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5 time management techniques to help your business grow
Excellent time management is important for business owners to succeed, especially small business owners. You want to get more done in less time and maximise your spare time. Business time management is critical for making the most out of your business, saving time and achieving any goals you have. Here are some time management skills for small business owners.
Keep a time diary
Everybody carries out tasks differently and keeping a time diary may help for some but possibly not all. This ‘diary’ is basically a log of the tasks you have to or already have carried out and how long it took you.
From this, you can find out what you spend most of your time doing and whether precious time is being wasted on less important tasks. The aim is to shine light onto the more important work and show you areas to improve on with your time management.
These can be really helpful as some business owners don’t realise how their time is being distributed and even wasted. It can’t be stressed enough how time management is crucial within any business.
Plan your week in advance
Planning your week and tasks in advance can be very helpful in handling your time management. You can plan with a diary or a calendar, for example, if you are a digital/social media marketer you could use a content calendar.
These content calendars help to plan around events or important dates and the content that you are going to be posting/sharing over social media. Planning your week helps you with organisation and can hopefully help to eliminate any gaps of wasted time.
Prioritise work
As a business owner, you will always be swamped in work of some sort. More is demanded of you and if you prioritise your workload, you can complete the more urgent and most important tasks first.
Prioritising helps you to focus. You are less likely to become distracted or side-tracked if you focus on your list and the important tasks that require completing. Some business owners can become flustered and unsure as to where to start. Always create a to-do list to make sure you don’t forget anything.
Minimise distractions
It can be very easy to become distracted and give up on the plan you were working on. Things such as your mobile phone, smart devices or even the people around you can have an influence on your distraction. As we know, this wastes a lot of time, but regaining your concentration after an interruption can waste time as you can become confused about getting back on track with the task.
Limit yourself with rules such as having a specific time to check your phone, emails, social feeds, locking your door or putting up a do not disturb sign to stop colleagues or staff from interrupting and take small but often breaks. The more concentration you have when working on tasks, the quicker you’ll complete them and be able to move on.
Use the pomodoro technique
The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method. The technique uses a timer to break down work/tasks into intervals in which you work for around 20-25 minutes and then take a 5-minute break and then repeat. The goal for this technique is to reduce the impact of any interruptions on workflow and your focus, perfect for time management.
