things Twice – Simple, but powerful.  Never put anything off to deal with later.  As soon as something has your attention you should act on it, delegate it to a coworker, or delete it.  Breaking down overwhelming tasks in to manageable steps can make it easier to get things done.

Fight the ‘Urgent’ – It is fine to have a sense of urgency, but, little things that need to be done right away of what can get in the way of what really matters.  This creates a huge problem as the illusion of the urgent often has little impact in the growth of your organization.  If everything is treated as urgent, you can go days or even weeks without touching what is truly important. 

Say No – When running a small business, no is a very scary word.  You don’t want to miss out on a new client, new order, or new opportunity that could take you to the next level.  However, saying no to a new commitment honors your existing commitments and gives you the opportunity to successfully fulfill them.  The new client you are saying no to will most likely not find someone else to do business with because they will respect that you are not willing to over-extend yourself. 

Avoid Multitasking – The business world can be divided on the topic multitasking.  Many blogs, experts, and magazines will tell you that it is the best way to get the most work done in a short amount of time; just as many would say the opposite.  If you are a great multitasker and have no problem getting things done efficiently, then Congratulations!  Keep doing what you are doing!  In actuality, multitasking is a productivity killer.  A Stanford University study showed that people regularly barraged with several streams of electronic communication cannot pay attention, recall information, or smoothly switch from one job to another.  Multitasking reduces your efficiency and performance, so you will actually get more done if you just focus on one thing at a time.

With these tips there is no need to work a 70 hour work week.  You will still be able to manage your business, your time, and your personal life all while making your small business grow.  So get ready to reduce your stress and increase productivity for a profitable 2016.