Business Owners have some of the most hectic schedules in the world, and if this is you, you might be thinking “there just isn’t enough time in the day.”
What if I told you that you could actually cheat more time into your day?
Implement these 5 simple time-saving tips for entrepreneurs, and you’ll begin to see your monthly calendar open right up.
Time-Saving Tip #1: Control Your Projects – Become the “Commander of Time”
If you want to manage your time better, it’s time to take control of the Energy Thieves Most Wanted: Projects.
As an entrepreneur, you’re running in cycles of project after project. What’s your current process for this? Do you know what stage of each project you’re at? What about the purpose of the project, the deliverables you expect, and the results you want to achieve?
If the answers aren’t top of mind, then this tip is going to change your life.
It’s time to stop busy-work projects and start executing projects that motivate you and your team with progress that you can actually see and measure. I have two recommendations for this: Google Calendar and Asana.
Asana is an excellent enterprise-level tool with an affordable price. It’s robust tracking systems and visual workflows are great if you have a small or an expansive team. On the other hand, Google Calendar is a free option that if leveraged right, can cheat you just as much extra time into your day.
No matter which, my tip is to take all of the projects you’re currently working on or will start soon and map them out.
First: Set a clear and measurable goal for each.
Second: Clearly state and mark who is working on this and who is the project leader.
Third: Set a timeline for the project and map out blocks in your calendar for checkpoints.
Time-Saving Tip #2: SOPs are Your Best Friend
It’s time to embrace “Standard Operating Procedures,” or SOPs. One of the biggest early mistakes I see small businesses make, that can even carry into when they’ve grown to mid-sized businesses, is a lack of SOPs.
Don’t reinvent the wheel every time – It’s a major time-killer.
When a task comes up that is recurring, be it monthly or weekly, create an SOP for it. Save that standard protocol in a doc, and make sure the team has it. That way, people can help you with the task from here on out if you don’t have time, or you won’t forget the most efficient way to do it when the task comes around next month or quarter.
This one isn’t an instant time-saver, but your future-self will be thanking you endlessly.
Time-Saving Tip #3: Implement Batch Planning with a Framework
This one is my favorite tip. As an entrepreneur, you’ve probably been in a place (and maybe you are now) where there’s something in your business that needs to be done almost every day. For example, posting to social media, writing blog posts, or sending out a newsletter. Perhaps you have to plan recurring in-person events or regular training.
No matter your situation, the key to cheating yourself more time in this department is to implement batch planning days guided by a framework.
Let me break that down a little…
First: What are you needing to plan and at what frequency?
Second: Create a framework or a guide that you can fill out in advance to do just that.
So if we’re talking about social media content that you want to post every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, then create guides for those days. It can be whatever you like that works with your brand tone and goals.
For this example, we’ll say Monday could be “Meme Monday,” Wednesday could be “Win Wednesday,” and Friday “Fun Friday.” So you know each month you need to prepare 4 memes, 4 company wins, and 4 fun posts.
One day a month you block out time to do that and schedule it out and it’s done. Now, you’ve just freed up an hour that you spend each day scrambling to think of something to post.
Bonus: You won’t have to worry about missing anything either – Double win, double the time saved!
Time-Saving Tip #4: Make Break-Time Automatic
The easiest way to cheat yourself more time? Schedule it in! Same time. Every day. You get a date with free-time.
Not taking breaks only stresses you out, making you less productive. And you can probably guess what you do when you’re stressed and unproductive: You waste time.
Now that you have your Google Calendar set up, or maybe Asana, put in an hour of break time each day. That’s instant free-time injected into your days – And I think you’ll see looking back next month, that you actually got a lot more done. (I know I did!)
Time-Saving Tip #5: The Value of Partnerships
As far as you may have gotten on your own, when you’re aiming for an even higher goal, it’s important to recognize when you need help. As you grow, you need more resources, teammates, and managers with a common goal to get more done, faster – And to grow on all fronts.
Looking to grow fast with a digital marketing partnership? That’s our bread and butter. No matter your current size, or where you want to go, we can get you there – taking one of the largest components of any business off your plate: Marketing.
Now that’s a real time-saver!
I understand your time is precious as an entrepreneur, so I always recommend starting with a quick 15-min brainstorm session to see how things could look. Just click below to get something on your new calendar – I can’t wait to discuss how many more leads you’d like, your goals, and where you’ll go next…
