As entrepreneurs there’s one thing we always wish we had more of – time! Running your own business is a full time 24h/ day job! Finding a way to balance everything we have going on in our lives can be challenging. Time management is a key skill that all entrepreneurs should work to gain and improve. Here are a few things to keep in mind when managing your time:
- Plan
Before you can manage your time you need to know exactly what you want to get done. It’s always good to have a short term (daily) and long term (weekly) plan for your business and your life in general. Take time to write down what tasks you’d like to have done and completed. It’s important to set daily and weekly goals for yourself.
- Prioritize
Once you have your goals for each day set out you need to figure out which ones are more important. Prioritizing your tasks is a key component of time management. For example if you have a task that requires more time or concentration try to focus on that at the beginning of your day when you’re fresh and ready to work. It’s always better to get the more challenging/less appealing tasks done and out of the way first.
- Push
Once you’ve started your daily tasks, make it a point to push through them and complete them. One of the biggest challenges of being your own boss is not having anyone to report to or watch over you- this can lead to procrastination and a less than stellar work ethic. So once you start on your tasks make sure to stick with it and complete them.
- Party
Remember to set a side a few hours everyday for some unplanned fun. This could be some quiet time for yourself, time used to complete extra tasks or even time to meet with friends. The thought of planning for the unplanned may seem a little redundant it’s always good to have a few extra hours in your schedule. Although we work hard as entrepreneurs we need to be able to take a break and enjoy the perks of being our own boss as well.
Praveeni Perera is the CEO and co-founder of Professional Edge Consulting a corporate training company based in Ottawa offering training and coaching services to clients around the world. She can be reached via Website, Twitter, Facebook or her Blog.