Daily Time Management Hacks to Keep Your Small Business Successful

Are you good at managing your time or are you getting easily distracted? One thing that is very valuable when having a small business is TIME. To be successful, we need to use our time effectively and decide what the priorities are. Everyone has 24 hours a day and it’s only up to you, what you will do with it. There are many apps and tips on how to be better when managing our time, but I gathered some of the most important ones that can apply to every business owners’ daily routine! 

Here are 5 daily time management hacks to keep your small business successful!

Plan Ahead 

Planning your days is essential when you think about managing your time. Take a few minutes every evening to plan out your to-do list for the next day or plan your week ahead, so you have a better overview of what you will do each day. This allows you to use your time wisely and you won’t get caught up in unnecessary tasks that are out of your plan or you can at least limit them. 

When you plan ahead, it’s so much easier to look at your days and see what’s happening or what else you can add to the day. You can use either an online platform/calendar to plan or you can use a paper version planner depending on what you prefer. However, I would definitely recommend you to include even activities like regular breaks and food times because once you block the time slot for it in your calendar, you are less likely to skip it. It will allow you to keep your focus and be productive.

Use Apps

Embrace the apps as a tool that will help ease your stress and workflow daily. There are a lot of apps that can help you stay organized and on top of your to-do list. Asana, Trello, and Slack are some of the most popular platforms for to-do lists and for you to have all the tasks that need to get done in one place. You can set up a deadline for each task or you can simply just have each day planned out and see your upcoming projects with relevant information. Your workflow will be much better and you won’t have to be all over the place with your planning. Google calendar is also a great app for planning your days.

Outsource

When things get busy or you need an expert in a certain area that you are not too familiar with, like having a social media manager or graphic designer, take advantage of having a new team member who you feel can best support you and your business. It will give you back your time that you would normally spend on this kind of task and you can put your focus into other activities around your business. Moreover, it’s likely that someone who knows what they’re doing will take less time to do the task than it would take you.

If you are not sure whether you are ready to outsource some tasks, you can read my previous blog post about ‘When to Outsource’ or if you’ve already decided that it’s time to outsource, read ‘What FB Groups’ to be a part of to seek help if they need a VA’.

Keep Track of Finances

Whether you decide to outsource this or use an app yourself, be sure to keep this in check and from being messy. It’s easy to get lost when it comes to all your expenses. Keep track of all the income and expenses regularly, so you can see where the money goes. As a small business owner, you probably have quite a few business-related expenses like subscriptions and investing in your skills like courses or coach. Review it every month to be on top of where your money goes to and to see whether you can invest in a new team member or whether you can decrease your expenses. Some of the best apps are QuickBooks, Wave, or FreshBooks. They are all easy to use and some of them have a free version.

Stay Focused 

If you aren’t sure where to start here, I suggest making note of your current week’s tasks or where you could have been better in terms of attention span and start making changes there. You don’t need to be hard on yourself, just stay mindful. There are always distractions around and it’s hard to avoid them sometimes, but you should clearly set time for when you’re working and when distractions are allowed. 

So for instance, when you’re working, put your phone aside or put it into airplane mode. This way you won’t be getting any notifications or your phone won’t be able to distract you from what you’re doing. Another example could be taking a short break and spending some time with yourself. You can meditate, go for a walk, or take time to do something creative. This will help you bring your focus back and be more productive. 

Conclusion

We all have the same amount of time each day and it’s only up to us how we use it. Becoming more efficient with your time can help you keep your small business successful in the long run. Planning ahead is one of the most helpful tips I can give you. Plan your days in detail and include the time for yourself, too! You will become much more productive and you will know exactly what needs to be done during the day. Although, limit distractions to stay focused by putting your phone on airplane mode or by taking a short break for yourself. It will help you keep your focus and motivation level high and you won’t feel drained.

Another hack is using apps that allow you to create to-do lists that will improve your workflow and ease the stress. However, if you feel you have too much on your plate, outsource some tasks to get your time back! Find the expert in the tasks you need help with and who will support you and your business. It will be worth it!

The last hack is to keep track of your finances and all the expenses that you have regularly, so you know where your money goes.

Do you have any time management hacks that you daily use? I would love to hear them!