Effective time management is important for every business owner to understand and implement to make their business more successful. As a business owner, you want to be more efficient with the work you do so you can be more productive and, in turn, more profitable.
Time management is the process of consciously controlling the time you spend of various activities. You are not managing time itself, since time is finite; you are managing how you spend that time and what you spend it on in order to maximize your productivity.
4 Tips to Improve Your Time Management
1. Create an environment for success. Look around your work space. Can you find things when you need them? Whether it is in your office or on your computer, it is necessary to have an organizational system so you can easily retrieve information when you need it.
While being organized can be a helpful time management tool, it can also become an obstacle if you spend an abundant amount of time organizing instead of working. Find that balance where you are organized enough.
Tip: Set up different folders on your computer or in a filing cabinet for each project. If it is a big project, you may want to create sub-folders so your information is easier to locate.
2. Set priorities. Have you ever worked really hard on something just to realize that you were not working on the task that was the most important? In order to effectively manage the time you spend on various activities, you have to make choices with respect to setting priorities.
Consider writing down everything you do throughout the day for a week or two. When you go back to look at that list, determine if you were doing things that were important and/or urgent. If they were not, what tasks could you have worked on that were most important in making the biggest difference in your business?
Tip: Begin each week by creating a list of priorities based on what is important and urgent then schedule it. Start by doing things that are important/urgent, then tasks that are important/not urgent. You can follow up with the rest. If you can accomplish those items that are important first, you will find yourself being more productive for the rest of the week.
3. Understand what works for you. Are you a morning person or a night owl? Whether you are at your best early in the morning or later in the day, that is when you should tackle the most important projects. By doing so, you will make the most efficient use of your time.
Tip: Use the log you created to see when you got the most work done. Consider the 80/20 rule – 20 percent of your work gets 80 percent of the results. Make sure that the most important 20 percent is done first during your peak work hours.
4. Motivate yourself. No matter how hard you try to follow these time management tips, you may still find yourself procrastinating at times. As the business owner, it is up to you to motivate yourself to get things done.
Tip: If you are procrastinating, tackle the most difficult task first. Once that is completed, your anxiety may be reduced. Consider breaking a big task into smaller sub-tasks. You will feel better when you can check more ‘completed’ boxes off your to-do list.
Business owners have to learn good time management skills and implement them before they can expect their employees to follow their lead. Once you have created a routine with these time management tips, you can work with your employees to be sure they are as efficient and effective with their time as they should be.
Pet Butler has Resources for Franchise Owners
Business owners who invest in a Pet Butler franchise are given tools and resources to help them better manage their time. According to Pete Hulse, Pet Butler Franchise Owner in Columbus, Ohio, “Instead of me having squeeze out an hour for this job, then an hour for that job, I have teams of people available to me who really know their stuff.”
That support is something that many Franchise Owners simply cannot afford to provide for themselves. “All of those people are invested in my success,” he said. “If I succeed, they succeed, and if I don’t, they don’t.”
Whether you are in the pet industry and want to diversify or are looking for a turn-key franchise with the resources and support to help you be successful, Pet Butler may be the perfect fit for you. Learn more about Pet Butler by calling 844-777-8608 or visit us at www.growmypetindustrybusiness.com.
