Article Contributed by Brooke Chaplan
As an entrepreneur, it’s important to learn more about how to manage your time wisely. Time is the one commodity you can’t get back. If you waste money, that’s unfortunate but hopefully you can always make more. If you waste time, you can’t buy more time back. You just have to work with what you’ve got. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a parent, or a student, once you maximize your time, you’re unstoppable. Your profits can skyrocket and you won’t necessarily need to work harder to make that happen. It takes strategic intention and planning. Consider six time management tricks that will help you go far.
Limit Social Media
Social media is addictive. It’s one thing to log on to Facebook and update your company account, but it’s also very easy to look up and notice that an hour has gone past and you’re still scrolling. Be realistic with yourself. If you’re a total social media junkie, give yourself a solid fifteen minute binge every other hour. As you get better, you can decrease the time even more. Don’t allow scrolling to kill the precious time you have.
Start Early
It’s a common statement heard, that the early bird gets the worm. Start by going to bed early. You’ll feel more refreshed and be able to wake up earlier. Once you get started with your work, you’ll find that your mind is more alert, clear, and focused.
Stay Focused
Speaking of focus, it’s important to do just that. Don’t veer off and start looking around your work space at what needs to be cleaned. Don’t stop to fix your manicure. Don’t even stop one project to pick up another. Work on finishing the one thing that’s in front of you. As you finish one task, you can move on to the next. You’ll have greater and more long-term success.
Create Plan
The night before your next work day, you should have a five to ten minute session where you look over all the things you need to accomplish the next day. Create a realistic to-do list and be sure to include only things you are sure to get finished or make good headway on. This will help you to focus solely on making sure you accomplish everything on your list.
Take Breaks
Whether you work at a computer or you’re in and out of meeting with clients, you need to take frequent breaks throughout the day. These breaks shouldn’t be thirty minutes at a time, but they need to feel like breaks. Take a ten-minute walk outside to clear your head. Do a few jumping jacks near your desk. Have a five-minute dance session with your favorite songs. This will help you to get any pent-up stress out and energize you to continue working. Students who study in organizational development are often taught negotiation techniques that make use of breaks like these. Click here to learn more about organization and the best way to make good use of your time.
Ignore Email
Turn off the sound effects for your email notifications. Email can be a major distractor for people who work on their own. Do not allow your emails to consume you. Try to narrow the email routine to once or twice a day.
These time management tricks will help you in the long run in a great way. Be patient with yourself and understand that it will take time. Time is the greatest commodity you have. It’s best to manage it well!