NFIB

Seven Tips for Better Time Management
08/ 16/ 2002

by Vicki Gerson

Business owners face a serious problem every day: how to use their time wisely and efficiently. Unfortunately, many owners have no idea how time gets away from them. They squander their hours on unimportant things and focus on the wrong activities.

Here are seven tips to help you turn your days around so you can be more productive and achieve your daily goals and objectives.

Create a daily agenda.

To make each day more productive, create an agenda the night before. At the close of business, mark down what must be achieved the next day. However, make a realistic list, and not one that will overwhelm you. Estimate the time it will take to complete each objective, and give yourself a little leeway. Below the "must-do" list mark down one or two more things that need to be accomplished--if you have the time that day. When you arrive at your business the next morning, you will be focused on what must be accomplished for the day.

Ease in and out of your day.

DonÆt just jump into your day. Get to work at least 15 minutes before you actually want to start working. Enjoy a cup of coffee or tea while you get situated. At the end of the day, try to clear your desk to have some closure.

Know your strengths and biological clock.

Although you may have the ability to do many things, know your strongest points. Select projects that are a good match for your talents and goals. Also be aware of what projects you would do best at certain times of the day. Determine if you are a morning person or a slow starter. If you get most of your energy in the afternoon, tackle the most important projects on your daily list then.

Outsource.

Accept that you canÆt accomplish all of your goals by yourself. Learn to assign some tasks to employees or outside help.

Group activities into time segments.

Try to group similar activities into time segments. For instance, if you have numerous phone calls to return every day, try to return them at a certain time period. For example, this may be at 4 p.m., when you have discovered many people are in their office. Let the people you do business with know that calls will be returned at that time.

Manage your newspapers and magazines.

Many business owners are overwhelmed by the amount of magazines and papers piled up at the office. The best way to handle magazine overload is to skim the table of contents and rip out the articles you need or want to read. Keep those articles in a folder that you can carry with you to the airport and restaurants.

As for newspapers, select the one or two you must read. Others can be skimmed over the Internet. Print out the articles you want and add them to your magazine folder for later reading.

Only attend necessary in-person meetings.

So much time can be wasted on meetings and travel time. Look at the alternatives. Can you and your customer do business with a phone call? A speaker phone or video conferencing allows numerous people to attend a meeting without anyone having to leave their office.

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