Being productive and managing your time is all about how you approach your workload. And some strategies can help you.
In this article, we will share five time management techniques that would be useful for any busy entrepreneur, or aspiring entrepreneur.
These strategies will also be useful to those who are just starting their career as an entrepreneurs, like those enrolled in an online Diploma of Business Administration, recent MBA graduates or anyone who’s just launched their own small business.
Table of Contents
1. Plan out your tasks.
This is usually the first thing you hear or read whenever anyone gives advice on time management – but not without good reason.
Yet not many of us actually give this technique a try. Or not many of us know how to plan our tasks effectively. Because believe it or not there are techniques to planning strategically.
Planning out your workload doesn’t always have to involve conventional methods like a schedule or timetable.
One strategy for organising a busy workload is to try breaking down your ‘larger’ responsibilities into ‘smaller’ (and less intimidating) tasks. Don’t think of your next task as ‘filling out paperwork’. It’s just writing a paragraph. Filling in a few lines. Checking one box at a time. Then just take these small jobs one at a time (sometimes larger jobs are just a dozen small jobs in a big coat)..
You can also try managing your time by creating a prioritisation or ranking system for your tasks, so that you can focus on more immediate jobs first (or the responsibilities that should be completed first).
2. Accept that you can plan for everything
Unforeseen events are often the reason our plans fail, and why so many of us ultimately give up trying to organise our workload.
Sometimes lunches run late. Phone calls run long. We get stuck in traffic. Family emergencies come up. A task becomes more time-consuming than previously anticipated. Your car didn’t start.
Simply put, life gets in the way sometimes which is why conventional timetables aren’t always the most productive.
But don’t let setbacks overwhelm you. You won’t always be able to plan out your day to the exact minute – sometimes not even to the hour.
Keep this in mind when you make your plans. Maybe set aside a one hour ‘cushion’ of time each day for spillovers or interruptions. On extra productive days you can always use this hour to get additional work done.
Never be afraid to rework or modify whatever plan you might make for yourself.
adaptability and flexibility are just as important for an entrepreneur as planning and organisation.
3. Just make a start
The previous two techniques were about planning and organising your tasks. But this third technique is to just get started.
Because sometimes you just need to jump in.
Begin with one of those smaller tasks (from earlier). Or start with something easy. Check for important emails. Just read over a document. Begin somewhere. Anywhere.
Try using what has been called the ‘Pomodoro Method’, in which you try to work for 20 minutes on one task without any distractions whatsoever followed afterwards by 10 minute breaks. Then repeat.
4. Take regular breaks
You might think that taking regular breaks throughout your day runs contrary to getting a lot of work done. But you might be surprised how much using regular breaks might be useful.
Taking regular breaks are an excellent technique for boosting efficiency and maximising productivity.
Try taking short breaks (5 minutes or so) every 30 – 45 minutes, even if only to walk around, grab a cup of coffee, check your phone, etc.
Sort your workload into blocks of time separated by these short breaks.
Not only will this be beneficial for your mental wellbeing and put off getting burned out, but stretching your legs every so often is important for physical health too.
5. Step back and think about the ‘Big Picture’
Sometimes when our schedules become very busy, it becomes easy to get sucked in (or overburdened) with our many tasks.
We don’t look up from our tasks except just to see what task is next. And we count down the day until it reaches 5pm (and some of us don’t even stop then).
But sometimes you have to step back. Really step back.
Take a reality check.
Ask yourself:
What is the ‘Big Picture’ of what you are trying to do or achieve?
By following these five techniques, you should find it easier to manage your busy schedule and to achieve your maximum efficiency.