Starting your own small business can be a rewarding and time consuming
Starting your own small business can be a rewarding experience, but it is also going to put some serious demands on your time. This is especially true if you have gone the route of the solopreneur. You don’t have any staff, which means you are going to take all of the responsibility on yourself.
While a busy schedule is a normal part of running a business on your own, you might not have expected it to be quite so difficult to get it all done in the time you have. Fortunately, there are several time management tips that can help you get your routine back on track.
Create a Dedicated Workspace
With modern communications technology, solopreneurs can work from just about anywhere. It is common for some solopreneurs to have several work environments. Maybe you do some work at your kitchen table, and then you head to an office to get more work done. Some solopreneurs even get a large portion of their work done from a coffee shop.
There is nothing wrong with having several work environments, but you should have one space that is just for work. Some solopreneurs rent a desk in an office while others might choose to join a coworking space. If you don’t have the budget for either of these, you might need to look into designing a home office.
Use Apps to Increase Productivity
There are many free and paid for apps around the web and for your smartphone that can really free up your time and make tasks more time efficient. From accounting to time planning there are many options some of these have been explored here in this post Top Productivity Apps.
Make a Schedule
Having a schedule is one of the keys to getting the most from your time. You should start with a calendar to schedule your future obligations and to keep things on track. Furthermore, you should be building a daily checklist so you have a plan for each day. You could even consider using a time management app to help with maintaining your daily schedule.
Plan for the Unexpected
Scheduling will help you manage your time better, but you don’t want to set your schedule as if everything is going to go exactly to plan. Emergencies come up, you could get caught in a traffic jam, or a meeting might take longer than expected. You need to give yourself a little wiggle room in your schedule or your whole day can get derailed when the unexpected occurs.
Get Help When Needed
As a solopreneur, you don’t have any employees, but that does not mean that you have to do everything yourself. If you find a task that is beyond your skill set, you might be able to find an online contractor that can help you with some projects. If you have the budget and want to take some of the administrative tasks off your schedule, you could even consider hiring a virtual assistant. Find out more information about hiring a virtual assistant.
Take Breaks
One of the most common mistakes solopreneurs make is feeling like they can never allow themselves time to take a break. While it is understandable that you would want to keep moving from task to task without stopping, this constant motion is going to lead to you feeling burned out. Simply taking a few short breaks can actually boost your productivity. Doing so can also help you to keep your mind fresh so you can perform to the best of your abilities.
As a small business owner, you need to do what you can to get the most from the assets you have. With time being one of your most valuable assets, it only make sense to develop a time management strategy that will help you get as much as you can from every day.
