When Everything Seems Important, Do this.
As an entrepreneur, you can easily overload yourself with work trying to make the most from the time you have.
There is always so much to get done and this can make every task in your list seem important. And with so much on your plate, a lot can be mishandled, important information left out and so much more.
It’s important to figure out how you can manage your time the best way possible ensuring productivity and efficiency. When you try to take care of everything all the time, things will actually pile up and it can get overwhelming.
The following tips can be helpful in prioritizing your time and your tasks when everything seems important.
1.Prioritize tasks according to income producing ability
Different tasks in your business have different levels of income production. Some tasks bring more money than others.
When every task seems important, then none of the tasks is important. You need to be able to prioritize all your tasks according to their potential when it comes to the income they bring.
Give more focus on tasks or activities in your business that bring more money. For example, dedicate your productive times whether morning or afternoon to these tasks.
Giving these tasks more priority helps you avoid procrastination and make sure they get done. Most of income generating tasks tend to have more costly consequences when left incomplete. They consequently affect your business relationships and cash flow when procrastinated.
Work on completing these tasks when you are most productive and most motivated. After completing your income generating tasks, you can easily get the rest done.
2. Learn to say No when you need to
Entrepreneurs love getting everything done and want to get every business deal. They end up filling their schedules with busywork that is not even necessary and better off avoiding.
As an entrepreneur, learn to focus more and manage core and important areas that will grow your business. As you do that, delegate other tasks to your employees, not the simple things only but other important tasks too. If you don’t want to delegate some of these tasks and need to do them yourself, consider scheduling then for another day or week.
Don’t say yes to every request you get on your table. You don’t have to do everything. Sometimes, you will not have the time or the head space to get all these things done efficiently and on time. Some of these requests can draw you away from more important tasks that define your business.
3. Plan your day
Planning your day as an entrepreneur is important and there are several ways to do that. From time blocking your day, creating a to-do list, etc.
Planning your day helps you know what you need to do and when you need to do it. Adopt time blocking your day by assigning your tasks for specific periods of time throughout your work day. This helps you work on your tasks one at a time ensuring all tasks at hand are completed at the end of the day.
Having a to-do list helps in prioritizing as you prioritize it by the most important to the least important. And incase you don’t complete your task for the day, you can push them to the following day.
Remember, as you plan your day, plan according to your productivity. For example, schedule your important or complex work during your peak productivity hours. Once you complete your complex work, you will easily finish the rest and complete your to-do list.
4. Learn to focus on one task at time
When every task seems important, why not finish one task then go to the next? Getting one task out of the way actually gives you the motivation to get another task done.
Focusing on one task at a time makes it easier for you mind to concentrate and be more productive. This way, you can easily figure out what needs to come before what.
It also helps you avoid procrastination. With so much to get done and actually not doing it makes you push the workload to another time. You will end up revisiting the workload later on and probably trying to get everything done in a hurry and this affects your efficiency.
5.Create boundaries at work
Setting necessary boundaries at work when it comes to your time and energy helps you avoid taking too much than you can handle. As they say, ‘know where it stops’. When you take too much responsibility, you end up getting overwhelmed.
Take some time aside during the week to just be by yourself and get some work done without being interrupted. Let your employees know the times you are available and the times you are not available. That can even include setting ‘in-office’ and ‘off-office hours’. Managing your availability to some extent helps you focus on important aspects of your business, projects, ideas, etc.
