Make a 24 hour answering service part of your time management plan

Running the daily operations of a small business can be extremely demanding, leaving little free time to pursue more pleasurable activities. Though effective time management is a challenge for many of us, evaluating where you could make some adjustments would be well worth it. Here are some suggestions that might help you get out of the office at least some of the time: 1. Hire a 24-hour answering service for phone work.

A 24-hour answering service can help every busy boss minimize the work that he or she has to do around the office. With an answering service, phone operators handle many different tasks including service dispatching, order entry, customer service and appointment scheduling. Once you have an 800 number set up for your business, you can focus your attention on other parts of your company that require your personalized attention.

2. Do not multitask On the surface, multitasking may seem like a faster and more efficient way of completing the various tasks you have to accomplish. In reality, multitasking decreases your ability to focus. Being scattered will inevitably lead to increased amounts of unfinished work and mistakes. While multitasking is necessary from time to time, especially if you are in a fast-paced industry, it is better to focus on a single job and complete it before moving on to the next thing that requires your attention.

3. Make a plan Take some time to make a schedule for reaching various goals for your small business. Update this plan on a yearly basis to reflect the growth of your company. In the beginning, this plan will take some time to create.

However, it will eventually end up saving you time by allowing you to focus on reaching your goals. After you have created your plan, consider what you need to do to make your goals a reality. You can then shape your daily agenda around routine tasks, important responsibilities and urgent issues. Having a structure to your small business will allow you to better compensate for unexpected issues that happen occasionally.

4. Outsource and delegate Many people who run their own business find it difficult to give up any control, even if it is for the good of the company. However, it is common for small business owners to be overwhelmed with their responsibilities, especially when a business is getting started. In these cases, it is important to realize that you are only human. You can't do everything on your own. If you try to, important details will be overlooked. Take a look at all of the tasks necessary to run your business. Decide which ones need to be done by you. Take the other tasks and assign them to members of your staff who have demonstrated they are dependable. You can also hire an outside firm, such as an answering service to pick up the slack.