One of the biggest complaints I hear from VAs and clients alike is that there is not enough time to get everything done. They feel like they are working their fingers to the bone … and they don’t have enough clients, or they don’t have enough time to get their marketing done, or they don’t have time to finish their client work.
That’s actually not true! There is always enough time. It’s when you don’t manage your time properly that you run out of it.
People (husband, friends, family, colleagues) think it’s funny that I schedule so much of my day, and that I get irritated if someone throws me off schedule. It’s fact. I have a lot to get done, and I want to make sure that I stay on track.
Getting distracted can mean that I don’t get something done on time, or that I have to rearrange something else that I had planned, or that I have to work later at night or earlier in the morning. So yes, it irritates me.
However, I don’t complain about what I need to get done. I just do it. And I do it using a schedule.
The people I know that have low productivity don’t use a schedule. Or if they do, they don’t stick to it.
Try these tips if you are finding you don’t have enough time to get things done every day:
1. Turn off email, instant messaging and whatever else you check 85 times a day. So many people I know are married to their email, particularly if they have a smartphone. It doesn’t matter what someone sends you, they do not require an immediate response from you. Stay on task with whatever you are doing, complete it, and plan to check your messages every couple of hours only. Schedule phone calls and set a time limit for all of them.
2. Stop staying on social media all day long. Check in on scheduled times only. Give yourself a time limit and hold yourself to it. 20 minutes should be plenty at any given time. If possible, don’t spend more than 60 minutes during a business day on it. You have business to conduct during business hours! After hours play all you want. I know VAs who have Facebook open all day long. Talk about distracting! Unless you offer social media services exclusively, there is absolutely no reason to be on any social network all day long!
3. Make a plan for the day, every day. What do you need to accomplish? What’s most important? What is less important? Write a list down and start to get it done. There are a number of ways to group your tasks. Use a system that works for you. Make a reasonable list so you don’t overwhelm yourself, and just get it done. You will feel a sense of accomplishment each time you can take something off of your list … and (surprise!) you will get SO much more done every day. I promise!
4. Put revenue first – ALWAYS. Always think about what you are doing during your day and how it’s attached to bringing money into your business. Do the money-making things you need to do first, or at least in the mornings. If that means your 15 minutes of social networking to reach out to potential clients, then so be it. But social surfing is not revenue generating, so that doesn’t get included. Do client work and get it done before you do anything else. Don’t work on your own newsletter or do household chores until you have completed your client tasks. Your business will not survive if you are not getting paid. It has to be the top priority over everything else.
5. Take breaks. Set time limits for everything you do (ie work from 9 until 9:30 on client X work, take a break for 15 minutes, do sales calls from 9:45 till 10:30, take a break, etc.) It’s really important to schedule focused time on your tasks, but it’s also very important to get up and get away from your computer between blocks of time. It refreshes your mind and gets you ready for what is next. Don’t turn your TV on. Get up from your computer. Don’t make phone calls on your breaks (schedule those in one of your blocks!). Trust me on this one. It’s important. 😉
Productivity is something that must be learned and maximized when you work from home. Time is money, and the more you get done each day, the more successful your business will be.
Allowing time-suckers like television, social media, household chores, personal (or business) calls to fill up your days means that you are not doing the work you are being paid to do. Or it means that you aren’t getting clients that will send you work!
It really is the biggest complaint I hear, and it is SO very easy to fix by simply doing a bit of planning and setting time limits for the things you do each day.
For more tips, check out my article: Amp up Your Productivity with These 5 Tips