Have you heard of eating an elephant one bite at a time? That’s exactly what you have to do to get stuff done if you’re an entrepreneur.
Being an entrepreneur is not always easy when it comes to managing your time. I worked from my home office for the first 6 years of being in business and it was not easy to separate home from work.
Since being full-time in my business for the last 4 years, managing my time became an even bigger challenge. My husband has been retired for 9 years now, having him home all day presented a few challenges for me. I think he liked the idea of having me around. He would often start projects and then solicit my help. This would totally derail my work schedule.
This year I made the decision to get an office outside my home – truly a wise decision. Now I’m better able to manage my time and I’m more productive.
Time management should be the same for everyone. Yet, for entrepreneurs, they have an extra task of figuring out exactly what needs to get done. Unlike their office worker counterpart, there is no boss stating what tasks need to get complete by when.
Of course, most people dream of being in that position. But it can be challenging just the same. There is no accountability when there is no boss telling you what to do. You are the boss which means you have to have a good handle on what tasks to perform that will be the most optimal in satisfying your business goals.
It’s quite easy to fill up a to-do list with a bunch of tasks for the sake of appearing busy. But are these tasks one that will lead to earning money for your business? For this, a plan is needed to align the goals of your business with the right kinds of tasks that need to be complete.
Some common time wasters are:
- Social media surfing
- Lack of planning, prioritizing, focus
- PROCRASTINATION
As an example, many people believe that making connections on social media is going to bring them a windfall of business. While social media can be an important component in reinforcing connections, it is often not a driver of sales. Therefore, if you are of the belief that it is the main source of leads, you could be wasting a lot of time on these networks.
Being an entrepreneur means you are responsible for everything. You’re the boss, the HR person, the marketing team, client acquisition and retention team, the PR team, and the payroll department. Properly managing your time is critical to help you hold down all these hats.
Here are a few tips to eating the elephant the right way:
- Create your yearly goals
- Break these down into quarterly and monthly goals
- Create a weekly schedule
- Create an atmosphere conducive to productivity
- Eliminate distractions – set boundaries
- Use a time blocking method to prioritize your tasks
Your success in business depends on how well you can manage your time and yourself. In fact, it really depends more on how well you manage yourself.
If you need help with time management in your business, be sure to click here to join my Victorious Living community on Facebook. I have something coming up real soon that’s going to help you Get Your Ish Done!
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