People who have a “regular” job, no matter what it might be, know exactly when they need to arrive at their place of work and also when they’ll be leaving at the end of the day. Planning what they’re going to do during their workday is usually done for them. (For many people this can be very “comforting”).
Don’t get stuck in a time mis-management
Entrepreneurs on the other hand have chosen to go out of this comfort zone. They have the freedom to arrive and leave as they please, simply because they’re in charge. However, this freedom often leads to time mis-management, which can cause stress, anxiety and, even worse, costly delays.
The fact is, most entrepreneurs are quite good at planning out what they’re going to accomplish over weeks and months, setting goals for both and keeping track as things progress. On the other hand, many have very poor day-to-day time management skills, and that’s where many problems arise.
Many find it helpful to set specific hours for themselves where they can’t be interrupted.
One of the biggest challenges is the discipline necessary to arrive at work and get started every day. For entrepreneurs who work from home this can be doubly challenging due to the fact that there are many more distractions. Family, television, chores, pets and so forth can get in the way of accomplishing daily tasks, a challenge that many entrepreneurs don’t realize they’ll face until they’re actually in the situation.
Those entrepreneurs that work away from home don’t have it much easier because, as the “boss”, they can come and go as they please. Frankly, it takes quite a bit of discipline to show up at 8 AM every morning if you don’t have a boss or supervisor looking over your shoulder. The same can be said for “quitting time” which, as an entrepreneur, can be infinitely variable. Staying until 7PM, 8PM or even later in order to get things done can be quite challenging, to say the least.
Set aside times in your day to do specific tasks
Many find it helpful to set specific hours for themselves where they can’t be interrupted. For example, entrepreneurs who work from home let family members know that, during specific hours of the day, they aren’t to be bothered or interrupted for anything less than an emergency. Those who work away from home can do the same thing with either their staff members or by muting outside interferences like mobile phones.
Setting blocks of time every day, and performing specific tasks during those time blocks, is an excellent way to make sure that everything necessary gets done and important tasks aren’t forgotten or put aside due to a lack of time.
Take your destiny into your own hands
What it boils down to is the decision to take your business destiny into your own hands and make sure that, whatever tasks, goals or chores need to be accomplished in order to be successful, you make the time available.
This means making the transition in your mind from being an “employee” to being “the boss”, something that many new entrepreneurs have difficulty pulling off. Is only when you realize that you are the driving force behind the success of your business, and discipline yourself to be there for whatever needs to be done, that your business will be successful.
If you need assistance with managing your time, contact one of our consultants to discuss further. If you have any questions, please get in touch and we’ll be happy to help you with advice and information.
