How we spend our time really matters. And spending time doing the right things in business is fundamental to our success.
“A good plan, violently executed now, is better than a perfect plan next week.” –George Patton
Procrastination can kill your business, and it’s better to take small steps of action, than no action at all. Incorrect action though can put you right back at the start. As the business owner, or entrepreneur, you are the leader. You are the visionary and your time should largely be spent on activities that are going to drive the business forward. This means ensuring that the business is marketing to the right people, but it does not mean doing the marketing yourself.
One of the best ways to find out if you are bleeding time is to do an accurate daily log, and record your activity over a period of a few days. Mark down when you started a task, when you stopped, if you paused to look online, etc. Be ruthless with yourself and be honest with yourself. If you find any gaps, plug them quickly. Did you take a personal call that lasted 20 minutes that was not important? If so, acknowledge it and have set times when you take personal calls.
Once you have identified the gaps, set yourself a timer so that you time your tasks. Psychologically, if we know we have 10 minutes to do something, we will more than likely complete it on time.Be disciplined with yourself and be focused.
Entrepreneurs sometimes find it hard to delegate, but effective delegation can drive your business further, faster. Seconds become minutes and minutes become hours. Ensure that your time and effort is being spent on the most productive activities.
Need help? Well just drop me a line at business@anthony-fleming.com
