If running any business is difficult, getting your own up and running can seem like a monumental task! Regardless of how many efficient collaborators you can count on, how much of a hard worker you are, or how supportive your partner is, being an entrepreneur will always feel like you're juggling with a million things at the same time. It sounds exhausting, right?
And while stress and busy days are part of the entrepreneuring deal and you know it, knowing how to organize your days is critical. It requires discipline and perhaps a critical outlook of your current routine, but you'll be surprised of how much things can improve in your everyday work by taking up a couple of tips:
1. Sleep
Yes, really. Your work day is overloaded with duties, ideas and meetings. Many ideas go through your head at any given moment and staying razor-sharp is fundamental when every decision counts and could alter the fate of your business. The key to achieving that perpetual razor-sharpness? Go to bed. It keeps you healthy, improves your memory and creativity... the benefits are countless. Every great day starts with a good night sleep.
2. Schedule "me" time
Some people do yoga. Others have a drink, cook or . Many more don't have the time to do either. Let's be realistic, sometimes you just can't get away for long and taking at least 10 minutes in the middle of the day to shut the door, take out your earphones and play a song or two might just stop that awful burnout feeling. One you've unplugged for a while you'll be ready to go back to work.
3. Do more of what you do best
...and less of the repetitive stuff. Say you're getting your innovative PR business off the ground, that's what you excel at, but your day is swamped in tasks that, while needed to get it off the ground, you despise. Find a way to delegate, outsource or hire someone to take care of those tasks. Let's avoid rushing them because they were avoided for so long.
4. Set a triage system
You want to do so many things in one day! There are also e-mails to return, conference calls to make, and places to be. Where do you begin? Prioritizing is key: use a to-do list app and set your tasks in different colors, each meaning different levels of urgency. As you tackle each task, you'll get the satisfaction of deleting them off your list.
5. Draw the line on meetings
A conference call or business meeting can wander off to different topics, and it usually does. Arrive with an agenda, discuss it with whomever you're chatting with and set a specific time to call a close when it's due. Time efficiency is appreciated by every business owner!