The ability to get things done quickly seems to be one of the most sought-after skills for busy entrepreneurs.
One of the things business owners have in common – regardless of their industry, how many people they have working for them, what new projects they take on, etc. – turns out to be the quest to work smarter, not harder.
If you want to finish your tasks faster and to have more time to do all the other things on your list and to live your life at the same time, here are some time-saving tips that will help you out:
1. Reassess your to-do list.
Working smarter and saving time is mostly about working only on what’s necessary. But even if we eliminate unproductive activities from our days, and projects that get us nowhere, there’s more.
So I urge you to take a closer look at what you do daily, and ask yourself whether each activity you dedicate time to is giving you the results you desire. You may realize that something you’ve been working on for a long time isn’t getting you anywhere, although it still sounds like a good idea. Well, if you want to get better at time management and improve your efficiency, such items must be removed from your list.
2. Save time on scheduling meetings and appointments.
Try out automation software that does all the work for you. No need to waste time communicating with potential clients excessively and exchanging unnecessary emails until you find when you’re both available.
With tools like Calendly and Acuity Scheduling you just share when you’re available for a meeting, and the client can book an appointment depending on their availability.
3. Always prioritize.
Sometimes we spend so much time working on random tasks, that at the end of the day, the important tasks don’t get done. Chances are you’ll feel disappointed, and although tired and emotionally exhausted, you still haven’t moved forward with our projects and goals.
So prioritize, every day. Define the most important tasks for each day (the ones directly related to your objectives), and start working on them first thing in the morning.
Set no more than 3, though. In most cases, if you don’t procrastinate and know how to make the most of your morning, you’ll have completed them before noon. That will make you feel good about yourself and see results from your efforts pretty soon.
4. Review your day every evening.
That’s a powerful practice many successful people swear by. Assessing how you spent your day at the end of each one will help you always stay on track, never miss anything important, and easily think of ways to optimize your approach.
When reviewing, think about what you worked on today, how you performed and how you feel about it. List anything you couldn’t finish on time and try to understand why that happened. Also, see how long each activity took and whether it could have been done more quickly.
Then, turn these into ideas on how to be more productive in the future. If you apply one new strategy each day, you’ll boost your efficiency in no time.
5. Deadlines.
Deadlines are powerful. When you’re your own boss, however, there’s no one to give you one. But still, having a fixed date and time when something must be finished helps your mind overcome procrastination and magically get it done right before this deadline.
Because you want to keep everything under control, you’ll never allow yourself to miss a deadline. What’s more, you can set them in advance so that you’re always ready with the work a day or a few earlier.
That makes you disciplined and you start managing your time much more effectively.
6. Outsource.
Last but not least, even if you’re not at that stage in your business yes, you need to delegate some of the work.
Here we’ve summarized why outsourcing matters so much and what aspects of the work you can outsource.
Believe it or not, there are experts in any field that can take care of aspects of your business you don’t need to deal with anymore, and thus let you focus on strategies for growth, for example.
With these 6 time management tips you can easily save yourself tens of hours each week. That will give you time to rest and take care of yourself (which will boost your productivity in return), to spend time with loved ones, to learn new skills and master what you’re good at, and even give new projects a try.