Managing Your Time Effectively

Are you managing your time effectively? As online entrepreneurs we’re bad about falling in the trap of counting every hour at the computer as “work time”. Or we are just as bad with our smart phones and tablets. Let’s be honest! How much of that time is spent browsing through Facebook, checking the latest Reddit posts, getting distracted by emails or going down the rabbit hole of “research”. ChatGPT, which I love, can become a time waster if I don’t stay focused in the moment of what I am researching. Managing your time effectively is critical to getting things done.

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t struggle with this on some level or use to. But to be more profitable and productive we have to manage our time effectively. While the ideas below may take some getting used to, the end result will be to spend less wasted time that isn’t moving you forward in your business.

Make A Plan And Prioritize

The first thing I like to do is get a sheet of paper and title it “Brain Dump” and put everything on it I currently need to get done. Just getting it out of my head and on paper frees up my mind to think more clearly. Making a plan on Sunday evening for the week might work for you.

How many times have you gone around all day with something in your head telling yourself to remember to do it. Crazy, right?! Or worse yet, we try to sleep at night and our brain won’t shut off reminding us of things we need to do. And if we forget then we beat ourselves up over it. Such a waste of time and energy. Keeping a note pad handy at all times works great or I like to use notes on my iphone.

With your handy brain dump list this won’t happen again. You may be surprised how big your list is. That’s OK. You are going to prioritize the items. Pick the top three things you want to do the next day and know if you complete those you feel like a winner. They can be small things. We all lead busy lives but the point is to keep moving forward.

If you’re working on a new coaching program, that might involve outlining what you want to teach, writing the training course, editing and formatting, creating worksheets and slides and figuring out how you’ll sell and deliver the program. Or perhaps you are writing a book and you need to do research, create an outline, come up with a title and start writing. And there is so much more to get to finished.

In addition you may have daily or weekly tasks like blogging, emailing your subscribers, interacting on social media sites and forums, or attending webinars.

Figure out what you need to get done over the coming weeks and write it down. Knowing what you should be working on to be more profitable is half the battle. Don’t be afraid to put things on the back burner that you don’t have time to get to now.

Focus On Daily and Weekly To-Do Lists

Next it’s time to write out your to-do lists. Start with everything you’ve written down in the last step and break it down into daily or weekly tasks. Use whatever method works best for you. A popular app for lists is Todoist for iphone and Android users.

Use a weekly list if you prefer working on larger tasks or projects all day long, or try daily lists and break larger projects up into manageable chunks that you can accomplish in just a few hours or less.

You can jot down your to-do list on a piece of paper and cross things off your list as you get them done. Another idea is write each item on a post-it note and throw them away when done. Try the S.M.A.R.T plan I discuss here to accomplish your goals.

Set A Time And Get To Work

The tasks on your to-do list will take as long as you allow them to take. To stay productive use a timer and get them done. Pick an item on your list, estimate how long it should ideally take you to get it done and then set that timer. If you discover you need more time that’s OK. Sometimes “life happens” and you have to pivot.

Remind yourself that if you work hard and stay focused on the task at hand, you can be done for the day and go reward yourself. Small rewards work great. Walk your dog. Take that jog or have a cup of coffee or tea while you relax. Read a few chapters in a book. Whatever works for you. You will find yourself getting more efficient over time, but don’t forget to take breaks. 25 minutes of intense work followed by a 5 minute break seems to work well. Prolonged sitting and working at a computer all day can be unhealthy for you so don’t neglect taking the breaks.

Continue to evaluate what’s working and what isn’t. Be willing to switch gears and adjust as needed. Over time some of these ideas or habits will become second nature and you will find yourself more profitable, less stressed and having more fun!

Hope some of these ideas have proved helpful to you. Would love to connect with you and you can find more about me here.