3 Time Management Hacks for Busy Entrepreneurs
While many entrepreneurs feel the pressure to keep cash flowing, cash isn’t the most valuable resource. What is every entrepreneurs most precious resource? Time! Once your time is spent, there’s not getting it back.
Every person on earth is gifted with 24 hours in a day. As an entrepreneur it’s your job to make the most of that time without getting burnt out. If you waste your time procrastinating a certain task, that time is gone and you still have that task to complete.
That’s why proper time management is such an important subject for every entrepreneur whether your running a supplement company or any other kind of business.
Here are a few top tips and tricks to managing your time and staying sane too.
The Jar of Life
You might already know about the Jar of Life metaphor for time management. This “object lesson” comes from Stephen Covey who explains that our life or time is like a jar; It’s limited and there’s only so much we can fit in.
Demands on your time are represented by rocks, pebbles and sand, from big projects and priorities to the little fun, sometimes time wasting, things that we do with our time. If you add the sand in first, then the pebbles, there’s no room for the big rocks. But if you add the big rocks first, then the pebbles then the sand, everything seems to magically fit.
Ultimately this lesson teaches us that we need to focus on the big priorities first, then the other important but less major tasks and then last, try to fit in the little things.
So next time you’re planning out your calendar and trying to manage your time, remember to add the big rocks first.
The Anti-To-Do List
Another way to help you stay on track and prioritize your tasks is with the anti-to-do list. Now honestly I’m not really sure why it’s called the anti-to-do list because it does include keeping a to-do list. But in addition the anti-to-do list offers a way to look back at your day and see what you’ve accomplished.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur or a stay-at-home mom, anyone can relate to the feeling of looking back at the end of a long day and wondering where all their time went and feeling unsure what (if anything) they got accomplished.
“Marc Andreessen, a co-founder and a general partner of the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, came up with this system to measure productivity through these smaller steps instead of obsessing over the completion of the to-do list.”
First you take a simple 3×5 notecard and on one side you write all your to-dos for that day. Then as you complete tasks throughout the day you write them down on the back of the card. At the end of the day you get to compare what you actually got done to the to-dos you had set at the beginning of the day.
While you might not have completed all (or any) of your to-dos on your list you’ll at least know and be able to keep track of what you did complete. This can also help you learn and form new habits. You’ll be able to easily see which tasks interrupt you throughout the day which will help you stay on track in the future.
Schedule Out All Your Time
Many successful entrepreneurs swear by calendar blocking. Calendar blocking means literally scheduling out all of your time. This means scheduling time to answer emails, going on social, lunch, free time, etc.
Not only does this help you to fit in the things that you need to do, it also helps you to schedule in the things that you want to do. Many time management professionals recommend scheduling “unstructured” time into your calendar. This “me” time is just for you to do whatever you want to do. This can help you recharge your batteries and get your creative juices flowing.
Some professionals even schedule out their weekends and “after-hours” time. If you take the calendar blocking mindshift to heart, it only makes sense to schedule out all your time. This also keeps you accountable. If you’ve ever complained about not having enough time, you’ll be able to see gaps where you have more time than you think.
The Takeaway
Time is such a precious resource that it makes sense to keep track of it. Think of scheduling as the accounting of time. You budget and track your money, why not do the same for your time?
What are some of your favorite time management techniques? Hop on over to our Facebook and let us know!
