Well, do you? If not, how do you have time to run a profitable business? By profitable, I am not just talking about money. I also include time to do what you want in profitability. Time is money right?
I am going to give you golden nuggets of time management wisdom that I personally use in my direct response copywriting business. To qualify that these actually work…I utilize all of these methods personally, and I “work” no more than 4 hours a day! Use them in your business today!
1) The foundation is your desk. How clean and organized is your desk? Do you adopt the principle of “use it, file it, or throw it away” with every single item that comes across your desk? You either use information (paper, email, whatever), file information (only if you have TIME STAMPED when you are going to use it), or throw it away completely! Some items are just not important enough to waste valuable time on.
2) Magazines, do you read them? Really, do you? Or, like I used to, do you let them stack up in a pile…hoping to get to them someday. When you finally do, they are outdated…or you manage to read a small part of a magazine, then throw it back on the pile you created. Here is the secret: Use the table of contents! Find those articles you like right away, and rip or cut them out of the magazine! Then, read now, or file the article in a folder for that magazine subject or title. It is much easier to read the articles you are interested in only…and it makes sense.
3) Do you find yourself listening to audio recordings? If so, a real timesaver is to listen to the recording at double speed (2x). In 99% of the cases, you can still understand what is being said, and it doubles your efficiency in getting information. This cuts your listening time in half!
4) How organized is your office? No really, I mean it. Is your office chair in easy reach of filing cabinets, supplies, and other necessary items without having to get up? Getting up and down for a few seconds each time adds up quickly…this technique alone can save you an hour a day! What can you do with an extra 60 minutes? Perhaps take lunch?
5) How do you process “interruptions?” Do you end up checking a blank email box 20 times a day, or check it three times at specific times of the day? Do you schedule phone calls, or do you pick up the phone and answer it every time Aunt Mable calls? How you handle your incoming activities (phone, email, people visiting etc…) can seriously take away from your valuable time! Remember one idea here…NOBODY AND NOTHING controls your time except YOU! It is a conscious decision that you make to take a phone call or send another email…attend a meeting…or any other time suckers.
Please don’t take it out on other people when “you don’t have enough time.” It is YOU that made that decision in the first place.