10/ 07/ 2008
There are only so many hours in a day, and you can't spend them all behind a desk. But unfortunately, the phrase "time is money" is a cliché for a reason—and if you want to boost your bottom line, you'll have to enhance the time you spend in the office. Sure, you could double the long hours you already spend at your business to generate more revenue, or you could make the most of your office hours by better managing your time. Not sure where to start? Follow these tips:
Develop a to-do list. Before you go home at night, create a detailed list of everything you need to accomplish the next day—and don't leave out the small stuff. Order the tasks on your list by importance, making sure the most pressing responsibilities are at the top. When you arrive in the morning, you won't waste precious time figuring out what to do first—your list from the previous day should tell you exactly where to start.
Tackle short-term goals. In today's fast-paced business world, sometimes it feels like you can only devote 15 minutes to a task before you're interrupted by another pressing need. Maximize your productivity by splitting your larger long-term goals into smaller, more manageable tasks that can be completed in the matter of a few hours. This way you'll be more likely to make progress toward the end result without getting sidetracked—and you'll feel accomplished every time you mark a task off the list.
Delegate. Remember that assistant you hired to help you get a handle on things around the office? Don't be afraid to assign him or her extra responsibilities. While you want to keep an eye on every faction of your business, there aren't enough hours in the business day for you to run the place by yourself. Whether you hand off accounting, payroll, inventory or another important responsibility, giving control to someone else will allow you to focus on more important business
Organize your workspace. With your desk covered in invoices, spreadsheets and other paperwork, it can be nearly impossible to get anything done. Take a few minutes before you leave at night to organize your workspace. File all finished paperwork and keep unfinished work in a designated location so you don't waste time rooting through your desk drawers every time you need to look at a cost report.
Beware of burnout. Even the most productive person in your office suffers from burnout occasionally. Rather than running yourself into the ground, make sure you rest your brain periodically so you can maximize your performance during the day. Working until the wee hours of morning might sound like the best way to get a lot accomplished, but the late hours will only cause you to be less productive. Once a month, take a day off to reenergize—when you return, your brain will be ready to dive back in.
