How to make time to grow your business
There never seem to be enough hours in the day to get everything done. Sound familiar? If you are one of the many business owners who end every day with a long list of unfinished tasks, you need to know that it doesn’t have to be this way.
Although it can be all too easy to get caught up in the day-to-day necessities of running a business, you need to make sure you put aside time to plan for the future.
Easier said than done? Read on to discover exactly what you need to do to find the time to grow your business, with easy-to-apply tips that can be adapted to the specific needs of your business.
Set SMART goals
You may have already heard of SMART goals but have never really understood what they are or how to set them. A tried and tested technique that promises to help you achieve your business objectives, SMART goals are:
Specific – each goal should have a clear endpoint.
Measurable – each goal should be tracked and measured.
Attainable – each goal should be realistic and doable within a set time.
Relevant – each goal should be relevant to your objectives.
Time-sensitive – each goal should have a clear timeframe for completion.
Set a daily schedule
If you start each day with a “what will happen, will happen” attitude, you are highly unlikely to be able to find the time to grow your business. However, with a daily schedule in place, you can get everything that needs to be done ticked off and still find time to strategize for the future.
When creating a daily schedule, here are some of the aspects you should consider:
- What are your most important tasks for the day?
- When are your peak work times?
- When are you most likely to have downtime?
Make sure that you get your employees involved in setting a daily schedule, as they will be able to give you valuable insight into the day-to-day running of your business.
Eliminate distractions
Be honest. How many times a day do you become distracted at work? This could be by your home life, a crisis at work, or simply by notifications on your phone.
Something everyone is guilty of at some point or another, distractions make it much harder to achieve your goals and could be what is holding you back from true success. There are lots of tips to prevent distraction, including:
- Turn off all notifications on your phone, computer, etc.
- Ask your employees not to disturb you when you are undertaking important tasks.
- Set clear boundaries for your personal and professional life.
Learn the art of delegation
Delegation is a skill that many business owners find hard to master, especially those who like to feel in control at all times. However, delegation is essential if you want to be able to find time to plan for the future and grow your business.
Delegating to your employees can also help them learn new skills and show them that you feel confident in their abilities and that you trust their judgment. If you are new to delegation, the below tips can help you to get started:
- Determine which tasks to delegate and which ones to do yourself.
- Make sure you choose the right person for the job.
- Be clear about why you are delegating a specific task and your expectations.
Avoid multitasking
You may think that you are being more productive when you take on multiple tasks at once, but this is not the case. In most cases, when people try to multitask, they end up getting stressed, wasting time, and being far less efficient than they would have been if they had taken one job at a time.
Other drawbacks to multitasking include:
- Poor concentration and an inability to focus
- More likely to make mistakes
- Reduced creativity and memory
Instead, make sure you set aside enough time in your daily schedule to take each task one at a time so that you can give each one your full attention and expertise.
Outsource time-consuming tasks
Everybody has certain tasks that they dread doing at work. This could be because you find them boring or because you don’t have the knowledge needed. Rather than soldiering on and doing these time-consuming jobs yourself, what if you outsourced them instead?
Becoming increasingly popular in today’s competitive and fast-paced world of work, outsourcing is when you hire a third party to carry out specific tasks for you. For example, you could try using high-quality outsourced accounting services such as bookkeeping and payroll, or you might want to pay somebody else to take care of your sales and marketing strategies for you.
The beauty of outsourcing is that it can save you time and money, both of which can be used to explore new markets and grow your business.
Start tracking time
If you find it hard to manage your time and the time of your employees, you may want to think about investing in time-tracking software. This enables you to effectively track and monitor your time at work, as well as offer recommendations on how you could make better use of the hours available to you.
There are lots of different time-tracking software programs for you to choose from, including:
- Asana
- Trello
- Jira
Take time to rest
Of course, you need to make sure your business is running smoothly and that both your employees and customers are happy, but that shouldn’t be to the detriment of your own well-being.
As a business owner, you probably take on the lion’s share of the work and also deal with any problems that arise, both of which can take their toll on your health. To avoid burnout and make sure you are fit for work, it is important that you take time to rest, both during the working day and when it finishes.
Make sure you set clear boundaries when it comes to separating your personal and professional life, and when you are with your loved ones, leave work at work.
