Time management is an essential subject for anyone who is serious about achieving success, especially those who are on a tight schedule.
One of those categories of people are entrepreneurs aiming to take their startups to the pinnacle of their respective industries as market leaders, or at least provide strong competition.
From dealing with customers and investors to providing insight and backend support, entrepreneurs have to adopt effective time management techniques in order to meet the demands of each task and maximize their 24-hour day.
Here are 10 ways entrepreneurs can better manage their time:
1. Use a time-saver app: Smart entrepreneurs know how to use smart technology to their advantage, which makes using a time-saver app an effective way to manage time. Everyone has unique needs, so take the time to find one that suits you.
2. Create a routine: One of the unique attributes of technology is automation, an attribute which entrepreneurs can adopt and benefit from. Depending on your lifestyle, creating a routine that captures and aligns important tasks throughout the day can be the difference between success and failure.
3. Cut down non-productive social media use: Social media is not only addictive but a notorious time-waster. For entrepreneurs who want to maximize their time effectively, avoiding time-wasters and distractions is a no-brainer, unless it is part of the productivity process (communicating with clients, for example).
4. Ask for help: Asking for help is a really smart way to manage time effectively. Because no one can do everything by themselves, entrepreneurs can achieve more by delegating tasks to others. This time management technique also requires a fair degree of trust and builds confidence within the team.
5. Schedule: Staying focused and productive boils down to scheduling important tasks, which makes scheduling a critical aspect of achieving goals and protecting time from flying by unaccounted for. It also helps to declutter meetings times and avoid tasks from clashing.
6. Track your time: Tracking time is perhaps one the most underrated methods of managing time. Everything happens so fast, and sometimes we are unaware of how much time has gone by. By learning how to track time, entrepreneurs, especially those who value data, can evaluate and manage how much time they spend on each task.
7. Turn down requests: Another underrated time management hack is the ability to simply say no to additional tasks. Turning down unnecessary meetings or errands from friends can help entrepreneurs maximize their limited time. Entrepreneurs can focus more and complete scheduled tasks, thereby achieving set goals by just saying no.
8. Plan long-term: Entrepreneurship is a marathon and not a sprint. This is why long-term planning is crucial for entrepreneurs who want to give themselves and their companies the best chance to succeed. With short-term planning and scheduling taking care of daily or weekly time slots, long-term plans give entrepreneurs a sense of peace and direction, knowing future tasks are already accounted for.
9. Take a break: Being productive is the number one aim of any time management technique. However, knowing when to take a break and scheduling downtime into the routine is perhaps the wisest approach entrepreneurs can adopt for their physical and mental wellbeing. Scheduling time to go on a walk, listen to music or take a vacation is beneficial for the mind and body.
10. Single-task: The concept of multi-tasking is built on the premise of doing more and achieving more without allocating additional time. However, doing one or both of those tasks insufficiently or incorrectly means that repetition is unavoidable. Single-tasking helps entrepreneurs focus on one task at a time and ensures that tasks are completed correctly within an allocated time.