One of the unique aspects of owning your own business is that after a full day of work, once the doors are closed and the customers go home, you must then put on your administrator hat and run the business end of the operations. There is no magic solution to the double duty and no more hours in the day. The way you manage your time may provide some relief. Consider these time traps and time tips.
Trap: Spreading yourself too thin
You cannot do everything at once. Set priorities each day. I keep a set of (maximum five) bright folders on my desk and put the “urgent, must complete today” items there. I don’t go home until they are empty. The rest go into an inbox that stays on my desk, but I get to them as I have time. I set these priorities each morning. Some things may go to the top, and others may actually fall off the radar as not important.
Trap: Tied to the telephone
If possible, have someone screen your calls or use your answering machine. Assure your customers that their calls are important, but manage the time you actually spend on the telephone. Set a specific time each day to return calls (actually book the time in your schedule). Just before lunch or just before closing time is a good time; people usually won’t want to do a great deal of socializing. Don’t play telephone tag. If you leave a message, tell the person exactly what you need and if they can leave the information on your voice mail, so much the better.
Trap: Procrastinating
Get the unpleasant chores done first if they are important. Usually they are or they would not be on your ‘to do’ list. The rewards of having it off your priority list are far greater than the reward of postponing it. If it is a large task, divide it into smaller, more manageable tasks, and reward yourself for progress. Stop thinking of procrastination as a simple little personality flaw. We usually procrastinate because the task is unpleasant or we fear failure. Writing down the consequences of putting off the task will give you a perspective of what your stalling is costing your business.
Trap: I can do it better and faster myself (failure to delegate)
This is a hard one for the entrepreneur. Your strength of being able to wear many hats and do everything yourself becomes a weakness as your business grows and you realize you cannot do everything yourself. You can do it faster, of course. You have had lots of experience. But don’t let your skill or your speed keep you tied to the task forever. Your staff will learn to do it fast and right, and more importantly, you will be free to focus on priority tasks.
Jimmie Wilkins is the director of the Chemeketa Small Business Development Center.
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