Whether you are a new entrepreneur birthing a start-up business or a seasoned entrepreneur guiding a fully formed enterprise, you no doubt face constant and overwhelming demands for your time. Time is a precious commodity when you are the one who is directing the show and having to make everything happen. It seems like there are never enough hours in a day to get all the jobs done right. Fortunately, with some focus and cutting-edge tools, you can begin to master the everyday time crunch. It's possible, and very necessary, to learn how to make your hours really count and to focus on the most important things your
business needs to succeed.
Always Be Looking for Quicker and Easier Ways
One way to save time is to constantly be looking for how you can do things more quickly and easily. If you can meet virtually via video conference instead of spending a half day driving across town a couple of days a week, then do it. You can do this without sacrificing the in-person connection. Build rapport with those in your network first and then make the switch to virtual meetings. If you are an entrepreneur in New York and one of the items on your to do list is to get your medical marijuana card, you can use an online service to expedite everything.
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Focus on What You Do Best
Every entrepreneur comes to the game with certain areas where their skills and abilities are pure magic. For some it could be sales, for others strategy, or perhaps marketing or making the business run like a well-oiled machine. Whatever those areas are, wherever your true magic is, focus on that. Next, proactively look at all the other tasks that remain and delegate them out. It's too easy to get bogged down in all the details of a business and, before you know it, another week has gone by and you are no further ahead. To be successful, you must hone in on your super skills, and delegate the rest of the tasks.
Hire a Great Virtual Assistant
If you want to offload a lot of tasks with a single move, one of the first things you should do is hire the best
virtual assistant that you can find. An excellent and skilled VA can handle a variety of duties including social media management, customer follow up and scheduling, email marketing and administration tasks. By hiring a VA who is sharp and can understand your business, you will free yourself from a long list of tasks that would have taken you hours each week. You will be able to focus, and they will keep things running smoothly while you do.
Leverage the Burst Time Management Technique
If you really want to be able to focus on your work, one of the best things you can do is to work in short bursts. Set a timer for 25 minutes and then take one task and focus all your energy on that task during that time. When the bell goes, take a short 5- or 10-minute break. Repeat the cycle of working 25 minutes followed by a small break. Once you have done four cycles, take a 15- or 20-minute break to clear your head and walk around a bit. By following this approach, you will get an incredible amount of powerful effort in within each 25-minute window.
