Prioritising Your Day

 Blog, Efficiency, Time Management  No Responses »
Jun 102016
 

How do you prioritise your day? I used to use a TO DO list, and work through the list, around planned appointments and mark off what I had achieved. However, I have recently changed my planner to include a diary as well, which I have found to be more effective. I now list my priorities for the day, and then allocate a time in my diary to do each task, it is essential you allocate a little more time than you expect the task to take, to allow for interruptions. This has helped ensure that some of the tasks that I put off, don’t sit in the bottom of my intray.

As you know, each day does not always go according to plan, your computer may break down, an urgent phone call may come in, a task may take longer than expected and the list goes on, so although your day is planned, your plan will not always go off without a hitch – you need to allow for a little flexibility. Therefore, my diary contains two columns, one for the plan, and one for the actual, and every task that is missed today I carry over to my priorities for the next day, and ensure these are first on my list.

I have attached a one-day diary page example for you to have a look at, you can use this as your guide, or find a diary that best meets your needs.

Happy planning, and don’t forget to plan some time for yourself!

Juggling School Holidays and Business

 Blog, Efficiency, Time Management  1 Response »
Jun 302014
 

As a business owner I know I have mixed emotions when school holidays are approaching.  On one hand I’m glad my kids will be around, and on the other I wonder how I’m going to entertain the kids, keep my clients happy and not fall behind in my work too much.

Over the years I have come to realise although I don’t get as much work done during holidays, I have come to accept this, but with a little planning and utilising the resources available to me, my business doesn’t have to go on hold, unless I’m going away, of course (and even then I still sometimes manage a little work).

Here are a few of the strategies I use to ensure I’m not stressed, and my kids are entertained and clients are happy:

Advise clients about school holidays

  • Let them know I am around, but not as available as I usually am
  • Ask them to email me information, and if it’s urgent send me a text/call me so I am aware they need some urgent help
  • Let them know that if I’m unable to meet their deadline, that I have others that are able to assist in my absence

Build a reliable team to assist when required

Utilise holiday care/camps

  • These give kids opportunities to do things that they may not to get to do otherwise
  • They make new friends

School-aged kids don’t have to be entertained all the time, entertaining themselves is a great skill to learn

You don’t have to spend a lot of money or take the kids out everyday

  • Sometimes the best fun in free
  • A day at home isn’t a bad thing
  • Limit special/expensive activites to one or two a week

Having play dates is usually less work for you as your kids are entertained

 

Here is an example of a typical week days in the school holidays for me:

Monday – Shopping (food or items for school) & hang out at home / Part work day for me

Tuesday – School holiday camp / Work day for me

Wednesday – Special Day out with the kids

Thursday – Kids play date / Work day for me

Friday – Catch up with friends

 

So as you can see school holidays are what you make of them, firstly you need to accept things will involve a little more juggling, but with the right juggling and some trial and error, you can minimise the stress and keep smiles on everyone’s faces.

Leveraging Your Time: The Top 10 Ways Small Business Owners Can Get More Time in a Day

 Blog, Efficiency, Time Management, Tips  No Responses »
Apr 092014
 

You glance up at the clock and wonder where the time has gone and then you realise that you did not achieve as much in your day as you would have hoped. This is a common scenario for small business owners. We wish we had more hours in the day to accomplish our workload; however the good news is that we do. Here are our top 10 ways we have found we can get more time in our day.

1. Reduce your hours
You might think this sounds a little odd but in truth, if you shorten your workday you will soon find you accomplish just as much as you did before and more. Reducing your hours will force you to focus more on the work that needs to be done and less on the other non-essential tasks which can chew up your time.

2. Know your strengths
No two people are the same and we all have certain times of the day when we perform at our best. Some people are naturally early birds and work best in the morning, others tend to find they work better later in the day. Work around your own schedule to get the most out of your working day.

3. Plan your phone calls ahead of time
Making telephone calls can be timewasting, particularly when the call can easily go off topic. Before you make a call, take a minute to jot down the main points you want to get across and try not to veer too far off course.

4. Use a VA
You have probably discovered this already but the simple fact of the matter is that you can’t do it all. You try; you drop a ball or two, miss deadlines and get stressed. Using a Virtual Assistant (VA) in certain parts of a business can really save time and money, particularly when that area is not particularly one of your strengths.

5. Centralise your social media
Centralising your social media such as Linked In, Twitter and Facebook through Hootsuite is a great way to avoid time wasting sessions on social media pages while you are at work. There is nothing wrong with browsing pages and socialising but save the non-essential work stuff for your downtime.

6. Get mobile
There is a reason that Smartphones and tablets are so popular – they allow business owners to work from wherever they happen to be. Familiarise yourself with some of the latest gadgets on the market and identify which ones will work for you when you are out and about.

7. Minimise meetings
Similar to phone calls, plan your meetings ahead of time. Know what you are going to say and try to stay on topic. Only schedule meetings that are crucial to your business growth, and limit the number of meetings that you attend.

8. Pick your hour
Determine one hour each day in which you are not to be interrupted. Turn off the phone, switch off the social media and just do it. You will soon find that you achieve more in that one hour than you do in any other hour out of your day helping you to get ahead.

9. Be prepared to take notes
The best ideas really do come when you are not expecting them. For this reason we advise you to jot them down in a notebook (either paper or electronic) so you can pay them the proper attention they deserve when you are in full work mode.

10. Just say no
When you are busy, sometimes it is best to just say no. You don’t have to do something just because someone asks you to. Learn to only accept the tasks which are most beneficial to your business and require your particular core strengths. Being overworked will not do you or your business any favours at all.

Start small. Pick two or three ideas which appeal and try them out. Soon you will start to see that time can really be on your side allowing you to create that work/life balance that all small business owners set out to achieve.

 

Thanks to Heather Bienefelt of Integrated Consulting Solutions contributing this article for our blog.

“Leveraging Your Time:  The Top 10 Ways Small Business Owners Can Get More Time in a Day‘ was first posted on Integrated Consulting Solutions Blog.

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