If you’re a small business owner or manager, you understand what it’s like to have more to do than you can possibly get done in one day. Running your business usually includes being responsible for many different things that large corporations would hire a dozen people to cover.
But since adding a dozen people to the payroll is probably not in your budget, here are some ideas on how to be more productive with your time so you can get more done.
• Find your rhythm. Capitalize on the time of day that you are able to think the clearest and work quickly. Do you find it easy to get up and get a lot done before breakfast? Then come into the office and start your work day then. Or do you feel like you’re sleep walking until mid-morning? Maybe you should start your day later and work into the evening.
In addition, be aware when your mind starts to wander and has a hard time staying focused on a task. If you get up for a quick break – such as going to the restroom or to get a cup of coffee – when that happens, you’ll probably find that when you get back you’ll be better able to focus on your task. By working with your brain’s natural rhythm you can minimize your unfocused time, allowing you to accomplish more.
• Prioritize tasks that have the biggest impact. It may be tempting to work on small trivial tasks simply for the sake of crossing more items off your to-do list. Instead of giving into the allure of appearing to accomplish a lot, focus on completing tasks that will have a significant impact on your company. Learning to do this can also help you avoid getting distracted by less important issues that come up unexpectedly.
• Turn your to-do list into a schedule. Instead of having just a long list of things you need to get done, assign a block of time to complete each task. Having multiple short deadlines will force you to make productive decisions throughout the day while reducing the urge to procrastinate and also tracks how your time is actually spent.
• Do not multitask. Many people think they save time by working on multiple tasks at once. However, researchers have found that less than 3% of people can focus on multiple tasks at once without a significant decline in their performance. By focusing on one task at a time, you can put all your energy into completing that task as quickly as possible.
• Delegate anything you can. Why do something someone else can do? Every time you assign a task to someone else it frees up more of your time – time for other items higher on your to-do list. And the bonus is that the more you entrust to your employees, the more they will be empowered and the less micromanaging they should need.
• Leave all meetings with action points. If you have a meeting just to talk about what needs to be done yet leave with no actions decided on, the entire meeting was a waste of time. By concluding each meeting with assigning actions, you’ll avoid meeting again just to repeat the same discussion.
• Don’t forget about resting. This refers both to getting enough sleep and to spending time doing relaxing non-work activities. Nothing will make you unproductive as fast as being mentally burned out. So take a vacation, spend time with friends or go to your kid’s ball game. No matter how dedicated you are to building your company, time spent relaxing will help you make better decisions.
