Finding Time To “Do It All” (or at least Most of It)
How Do Successful Entrepreneurs Find Enough Time To “Do It All”?
How many of you, like me, were reminded of how precious that ‘extra’ hour is after “springing forward” last week? As an entrepreneur, time is your #1 resource, often times, even more important than money.
So I wanted to share some suggestions on how to best maximize this resource:
1.) Set work hours for yourself
If you had been working at a corporate office or start up, you would have standard hours of operation beginning anywhere between, 8 - 10 AM as well as ending between 4- 6 PM.
As solo entrepreneurs, it’s extremely important to do the same with your business, to keep a consistent workflow and ensure that your head stays “in the game” and focused on your end goal.
PRO TIP: Don’t be intimidated by the split shift. (5 am - 7 am; 9 am - 1:30 pm; 8 pm - 11 pm) Especially if you’re squeezing in some exercise or time with the kids.
2.) Know your priorities
Time is more precious than ever, therefore you need to develop the skill to recognize instantly if something is a priority and if it's not, let it go.
This is especially important as an entrepreneur because you get to call the shots and sometimes, there are “shiny” objects that can be a distraction, like a new product line, or a new training program to attend. Get better at saying “no” to certain meetings or things that distract you from your end goal.
PRO TIP: Your priorities should always align with your key core values and the primary goals you set for your business this year.
3.) Create consistent business-building habits
Along with knowing your top priorities, it’s important to have strong business habits that you execute on week in and week out.
I like to categorize the main habits into 4 buckets:
Pre-planning,
Money Making,
Administration, and
Customer Service.
If you ensure that you have activities to complete in each business-building bucket and you’re doing something specific each and every week - you definitely will start to feel the “spring” forward in your business as well.
PRO TIP: Use a calendar like this one I developed for you to keep your tasks and their completion on track.
4.) Manage your expectations
As an entrepreneur, we set expectations for ourselves and others. Sometimes, you need to do a gut check and see if those expectations are realistic. And if they aren’t, it’s important to adjust.
For example with TIME, we think we have all the time in the world to get things done, when we don’t, most especially now that the sun seems to be out longer. Time hasn't changed, there are still 24 hours in a day, 168 hours in a week. So, set specific deadlines for task completion.
PRO TIP: Don’t forget to give yourself a break sometimes and allow something to take a little extra time, especially if you need to refuel the gas tank to get you over that finish line.
5.) Get connected…(and find support)
Make note of all the things that frustrate you in your daily life, then research creative ways to address those inefficiencies.
Also, don’t let inexperience stop you from completing something. Not knowing which steps to take often causes analysis paralysis, but this can be overcome by reaching out to other business owners who could connect you to experts in areas that may not be your forte.
Each key person you meet can shorten the learning curve. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by how other small business owners want to pay it forward and see new upstarts succeed.
PRO TIP: Find other local, small businesses through services like Meetup or your local Small Business Development Centers (SBDC).
6.) Plan for tomorrow, today
Planning for tomorrow, today,means taking an extra 15 minutes the night before to set the coffee pot, or making your kids’ lunches., Any way you can find to be more efficient will help. Also, something as simple as getting an online scheduler can help cut a few back and forth emails or touch points with clients.
PRO TIP: I like Laura Vanderkam’s strategy in her book 168 Hours: Start planning your following week on Friday. It gives you a jumpstart to the week ahead and maybe even prompts you to get some things done over the weekend.
In summary, it is so important to remember that Time is still one of those many things in business, that needs to be also closely reviewed, managed, and tweaked at times --just like we do our people, product or service, and money. So take some time to strategize and I bet, you'll be surprised with what you can accomplish.
“The Best Thing about the FUTURE is that it only comes ONE DAY at a TIME” - Abraham Lincoln