How does your to-do list look?
I bet some days it makes you want to bury your head in the sand. I know mine does sometimes!
The idea that we have so much to do and not enough time to do it is common for business owners.
Overwhelm is often the word of the day!
It’s how we manage our time that will help us get things done, or stay in overwhelm.
So I thought I would share a few of my tips with you so that you can move past that feeling and get back into control of your to-do list.
1. Write it all down. First things first, you have to be able to look at what needs to get done so that you can work with it. This may seem counter-intuitive – because the more you see on the list, the more overwhelming it can be – but you have to start here. Write down everything you need to get done. Daily Action: plan your next day of tasks at the end of the day before.
2. Analyze your list. Note deadlines for anything that has one. If you are like me, you have a lot of tasks that don’t have specific deadlines, so I am able to put those into my schedule when I have time to do them. Things that have to be done by a certain time should be booked in accordingly. What’s most important? What depends on something else being done first? By analyzing your list and getting an idea of what is most important and what can wait can really take the pressure off of you. Daily Action: move your tasks around to suit your schedule. If you have some time free up, grab something that will fill that time and get it done early!
3. Use a task or project management system to help keep you on track. Whether you use a pen and paper or a fancy online program, you have to use what works for you. Make sure you put everything into it and that you refer to it often. Get into the habit of checking it at certain times of the day to update it, or as you complete work. Holding yourself accountable to using something is the best way to make sure it works for you and that you are not wasting your time. I often find that if I am overwhelmed, if I take 30 minutes and spend it in my project management system that the overwhelm eases and I am back on track. Daily Action: Spend 15 to 30 minutes at the end of each day updating your task management system.
4. Set boundaries for yourself and others. If you don’t have office hours yet, set them. Give yourself the opportunity to take breaks and leave the office when you intend to. Make sure that business happens during business and try to keep personal calls and activities out of those times. It will preserve both your business time and your personal time and you’ll enjoy both much more. Daily Action: Check your productivity at the end of each day and pat yourself on the back if you held your boundaries.
5. Manage email and social media properly. Checking email or your social media profiles every minute of every day is a time-sucker. There is no reason as a business owner that you need to be at the beckoned call of anyone in either of those places. You become a slave to it when you don’t turn it off unless you need it. If you are in the middle of a project and then you see an email come in and you stop to check it out, you are breaking your cycle of concentration and you are making yourself less productive. It’s okay if you check each hour on the hour (if you really feel like you need to, I check my email when I finish the task at hand, and I log into social media when I am on a break), but try to change your habits here and you will see yourself getting more done. Daily Action: Reflect on your productivity – check your Activity Log on Facebook, and your Sent Email folder – you can see what you did, and when – can you do better tomorrow?
6. Celebrate your successes. Nothing helps you get more done like checking in with what you did well that day. What task did you complete that was weighing you down? Did you make someone happy? Did you help them make money? Did you help someone solve a problem? Did you sign a new client or make a new connection? Whatever your successes are, celebrate them. It it a great way to end your day and get you excited for tomorrow.Daily Action: Write down 1 to 3 successes from the day. They can be as small as taking a break or drinking enough water, or as large as you like!
I hope these tips help you get more done this week!
I promise you if you take a few moments and do each of these things on a daily basis, you will be more productive and happier too!