Tried and True Time Management Strategies for Business Owners Who Can’t Keep Up

Do you frequently find yourself thinking, “There’s never enough time to get all the things done!”.

If so, you’re not alone.

Many small business owners feel like they’re constantly playing catch up…putting out fires instead of really getting ahead.

BUT…according to the research, we likely have more time than we think we do.

According to a study conducted by the folks at Maui Mastermind, business owners waste more than 30% of their time on low-value business activities.

According to a study conducted by the folks at Maui Mastermind, business owners waste more than 30% of their time on low-value business activities.Click To Tweet

And one of the biggest time-wasters they identified? The average business owner spends nearly 4 hours each week browsing social media and watching online videos.

So, how do we overcome this? How do we stop wasting time so we can get more done?

Following are 5 time management strategies for business owners to keep you on task and on track!

5 Time Management Strategies for Business Owners

     1. Give Yourself Deadlines

You’ve probably heard of Parkinson’s Law, but maybe haven’t known what it was called. The law says that work expands to fill the time available for its completion.

For instance, let’s say you need to write a blog post, and you give yourself an entire day to write it. According to Parkinson’s Law, it will take you (at least) the entire day to write it.

And if you give yourself an hour to write it? You’ll likely get it done within that hour!

To put this law to work for you, give yourself deadlines for your tasks and projects. You’ll find you’re much more productive, much less distracted, and get more work done in less time!

     2. Resist the Urge to Get it Perfect

Perfectionism can eat into your time and productivity like you wouldn’t believe.

Trying to write the “perfect” email, or create the “perfect” Inst-story can take an enormous amount of time…and most people won’t even notice or appreciate all the time you put into making it perfect.

Instead, settle on creating something good enough. Work hard to create something really good, and then send it off into the world…there will always be time to tweak and improve it later if need be.

For more on this, check out my post, Overcoming Perfectionism in Your Business.

     3. Build-in Mind-Clearing Breaks

I don’t know about you, but some of my best ideas emerge when I’m not actually working.

I can spend hour after hour at my desk trying to brainstorm a solution to something, and come up empty-handed.

But then I go for a walk, do some housework, or chat with a friend, and BOOM! The answer just seems to come to me.

Make sure to build some breaks into your day to do stuff that you love. Don’t think of these breaks as wasted time, but as opportunities to clear your mind so there’s room for those great ideas to make an appearance!

Make sure to build some breaks into your day to do stuff that you love. Don’t think of these breaks as wasted time, but as opportunities to clear your mind so there’s room for those great ideas to make an appearance!Click To Tweet

    4. Batch Related Tasks

Have you ever noticed that when you constantly switch from task to task, you lose your focus and are less productive?

This is why batching related tasks is one of my favorite time management skills.

Batching is simple (well, easy to understand, harder to consistently do!). But it’s simply this: group related tasks into blocks, and then complete each block all at once.

For instance, you could group all your email-related tasks into one time block: Reading and answering emails, filing old emails, scheduling appointments, etc.

For email-related tasks, you’ll likely build in at least two-time blocks each day. But for some tasks (like writing blog posts), you might be able to commit 1-2 days each month, or a few hours each week.

The important thing is that you get all your related tasks done all at once so you’re as productive as possible!

     5. Focus 100% on the Task at Hand

Do you frequently find yourself switching back and forth between tabs on your computer, or getting distracted by email or social media notifications?

We all do this, but it can seriously mess with your productivity. Instead, focus on the tasks in front of you, to the exclusion of everything else.

Keep one window open on your computer, turn off notifications, and then throw yourself into what you’re doing.

I promise this strategy will help you get WAY more work done than you thought possible!

Final Thoughts

If you feel like you can never really keep up with all your work, I hope you’re feeling a bit more hopeful after reading this post.

These 5 time management strategies for business owners are ones I used myself, and I can attest to their effectiveness.

It can take some time to build them into your routine, but I promise that once you do, you’ll find you’re less stressed, and way more productive!

Need more tips for boosting your productivity and efficiency? Check out my post, 6 Ways to Grow Your Business Without Working More Hours.

What time management strategies are you going to try this week? Let me know in the comments below!