Time Management
How much time do you spend on your business?
Do you spend it wisely?
Darren Rowse writes a blog about blogging. He’s always got great ideas and recently he wrote about finding time to blog. But as I read through it, he had an exercise to help you with time management.
Start With Your Priorities
Take time out to identify what is truly important to you.
List each priority and what is truly important to you. Then track how you use your time by recording your day in 15-minute intervals for a week. You’ll have to make a conscious effort or use a timer. Do the best you can to record your activities.
At the end of your week, compare your priorities to the time spent. Do they match?
Now choose what is really your top 3 priorities and focus on those. If your business isn’t one of those, why not?
You must allocate time every day to those top 3 priorities. Whether it’s 15 minutes or 15 hours, do it!
Focus Areas
Unsure what you need to do to grow your business? Identify 3 areas in each priority. This will give you a plan of action for blogging, merchandise, services, etc. Write about them, do keyword searches about them, research what your competition is doing about them. Spend time on your business!
My top 3 priorities for Jana’s Journals are:
- Weekly blogposts and writing prompts.
- Finding readers
- Creating New Journals.
I have a list of items for each priority. For my weekly writing prompts I have a theme based on one word with 3 writing ideas. I’ve made a Journal for he year, of weekly themes and potential ideas. It’s created a solution for “what am I going to write about this week?”
Create a Schedule
I now have set days to write. Can you set a chunk of time to review where you are, what inventory is low, record your finances, etc. Having a set time and day to do these and other tasks will make you more successful.
Make your chunk of time easy to keep on track. That might be when the kids go to bed, after they go to school, naptime, etc. Whenever you schedule it, make it happen and keep doing it.
Make space for Prep, Create and Rest
Having a time management schedule needs to include preparation, creation, and rest times. No matter what your business niche is, you need to take care of you.
I use Wednesday mornings to draft and outline my blog posts. Friday is writing day. And Sunday (or Saturday if time allows) I post, edit, and format. Sometimes they’re done earlier or later, but they are almost always done on time.
Sometimes life gets in the way, like these past two weeks. Traveling for husbands’ business and visits from family created havoc with my schedule and will again in October. But without life, friends, and family, we lose perspective of our journey.
Revisit your priorities at least yearly.
Don’t hesitate to revisit your priorities. Some business owners relist them in their quarterly reset, or with their annual reset and plan. Plan yours around your business cycles and promotions.
Summary
Remember to create your list of priorities, add areas for each to focus on, create a schedule for working on your business, make space for creativity and rest, and revisit your plan along with your business cycle.
Having a time management plan in writing is the key.
Working on your plan brings success.