I’m sure there are a few things you can think of right now that are wasting your time every day that you would love to be rid of. Things that have been keeping you from getting it done for quite some time now. Just how are you wasting your time? I’m going to share a few ways I see entrepreneurs wasting time daily and give you solutions for moving beyond them.
Let’s talk about your day to day experiences. Every day there are so many things going on that if you’re not careful, your day will have control of you and you won’t have a say in the matter. I’m pretty sure you’ve had the experience that I’m talking about. You’ve got a full day, things that keep popping up and you’re trying to maneuver the landscape of the things on your agenda along with interruptions, social media, multiple devices and the challenges you have. That’s quite a mix and of course this is what you want to shift away from, so let me share a few ways that are probably wasting your time and give you some help with those time wasters.
Doing Irrelevant Things– How much time do you give to the mail, social media, accounting tasks, the marketing, etc? Many are focused on these things instead of the things that generate revenue. If this is where your time is going, you don’t have much of it to give to your expertise so your focus isn’t contributing to your bottom line. Delegate the things that you don’t have to be the one to do so you can focus on what you’re good at and bringing that to your clients.
Being Effective But Not Efficient-You might be doing the right things, but doing them in an inefficient way. Efficiency is doing things the right way and effectiveness is doing the right things. So here the problem is being effective, but not efficient. You’re on track doing the right things, just not going about them in a productive way. I see this a lot when it comes to repetitive tasks. The things that have to be done daily, weekly and monthly. Each time the wheel is reinvented instead of there being a system for said repetitive tasks. The solution here is to document the tasks so that anyone you delegate them to has clear picture of what has to happen. Create templates or forms to support the process if they’re a fit. Save information needed such as login details and have them readily available. These are things that will help streamline the process.
Technology-Technology is changing every day and honestly I think that the more it advances, the more it consumes people. There are our phones, apps, email and social media that for the most part keep people caught up during the day. First off, open your email when you need to check it and don’t make that first thing in the morning. When you’re done, close it and check it again later. Be sure you designate when you’re checking email and stick to it. Use folders and filters to help sort your email or better yet, try a tool like SaneBox that will keep your inbox clean. Create a social media plan and get someone on board to create and make some of your posts or set them up in something like Hoot Suite so you can cut down on the time you give to social media posting. Of course you don’t want to automate everything.