How many times do you say to yourself: I must be more productive. I have to stop wasting time!
Time Management Tips, time management srategies and formulas to be more productive. Stop wasting time.
I have been responsible for my own paycheck for the last twelve years. Although I started my first business at the age of eleven, it wasn’t until 2012 that I jumped into full-time entrepreneurship. And that’s when I first learned how vital it was to stop wasting time and start making things happen for myself.
We hear about the benefits of owning a business – time freedom, design your life, choose your hours, etc., however the reality is that most entrepreneurs work longer hours than employees. In fact, a U.K. survey company, Penelope, found that entrepreneurs have a 63% longer workweek than employees.
Many business owners I know work sixty to seventy hours per week and admittedly, I was once like that too. Interestingly enough, when I worked longer hours, I made less money and it wasn’t until I took a hard look at where I wasting time that I realized that it was about working smarter and not harder. Essentially, like many new entrepreneurs, I was in entrepreneurial chaos.
It’s really not as hard to stop wasting time as you might think. We have more time than we realize and by strategically getting organized we can get much more done with greater efficiency and free ourselves up to do more the things we want and need to. By using these tips, you can free up many more valuable hours to do other things like make more money or spend time with your love or play with your kids. Here are 5 Time Saving Strategies for Entrepreneurs to Stop Wasting Time and Start Making Things Happen FAST!:
- Organize Your ‘Stuff.’
According to the US News and World Report, Americans spend over a year of their lives looking for lost items. Take inventory of the essential items you require in a day – IPhone, glasses, car keys and wallet for starters. Keep these in a drawer. When you come in the house, dump all of these items in the drawer so they will be there when you need them. As an entrepreneur – the time you spend looking for ‘stuff’ could be spent connecting with potential clients and customers.
- Organize Your Desktop
According to Forbes Magazine, the average corporate executive, (insert entrepreneur) spends 150 hours per year looking for files. Think about what you could do with 150 hours! That is almost four workweeks that could be spent generating income or travelling Europe. Strategic files should be readily available on your desktop and in email folders. Important documents should be uploaded to a Cloud or backed up on an external hard drive.
- Organize Your Office
According to IKEA, men who organize their home offices are more likely to spend time with their kids than those who do not. It seems fairly obvious however, from experience teaching my class – Organize Your Life for Home Based Business Owners – people generally do not keep their office organized. Organize your office now! We cannot produce from chaos and a disorganized office definitely is going to waste time.
- Organize Your Potential Clients
A great tip, one that has saved me time and also created exceptional results, is to organize my potential clients the night before I make the calls. By looking people up on Facebook, or other preferred social media, I can see what they have been up to and have an instant door opener. Furthermore – it is good practice to make your list, including phone numbers, before you go to bed so you wake up and are ready to roll.
- Organize Your ‘To Do’ List
CPA, Tom Corley, has studied the habits of the rich. He found that 81% of wealthy people maintain a daily ‘to do’ list while less than 1% of poor people write such lists. As an entrepreneur it is essential that you create lists and commit to getting things done. I recommend writing your list the night before and organizing it so that your income producing activities are at the top.
Susan Sly is a best selling™ author and winner of the Editor’s Choice Award for her work on Soul to Success II with NY Times Best Selling Author, Jack Canfield. Susan is an entrepreneur and her company, Step Into Your Power™ is dedicated to helping busy people lead more balanced and productive lives. This fall she will appear on CNN, CNBC and Fox. To find out more about Susan visit www.susansly.com
This article – Stop Wasting Time & Start Producing – is Susan’s advice to entrepreneurs who are ready to get their careers – and lives – moving forward at a faster pace!
