As an entrepreneur, you know how quickly time passes. Before you know it, the week has passed, the month is over, and you still have hundreds of unopened emails and stacks of paperwork that keep accumulating on your desk.
This seems to be a common theme among individuals who pursue the rewards and excitement of any type of entrepreneurial endeavor – big or small. Unfortunately, the adage – work smarter, not harder – isn’t always as easy as it may sound.
While this is true, there are still tips you can use to help improve your efficiency and increase your likelihood of success as an entrepreneur. Understanding what these are will help you know what you can do to make better use of the time you have. After all, you can’t make the day longer, so you have to find ways to make time work for you and to your benefit.
Make Structure a Top Priority
If you want to achieve success as an entrepreneur, you must have structure in your life – both personally and professionally. The very nature of working as an entrepreneur means that you buck the system and do your own thing. However, it is important that you remember to keep your structure at the foundation if you want to save time. After all, time is money.
Structure can be seen in many ways. You can have a set schedule at work for handling emails, phone calls, and paperwork, and at home, for things like your meals, and even laundry, by hiring a wash and fold delivery NYC service.
When you make the structure a top priority, you will find these weekly projects and daily tasks being handled timely and efficiently. With structure, you can focus more on the future, instead of remaining too focused on just one thing.
Here are a few more ways you can begin making structure a top priority.
Remove “Switching Costs” from Your Daily Time Budget
The cost of the time it takes you to move from one task to another, which is also called multitasking, will actually waste time. Make sure you schedule one task, be completely focused on it, and then move on to the next task.
Schedule a Certain Time to Check Email Daily
Moving to and from your inbox will eat up a lot of time and might make you reply to emails that don’t require immediate attention. It’s best to limit your email checking time to three times a day.
Establish Certain Hours for Returning Phone Calls
Similar to emails, making and taking phone calls can require a lot of your time. It is smart to make an hourly schedule to take and make calls. Be sure that every one you may speak with knows this is the best time to reach you. After lunch is a good time to ease back into your busy day and your mind will be fresh and relaxed.
Set Structured Goals You Can Build On
One goal may be to land funding from a certain service provider. However, determining how you can accomplish this goal is going to save you time and increase your likelihood of success.
Conclusion
When you put a focus on being more structured, you will find this effort and time will filter down to your team, too – this is called the op-down effect. Your focus on time management, efficiency, and structure will make those you work with understand how beneficial that organizational structure really is. Make sure that this becomes contagious among your entire team.
