Do you sometimes feel like you never have time to stop for lunch, go for a 20-minute walk or take an afternoon to do N-O-T-H-I-N-G and relax? ♀️
I feel you!
What if a simple reorganization of our work allowed us to have the time?
Here are three time-saving strategies to help you get more time for yourself.
1. ELIMINATE
We all have a to-list on Monday mornings… But can we eliminate some elements of this list?
When you consciously choose what to drop, you remove the stress associated with the fear of unintentionally missing commitments. Set aside 30 minutes each week to create a plan.
You should sit down, look at your available time for the week, and be realistic about what you can get done.
List your three priorities: Having a clear focus on your highest priorities allows you to focus on what matters — and move those items to completion! Having a to-do list of 25 items won’t be productive. Trim down and focus on your priorities first before starting something else.
Stop saying YES to everything and everyone: Stop saying YES to every project or new client and telling yourself you’ll figure out the details later. The goal is to eliminate tasks on your daily schedule, not to add more projects.
Stop being multitasking: I used to work while processing emails at the same time. And I was unproductive! I read my emails each morning when I start my day, before lunchtime, and at the end of the day! No one will die if I don’t answer an email as soon as I receive it, so I avoid looking at my emails every half hour. Book a time to read your email throughout the day.
2. OUTSOURCE
Outsourcing work can be a complex subject for entrepreneurs. The question you have to answer is, “Which tasks that you determined need to be done, need to be done by you.”
Remember, if you want to go fast, go alone, but go together if you want to go far.
You can outsource recruitment, data entry, and accounting services or hire a VA (virtual assistant) to help you. A virtual assistant is an independent contractor (not an employee) who provides administrative services outside your office.
This virtual assistant typically operates from a home office but can remotely access the necessary planning documents, such as shared calendars. Outsourcing will help you be more productive!
Don’t be afraid to give it a try.
3. OPTIMIZE
Now that you know what is on your own to-do list (because you already have outsourced some tasks), let’s see how you can optimize your week.
Know your most productive work hours: For me, this is first thing in the morning, but for you, it can be in the afternoon or at night.
Batch tasks together: When I create content for my Blog, Q&A Series, or social media posts, I take two days and create 30 days of content. I don’t answer emails or calls and stay focused on creating great content for my audience.
Automate your business responsibilities: Many tasks can be automated via applications, saving you and your team time. You can look into content management programs like Facebook Suite, HootSuite, or Buffer, which allow social media posts to be written in batches and then dispersed throughout the week or month using a scheduler. Also, schedule your posts in advance with your Squarespace website.
If you have a client who owes payment, create automated email reminders. Coordinating with your bank to set up automatic payments is an easy way to ensure your bills are paid without having to write out checks every month.
Keep a tight schedule: Have you ever finished a day and realized you’d wasted a lot of time in meetings? To avoid it all, I schedule 30 minutes per meeting, telling everyone we have to cover everything during this period, and guess what? We do it! Keeping a tight schedule will help you be more productive and give you more time. Oh, and using Zoom instead of traveling to clients has saved me more than 10 hours of travel per week since the pandemic started!
To begin saving time in your day-to-day business operations, you can’t be afraid to eliminate, outsource and optimize! What can you do today to be more productive and get more time for yourself? Comment below; I’d love to know which strategy you will use!
xox
