MWBE Success Strategy: Effective Time Management - Part 1

{2:50 minutes to read} Not effectively managing your time is one of the reasons why small businesses can’t get to the next level.

I want to share a couple of tips that have worked really well for me, and which I’ve shared with my clients, with proven results.

1. First things first.

The first tip is to focus on the most important things first:

•Things that are going to drive your business forward;

•Things that have tight timelines and due dates; and

•Things that are directly related to either clients’ work or business development.

Do the thing first that you tend to put off until the last minute. Get it out of the way.

A lot of us spend a lot of time reading email, social media, and all those other things. There’s a time to do that, but it’s not during your productive time.

2. Know yourself.

Know yourself and what your productive timetables are. I’m highly productive and high functioning in the morning; later in the day, not so much. So, my critical tasks need to be accomplished first thing in the morning.

3. Delegate and outsource.

When I first opened my business, I thought that 1.) I had to do everything myself and 2.) I didn’t have the money to delegate or outsource. I now realize that this type of mindset limits business growth and success.

I now understand the importance of building a budget for outsourcing and giving people the tasks that I don’t do really well—either by giving it to a staff member, using a virtual assistant, or outsourcing to a professional company.

Delegating and outsourcing are critical. Some of the things I’ve outsourced include my back office, marketing, accounting, and payroll. There are people who have higher levels of expertise than I do. It’s been invaluable and freed up so much of my time.

In Part 2, I’ll share the remaining 3 tips you can use to more effectively manage your time.