insight : amber de la garza
Time-Management Strategies for Solopreneurs: Part 1 These four tips will help owners of very small businesses stay organized and happy
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BY AMBER DE LA GARZA hen you’re a one-person show, you have a great amount of juggling to do. Figuring out which high-value tasks and projects need your attention and how much time you should devote to them among all the tedious bills, emails, voicemails and paperwork required of business owners can be incredibly difficult. A lot can fall through the cracks (including your potential profits) when your plate is overloaded. Missing out on opportunities and income—and getting stuck on a plateau of exhaustion and indecision—is not where you want to be. Managing your time well can help tremendously. Start implementing these time-management strategies that work for solopreneurs to reduce stress, maximize time, regain control and increase profits.
1
PRIORITIZE REVENUE-GENERATING ACTIVITIES
First and foremost, if you want to stay in business, your business needs to be making money. Your No. 1 priority should be doing the high-value activities that generate revenue or directly lead to generating revenue. As a solopreneur, these activities include marketing/visibility, sales and servicing your clients. Before filling up your calendar with lunch dates, conferences and
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networking events that are social in nature, block out time on your calendar to work on your high-value activities. Then, hold those dates with yourself sacred. Otherwise, you won’t be gaining visibility in your niche and doing the necessary marketing to get the sales and attract the clients you want.
2
GET ORGANIZED
You could work on your high-value activities all day long and see your profits soar, but those menial administrative tasks will still need to get done, so staying organized is key. According to a survey by The Pixel Lost & Found, the average American spends two and a half days a year looking for misplaced items. Imagine how much more you get could done if you didn’t have to dig through emails and piles of papers to find needed documents and contact information. Do an organizational overhaul by creating an environment that enables your utmost efficiency. Detox your electronic filing system of no-longer-needed files and create a “work in progress” folder to house all the project documents you’re in and out of frequently. Create a paper filing system that reduces desk clutter and keeps documents organized—then use it! Also, execute a “rapid-fire power hour” at the end of each week to complete all simple, outstanding tasks that only take a few minutes.
