10 Time Management Tips For Successful Entrepreneurs
The Guide to Help You Stay Focused, Get More Done and Be Intentional to Hit Your Goals
Do you ever find yourself thinking or saying…
"I don't have the time to start a business (or take on another client)."
"I feel like I never have enough time with my family."
"I have too much to do and am never going to get it all done."
"When will I ever find time to travel and do the things I have always wanted to do."
“I can’t add another thing into my business or life.”
Time management is a choice. You get to choose how you spend your time and who you spend your time with. When you learn to better manage your time and also how to make better choices it makes your days so much more productive and meaningful.
When I first started my business and was still working full-time with 2 little girls at home, I thought it was going to be so hard to find a balance. But when I created a purposeful schedule, I actually stayed focused, I became so much more intentional, I got more done and I actually felt more connected to my family. All because of the time I spent with them I was completely focused on them and not trying to multi-task and fit in other things in the middle of our family time. I knew I had other times set aside to do my business and work and this was their time.
This guide provides you with 10 of my favorite time management tips to help you as you are starting or growing your business to make the most of your time so that you don’t find yourself focusing on the wrong things and not making progress. (You can find even more on time management in our training here.)
Learn how to make things happen and better prioritize your time with these 10 time management tips:
1. Stay focused on one task at a time.
I know you have a hundred things on your to-do list but part of why you aren’t getting much done is because you are trying to do too many things at one time and are not focused.
You start writing an email and an alert pops up that someone sent you a social media message so you jump over to social media to read the message and click on the link they sent you to watch a video. It looks intriguing so you start googling this new idea which takes you down a rabbit hole. Then you jump back over to social media and start scrolling…
Next thing you know you are an hour in and still haven’t finished that email…
Start by prioritizing your tasks and start with the first one and don’t stop until that is done. Then move on to the next one.
2. Only have the programs and files open that you are currently working on.
Minimizing the noise and distractions on your computer can help you stay focused and not be tempted to jump on over to something else.
This includes closing your email so that notifications aren’t popping up when you get a new email while you are focused on another task.
I know if you’re anything like me, you like to have twenty tabs open and numerous apps at the same time. But I’ve learned that I stay so much more focused when I close other apps and tabs and just have one open at a time.
3. Turn off all notifications and alerts on your phone.
The average person picks up their phone once every ten to twelve minutes. That means in a given hour that you are trying to focus on a task, you have gotten distracted at least 5 times by picking up your phone and checking on other tasks.
If you turn off your notifications and alerts you are less likely to want to pick up the phone and get distracted.
4. Stop multi-tasking!
Studies show that only 2.5% of people can actually multi-task effectively. That means the rest of us are attempting to multi-task and it is really just taking us longer to do the tasks and we are getting less accomplished.
Do one project or task for a set amount of time and nothing else. You will be so much more effective and actually get more done.
5. Have an email address that you use only for opt-ins.
These days you have to give an email for everything! At the grocery store, your favorite place to shop so you can get the points, and you want to opt into many of your favorite people to follow. All of the sudden you are getting hundreds of emails a day and it can be impossible to manage.
I recommend having a separate email that you only use for opt-ins. This keeps these non-important emails out of your primary inbox and you are not filtering through them all every day. They are there when you do need them but you do not need to check this other email often.
6. Stop wasting time on social media!
Social media can suck you in and all of a sudden you are scrolling through the posts or watching the reels and have wasted an hour and wondered why you haven’t gotten anything done.
During the day when you are working, you should only be going into social media if you are posting and marketing. Have set times in the morning and/or evening to look at social media if that is important to you to keep up with your friends or people you follow.
7. Schedule 2-3 times throughout the day to check email.
Instead of looking at every email when it comes in, try scheduling a set amount of time in the morning, mid-day, and before you wrap up your day to check your email and respond.
Knowing that you have a set time will keep you from feeling like you have to check it every fifteen minutes or in between every task that you do.
8. Set deadlines and hold yourself accountable.
When you work for yourself it is easy to let deadlines slip and not get done what you needed to because most of the time the one you are letting down is yourself.
It’s time to set realistic deadlines for yourself and find ways to hold yourself accountable or get an accountability partner to help hold you accountable.
9. Create rewards and punishments for when you meet or don’t meet your deadline.
For some of your bigger tasks or projects, it helps to set up a reward for when you get it done. But also set up a punishment for if you do not get it done by your deadline.
For instance, when you complete it on time and hit a big goal your reward might be to go on a weekend trip or buy that jacket you’ve been wanting. Your punishment could be as simple as you don’t get to go or buy the jacket or it could be that you have to do something you don’t enjoy doing. More on this in the Inspired Time Management Training you can find here.
10. If a client or employee is a complete energy drain on you it may be time to fire them.
When you get to a point where an employee isn’t doing what they are supposed to, you are constantly having to hold their hand or they just don’t have the best attitude, it is time to reassess whether they are the right fit for what you need. I always say it’s at that point that you either have to figure out how to inspire them or fire them.
The same goes for clients sometimes. When you have a client that is very high maintenance or you feel drained every time you talk to them, it may be time to consider if the client is worth it to you.
We all have the same amount of time in a day but yet it feels like some people accomplish so much more than others. The key is to focus on what really matters, avoid distractions and use these tools to help you improve your time management skills.
When you get better at managing your time, setting boundaries, and staying focused you will feel more empowered, your clients will appreciate your efficiencies and your family will feel more connected to you.
In the Inspired Time Management Training, I share even more tools and tips to help you with your time management. Learn more here.