Time is our most valuable resource, especially as a female entrepreneur, where we are more often than not trying to balance our responsibilities as best as we can. Whilst these time management tips won’t make my to-do list any shorter, they help with maximising the hours I do have.
The goal of effective time management is to focus your time and energy on results based activities and say no to busy work and say yes to results. Time management is really all about managing yourself.
Here are 5 time management tips to help you take control of your schedule each day to make the most of the time you have available.
Just say no
It’s okay if you don’t want to upset anyone but only agree to deadlines that you can handle in reality. If your to-do list is already full and you receive a request to complete an additional task on the same day, decline it. Don’t agree to work on a task or help a colleague until you have some spare time. Keep your priorities straight and simple.
Get familiar with Parkinsons Law
Parkinson’s Law states that “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” The point is that how long something takes is largely a matter of perception. If you schedule a meeting for 90 minutes, that’s how long it will take. If you made it 30 minutes instead, you’d most likely get the same amount accomplished in half the time.
Many items on your task list probably can be adjusted. For example, meetings, phone calls, answering emails and many writing tasks (ads, emails, blog posts, etc.). In many cases, the idea that something takes a certain number of minutes or hours is merely a habit.
Look at everything you do and see where you can get more efficient by simply giving yourself less time to do it.
Don’t multitask
The ability to focus on one task at a time and keep a consistent rhythm can make it easier to finish that task in less time. Multitasking can actually hinder productivity – and it’s all because of the accumulated time people waste switching between tasks.
Unstructured Time
Prioritising time management doesn’t mean scheduling every minute of every day. That doesn’t necessarily create efficiency, but it can increase the likelihood of burnout and frustration for founders.
Therefore, an important way to prioritise time management is to build in a few hours of unstructured time each week. This means time where there’s no agenda or task to complete. Instead, it’s time to think, reflect, and relax. The result is that brain bandwidth can recharge, reducing the likelihood of making mistakes.
Having unstructured time may seem counterintuitive, but too much structure can actually result in feeling boxed in or worse it can make us feel more overwhelmed by all we need to do. And that is something we don’t want!
Don’t start your day with email
Have you ever begun your day by just “quickly checking your email” and then looked up and realised half the morning had passed?
When you start your day in your inbox it can easily throw off your schedule and tasks for the entire day. You’re letting someone else dictate the direction for your day by responding to or actioning an email they have sent through.
Repeat these words. Emails are not your to-do list.
Most often when you check your emails first thing, it means you have a lack of direction for the day. You don’t know what you’re meant to be focusing on and use your inbox as a time waster or excuse.
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Remember that it’s your time. You own it. You decide how you spend it.
