4 Time Management Hacks for Busy Entrepreneurs

Posted on October 27, 2020 by Jessica Rosario, One of Thousands of Business Coaches on Noomii.

I bet you’re already thinking of the endless “to do list” that’s waiting for you tomorrow.
While we all have 24 hours in a day, there are many busy entrepreneurs who are stuck in the SAME exact cycle. They feel like they never have enough time to work on the things they’re passionate about or truly bring them joy.

Below are some tips to help you manage your time and crush your goals, because let’s face it, when we don’t manage our time, our time will manage us. Let’s dive in!

While we all have 24 hours in a day, there are many busy entrepreneurs who are stuck in the SAME exact cycle. They feel like they never have enough time to work on the things they’re passionate about or truly bring them joy.

Below are some tips to help you manage your time and crush your goals, because let’s face it, when we don’t manage our time, our time will manage us. Let’s dive in!

1) Organize to Prioritize
Take a moment to write everything down and organize your thoughts. This simple practice will save you time and energy so you don’t have to remember every single thing. Many call this a “Brain Dump” or the infamous “To Do List” and can be done in a few steps…

First, know that this is a time where you grab a piece of paper and just write every single idea, thought, to do, or anything that comes to mind.

Next, identify which tasks are urgent vs. important. Urgent items could be tasks that are detrimental and have consequences if you don’t complete them timely. For example a bill due, a project with a deadline, etc. When you identify these, rank them from least time to most to time complete and tackle them in that order. Important items could be those passion projects you have been putting off like starting a new business, planning a surprise getaway with your family, or exploring a new hobby.

Finally, highlight or underline those dreadful tasks that you can delegate to someone on your team, hiring a freelancer or a virtual assistant. This will free up some time to focus on the things you are the only person who can complete the task.

Scheduling time to organize your priorities on a consistent basis helps you train your mind and create a habit. Taking the time to do this at the end of the week, prepares you to begin the following week focused on the tasks you need to tackle. And remember that regardless of how busy we might be, we must make the time to focus on the things that are important to us in order to live a fulfilled life.hat happens to it? Chances are, you’d have to close your doors and any streams of income you currently have will disappear. Let’s avoid this happening! Take care of your whole body, mind, and spirit. Take quiet time to relax. Get outdoors and breathe in some fresh air. Unplug for a whole weekend and live in the moment with your family. Reconnect with old friends. Start a hobby. The choices are limitless.

Photo by Marcelo Leal on Unsplash

2) Track your time!
We’ve made a list and prioritized them, now we focus on tracking how long we take to complete each task. You have probably heard about tracking your time multiple times before and may be rolling your eyes at the thought of having to do this. However, taking the time to track how you spend your time is the best way to learn how you are actually using your… time. Makes sense?

Now, let’s focus on tracking how much time we’re spending on each item. You can accomplish this by utilizing free stopwatches or clock timers like e.ggtimer on your web browser. You simply click start when you begin your task and stop when you’re done.

Some apps you can also use are Clockify and Toggl which are available as a desktop version as well as iPhone and Android apps. These are a more detailed way to track, categorize, and label your tasks or projects to help you stay on focused. These two apps have a report feature where you can audit time spent on a client, task, or a project. So pull a report on these apps on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis to review what tasks are truly consuming the majority of your time. For example, if you need to research something or manage your social media, setting up a timer to see how long it takes you, will measure the amount of time it took you to complete that task. Having this awareness will give you the ability to see some areas where you need to trim down some time or delegate to someone else in order to save time in your day.

3) Create bite-sized goals.
When you set goals for yourself, you are setting clear expectations that help you work with an open mind. When you are confused about what step comes first or when something is due, it can become overwhelming very fast. Therefore, it’s important that you break down your goals into smaller steps. How do we eat an elephant? Yes, you got it… one bite at a time! This is the same way you should look at your goals… one step at a time.

When faced with a big goal, setting bite-sized goals can help ease your mind and reduce overwhelm by looking at it from a different angle. A good practice to setting bite-sized goals would be to begin with the end in mind as stated by Dr. Stephen Covey. “Begin with the End in Mind means to begin each day, task, or project with a clear vision of your desired direction and destination, and then continue by flexing your proactive muscles to make things happen.” Always start with the final goal or due date and work backwards as you proactively map out the tasks that will lead you towards your goals. Breaking your big goal into smaller and attainable goals will motivate you to push forward to the next step after reaching each milestone, ultimately leading you to that desired outcome.

4) Use a time-blocking planner
A great tool many entrepreneurs use is a paper planner. Now I know what you’re thinking… “In a digital world, why would I use paper? I will tell you why… Because it creates a discipline that, for most of us, can only be achieved with a paper system. Literally getting it out of your head and putting it on paper.

For me, it has to be a time-blocking planner and that’s why I created the “Own It!™ Planner. It is a great planner that’s spacious (for those who write BIG), helps you track your time, your habits and your goals.

Time management is seen as the way in which we plan our day-to-day and organize ourselves both personally and professionally. It is something that can impact, positively or negatively, every single aspect of our lives. When we work on improving our time management skills, we become more productive and efficient which leads us to feeling more accomplished with far less effort. Since time is a limited resource, allocating it appropriately helps reduce stress, improve your focus, and enhance your decision-making skills. Ultimately providing you with the freedom to pursue your passion projects and an increased level of success in your career, your business, and your home.

The Own It!™ Planner offers features such as:
- Time Block
- Track Habits
- Prioritize what’s important
- Brain Dump
- Focus and stay positive with motivational quotes throughout.

Get more information here: w w w. t h e o w n i t p l a n n e r .c o m

There you have it… Some of the great hacks I’ve used and recommended to my clients. Would love to hear more on what’s working for you. In today’s digital world, you might find an app that can do it all for you, and this method might work perfectly fine as well. It’s all about preference.

What’s your process? Do you have any tips and tricks you’d like to add?