When running a business all tasks you tackle can be sorted into three classifications: planning, doing, and relating (having conversations with clients, investors, etc.). When working on any tasks within these three classifications you might be frequently disrupted or feel the urge you should be doing something else. While you cannot eradicate interruptions entirely, you need to be able to control how much time you spend on them and whether what you do now is meaningful. This requires good time management. Try to exercise the following ideas to finally achieve total control of your own time:
Record all the time you spend on planning, doing and relating for one week. At the end of this week you will be able to tell how much time you spent in each category. You should also be able to tell how happy you are with what you have achieved. Highlight the most productive blocks during this week as well as the ones you consider wasted time. You should be able to see a pattern; for example your productive hours during the day. For the next week you should try to move types of tasks around during the day and keep records of your success. Maybe you are better at planning after lunch or you rather 'do' before lunch. This method can also help to find your personal ideal task duration for each type of task. You may be able to stay longer focused planning versus relating or vice versa.
Allocate a half an hour each day in the morning to plan the upcoming day(s). Without planning very often we just chain tasks together that come up losing our aim of what we want to achieve. With a bit of oversight you can avoid wasting time that is better spent taking a break instead.
Make sure to identify your goal before starting to communicate with others. For instance make a mental note of the best outcome before you call a client. If he wanted product information make sure he got the answers he wanted. We often like to jump into calls particularly with someone who is nice to talk to without a clearly defined outcome. As a result we often have pleasant but unproductive conversations. Make sure your outcome was achieved before you end the call. Nothing is more frustrating than having to call back because the call was not really successful.
Certain occasion may require you to tape a 'Do Not Disturb' sign to your door and lock yourself in. Don't feel bad about it, you want things to get done. Therefore disconnect the office phone, turn off your mobile and close your email program.
Practice to ignore the communication channels that are available to you such as phones, text messages, social media notifications, emails, etc.. We are curious and we want to help and so is each incoming email presenting an irresistible invitation to open it and react to it. Even more so if for example you are accused of something you didn't do. After picking up the phone or reading the email it will be even more difficult to resist the impulse to take further action and solve something you didn't have in mind a few minutes ago.
Find the tasks in each of the three categories, planning, doing, and relating, which have the most impact when completed and put these as fixtures in your calendar. Also make sure to estimate the time they may take to complete realistically so that you will complete them for sure.
Get a feeling of how long typical tasks take to be more accurate when you plan your day. Always leave room for unexpected events and be reasonable for what you think can be accomplished. If you have many recurring tasks or tasks that you approach with a certain strategy write step by step protocols with if this then that explanations. You can then use these protocols to have others take over these tasks.
You can exploit yourself only for a certain time. Body and mind need to catch up on sleep and mental downtime eventually. Although some sleepless nights may be needed when things need to get done, but in the long run is it more advisable to find a balance between work social and recreational activities.
Record all the time you spend on planning, doing and relating for one week. At the end of this week you will be able to tell how much time you spent in each category. You should also be able to tell how happy you are with what you have achieved. Highlight the most productive blocks during this week as well as the ones you consider wasted time. You should be able to see a pattern; for example your productive hours during the day. For the next week you should try to move types of tasks around during the day and keep records of your success. Maybe you are better at planning after lunch or you rather 'do' before lunch. This method can also help to find your personal ideal task duration for each type of task. You may be able to stay longer focused planning versus relating or vice versa.
Allocate a half an hour each day in the morning to plan the upcoming day(s). Without planning very often we just chain tasks together that come up losing our aim of what we want to achieve. With a bit of oversight you can avoid wasting time that is better spent taking a break instead.
Make sure to identify your goal before starting to communicate with others. For instance make a mental note of the best outcome before you call a client. If he wanted product information make sure he got the answers he wanted. We often like to jump into calls particularly with someone who is nice to talk to without a clearly defined outcome. As a result we often have pleasant but unproductive conversations. Make sure your outcome was achieved before you end the call. Nothing is more frustrating than having to call back because the call was not really successful.
Certain occasion may require you to tape a 'Do Not Disturb' sign to your door and lock yourself in. Don't feel bad about it, you want things to get done. Therefore disconnect the office phone, turn off your mobile and close your email program.
Practice to ignore the communication channels that are available to you such as phones, text messages, social media notifications, emails, etc.. We are curious and we want to help and so is each incoming email presenting an irresistible invitation to open it and react to it. Even more so if for example you are accused of something you didn't do. After picking up the phone or reading the email it will be even more difficult to resist the impulse to take further action and solve something you didn't have in mind a few minutes ago.
Find the tasks in each of the three categories, planning, doing, and relating, which have the most impact when completed and put these as fixtures in your calendar. Also make sure to estimate the time they may take to complete realistically so that you will complete them for sure.
Get a feeling of how long typical tasks take to be more accurate when you plan your day. Always leave room for unexpected events and be reasonable for what you think can be accomplished. If you have many recurring tasks or tasks that you approach with a certain strategy write step by step protocols with if this then that explanations. You can then use these protocols to have others take over these tasks.
You can exploit yourself only for a certain time. Body and mind need to catch up on sleep and mental downtime eventually. Although some sleepless nights may be needed when things need to get done, but in the long run is it more advisable to find a balance between work social and recreational activities.
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