Top 7 Timesaving Tips For Entrepreneurs

By James Adams

Successful entrepreneurs are busy. That is just a fact. For most of us success is forged with hard work and long hours that are very full of activity. Finding ways to make the most of each moment and save time where we can is an essential part of maximizing our efforts each and every work day. As hard as you’re working, it is likely that taking the time to evaluate your modus operandi will reveal some time drains that you can eliminate, thus saving valuable minutes or hours. The result will be more efficient use of the clock, which might lead to a bit more free time. Fat chance, huh? You never know. But let’s not waste any time getting to the top 7 timesaving tips for entrepreneurs.

1. Know your goals and your game plan: If you don’t know where you’re going, then any path will do. But if your destination, your goals are defined, you will have clear direction about how to spend your time. You’ll find it much easier to rule out certain actions, freeing valuable time for those things in your game plan which must be done. If you haven’t written down your goals, do so today. It will sharpen your focus tomorrow and every day beyond.

2. Schedule everything: Time has a way of leaking. A short break to check email turns into 30 minutes away from important tasks. Ditto for phone chats, sports news, a look at this weekend’s weather, etc. Schedule a short discretionary session online a few times a day and stick to it. You’ll pocket a surprising amount of time to spend in better ways.

3. Learn the power of saying no: This flows from our first point. When you have clear goals and a plan for getting there it is easy to see which work related “opportunities” simply don’t fit those goals. This makes it so much easier to rule out a half day seminar that sounds great but isn’t consistent with your current direction, for example. Four hours saved is precious!

4. Focus on the top of your priority list: The old saying is, “make the main thing the main thing.” That never hurts. While an entrepreneur must wear at least a few hats, know which one is most important and which are secondary. Wear that primary hat 80% of the time, whether it is the product development hat, the network building hat or the sales hat.

5. Outsource wherever possible: In the early days entrepreneurs may not have the money to outsource anything! When you grow beyond that phase determine what is worth paying someone else to do, especially if it saves time that can be spent in greater productivity. Determine the monetary value of your time and you’ll have a guide for deciding where outsourcing will save you money. If you have employees then outsourcing becomes delegating.

6. Document your time saving practices and make them part of your routine: It might have been Zig Ziglar who first said, “Work every day like it’s the day before vacation.” When a holiday is just a few days off we go into productivity overdrive. If we can harness that attitude it will energize us. Even if we can’t function at that level indefinitely, it will help us get a great deal of work done in short bursts. With dedication those bursts will become longer, more sustainable. That attitude also gives us razor sharp focus in determining our tasks for the day.

7. Schedule time off to refuel and achieve balance: The counterpart to the previous principle is that maintaining high productivity requires down time to regroup and restore our energy. Schedule “axe sharpening” as Stephen Covey would say. You will return to work swinging a sharper axe with more energy. A sharper focus, a keener attitude and a renewed vision will translate knowing what things you need to do and getting more of them done. You won’t feel guilty about time away if you know it will improve your performance when you are back in work mode.

Entrepreneurs who succeed point to their time saving/time usage skills as a major contributor to achieving their goals. Start today by recapturing your vision and then using that to sharpen your goals and your game plan. You’ll be refreshed and energized. You will enjoy your work more. You will be doing the right things for the right reasons and the next rung of your success will be closer than ever.

Author Information

James Adams works at an online ink supplies store where he covers the latest tech releases, reviewing products such as the T0715 and posting on his favoured topics of art and design on their blog.