How To Manage Your Time Effectively

Time is an elusive commodity.

We all have the same amount of time but how we spend it dictates where we end up in life. Benjamin Franklin stated that, "Lost time is never found again." As a small business owner, time seems to ooze away so fast that you can feel like a hamster on a wheel. Top motivational speaker, Michael Altshuler says it this way, “"The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot."

Are You Managing Your Time Wisely?

If your answer is no then you are in the right place. I created a short list of tips to help you to manage your time more effectively. 

1. Create SMART Goals - SMART goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant & time-bound. Write out your goals and review them often.

2. Prioritize your tasks - Each morning list the top 3 things that will move the needle in your business and get those done first.

3. Create a schedule - Check out this article from Asana to show you how to do this.

4. Embrace Tech - I love using simple tools like this online timer to help me stay focused. It’s also helpful to mute notifications on your phone for a block of time while you are working.

5. Delegate - You don’t have to do everything in your business even if you are riding solo. If you have a team let them help you eliminate distractions.

6. Multitasking is an illusion - We have all heard that multitasking is a good thing but it is more effective to FOCUS: Follow, One, Course, Until, Success.

7. Eliminate Time Wasters - I think of this as things that are not your zone of genius and take you a long time to do. For me, it’s trying to do anything in Canva. I am not a graphic designer by any means and happily seek out those who are gifted in this area. 

8. Make Time To Power Down - I know we think that if we work ourselves to the bone we will find success. This might be a little true BUT if you are tired, sick & weary who cares? I would rather be refreshed and ready to give my best to clients. Take a vacation, staycation, or napcation. :)

Time is precious, and it’s important to recognize that we can never get it back once a day is gone. I hope these tips help you make the most of your time and use it more wisely.

Keep IT Sunny Always~

Just Say No!

Image Courtesy of Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

As the New Year starts many people are probably filling up your inbox with invitations about business webinars with promises to take your business to the next level. I love learning and find it challenging to not sign up for every webinar under the sun. It is especially challenging because I own a 100% remote business so people facing activities are sparse. In my last post, I talked about the idea of focusing on accomplishing business goals one day at a time so in the spirit of that approach it has led me to be more intentional about what I sign up for.

Here are 3 questions I use to evaluate if participating in a business webinar is right for me:

• Does it fit where I am right now in my business journey? There is no point in attending a webinar for a future goal when I need to focus on the goals right in front of my face that might have me stuck.

• Is it something that I can put into use right away? I want to know that by attending the webinar it will solve a problem or sticking point that I am facing right now and that I can quickly implement.

• How long will it last? Good lordy! I am not a fan of long webinars that brush up against an hour. I attended enough lectures in college and that was enough for me. Additionally, I am an owner/operator so I don’t have a team to take over while I attend a webinar so I like my webinars short & sweet.

The New Year brings many opportunities to start anew and set off on a brand new course for your business. It is extremely important to guard your time and focus so that you can continue on the journey to reach your goals One Day At A Time.

Keep It Sunny!

3 Easy Tips to be More Productive in Your Small Business

I am sure we have heard the famous statement by Benjamin Franklin: "Time Is Money" but what does it really mean? According to a survey found on The Huffington Post by Mavenlink, "One in four small business owners believe each productive hour in a day is worth upwards of $500."

That sure is a lot of money.

 If you're a small business owner it can make or break your business, especially if you're a one woman/man operation. In order to accomplish important business goals such as gaining more clients, increasing marketing efforts or creating new products and services you must first honor your own time.

What do I mean exactly?

For example, if you are setting goals to do more competitive market research and the goal was for last year and you still haven't done the research then you aren't honoring your own time. You are disrespecting your own business goals and blocking your success. What's the answer? Here are 3 Easy Tips to be More Productive in Your Small Business:

1. Get clear on "why" you are in business? What are the 3 most important reasons you started your business? autonomy, money, more time with family. Write them down and stick them somewhere that is visible to you on a daily basis.  

2. Make sure your goals are S.M.A.R.T. According to Entrepreneur.com, goals should be: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely.

3. Plan a reward for small goals achieved. It just makes it more fun to know after you have completed a goal that there is fun times on the horizon.

These are starting points to enable you to refocus on why you are doing all this and to get excited again about your business. Yes, time is money and if you are not maximizing your time to produce revenue generating opportunities then you are truly wasting money.

What is the one thing you keep procrastinating to do in your business? Tell me about it in the comments below. Don't be ashamed. We are all in this small business world together. Want more tips? Check out this article by Shanna Lebowitz at the Business Insider for more productivity ideas.

Keep It Sunny!