Time Told Secrets

By ThinkAvenue Editor

Being an expert in time management is critical when you’re running your own business. If you can’t juggle a number of significant tasks from day to day, you’ll soon find that your business will not only suffer, but your whole quality of life may also erode. The good news is that you don’t have to be born with an innate efficiency gene; these skills are easy to pick up once you know what they are. Even though you’d like to believe you can beat the clock, the truth is there are only 24 hours in a day, so here are five simple ways to make sure you're using them to the fullest.

Start with a Plan of Attack
You can't expect to have a productive day without knowing what you want to accomplish. Without a plan, you'll spend half your day trying to figure out what it is that you need to get done. Or, worse yet, running from task to task without direction, which ranks up there as one of the least efficient ways to work. The easiest and most intuitive way to proceed is by using a to-do list. Whether it’s on your PDA or on a napkin, get a list down of what needs to happen today.

Rank Priorities
But, really, what deserves to make your list, anyway? All tasks are certainly not created equal. Rate your projects on a scale of 1 to 5. If the task doesn't rate at least a 3, then it just doesn't make today's list. For example, color-coding your files won’t rank as high as verifying you have adequate inventory to fulfill a customer’s order.

Get Organized
What good is having a to-do list if you can't find it? Studies have shown that if your desk looks like a tornado just came through, you'll spend an average of one and a half hours a day looking for things you need--that's seven and a half hours a week! That means organizing your workspace should be #1 on today's list.

Take a Break
Think you can squeeze in one more thing if you skip lunch today? The truth is skipping lunch actually makes you less productive. When you do the same thing for hours on end, you'll discover that you're not just imagining that you're reading the same sentence over and over again--you really are! A lunch break, even a short one, gives your brain (and eyes) a rest and allows you to take a fresh look at the same task while also replenishing your energy with nourishment. Like it or not, people are not machines and we need to take breaks to keep focused.

One Thing at a Time
There is a difference between multi-tasking and obsessing about how much you have to do. What’s the best way to accomplish hundreds of projects? Concentrate on the task at hand instead of fixating on how much you have to do today. You are only capable of doing one thing at a time, so you may as well let yourself off the hook for not being a superhuman.



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