As an entrepreneur or small business owner, it can be hard to manage a growing business. I often hear “My business is growing and I can’t do everything myself but I can’t afford to hire anyone”. This is a good news/bad news scenario that many business owners find themselves in.
Here are 3 effective solutions that can help you manage your time and reduce stress.
Document It.
Do you find yourself reinventing the wheel every time you record a podcast or upload a video to your blog? Take 5 minutes and document the steps. It is quick and simple to do and the benefits are fantastic. You will be able to go through the process quickly and confidently knowing you haven’t missed any steps. Whew – can’t you just see how this will reduce stress and panic? It also gets you ready to hand off the work to a VA (virtual assistant) when it is time!
Block It.
It is easy to let interruptions and, in my case, ADD get in the way of having a productive day. One simple solution is to get out your calendar and start making appointments with yourself. Set a time (or times) to check your email, block time for working on client projects, returning calls, and following up with prospects and clients. The key, however, is to stick to the schedule. This might take a little time if you are not a scheduled type of person so don’t try to do all of it at once. Begin with blocking the money-making activities and stick to those and gradually schedule more blocks of time. Doing this will not only force you to get the work done, but it will help keep you focused, and save time so you enjoy life outside of work.
Management It.
Whether you have a team of people or not you can benefit from managing your projects. This is especially useful if you create products, write books, host events, or have work that requires multiple tasks that need to be done.
A good software to help you with this is Asana (www.asana.com). They have a robust free version that works well for entrepreneurs and small business owners. It offers unlimited tasks, projects and conversations with others involved in the projects. It also allows you to work with up to 15 team members. As you add a VA and freelancers to help you with your business this program will grow with you. There are also paid plans as you grow.
The beauty of using a project management system is that things don’t get lost, messages are not forgotten, and balls are not dropped. Would you like to stop hunting through your inbox for that one critical email you need for a project? Now that’s a de-stressor and time-saver!
These 3 systems can be set up in an afternoon—at least initially. But the time they save you when you use them consistently is phenomenal. As with most things, you must put in the work first, before you can earn the rewards, but the benefits are sweet.