Be More Productive - Tips for Time Management.

Be more productive – tips for time management.

I have a home based business. I have been fortunate enough to give up my 9-5 occupation and 4 hour daily commute and now I manage my company from my home office. To begin with, I was all over the place – I had been in a job for 30+ years and absolutely didn’t know how to “manage my time.” Gradually, I came to appreciate that I needed to handle it like a job and to function like my own supervisor. I needed to set parameters for myself and work within those parameters

If you want to be more productive, first you must understand that you can’t manage time. You can only manage yourself within time. Once you comprehend that reality, you can figure out what you need to do to be more productive. Here are some concepts for time management that work for me. Try incorporating a few (or all) to see if you can be more productive.

Be more productive - Have a plan.

You’ve heard it spoken that failing to plan is planning to fail. Determine goals – weekly, monthly, quarterly and annually. Once you have completed that goal, evaluate it. What worked? What didn’t? Alter your action steps and designate your next goal. And then give yourself a reward for your achievement.

Be more productive - Organize your time.

Set up a daily schedule and stick to it. Have a start time and an ending time. Schedule times for training, for personal improvement, for physical activity and for family. But more importantly, arrange times for money making activities (MMA). The most important portion of your time should be allocated to MMA. What are MMA activities? Driving traffic, which can be writing or producing content, placing ads and/or driving online traffic. The other is speaking with prospects – following up, calling leads. Driving traffic and talking to prospects – they are the most critical activities in your working day. (Note: Training is not MMA! Schedule that for another time.)

Be more productive - Steer clear of distractions.

E-mail, facebook, twitter and all types of social media are remarkably distracting. Check your e-mail twice a day at best. Reply 2-3 lines to whichever you must reply to – not paragraphs. NEVER devote more than 30 minutes a day on e-mail. Plan those activities into your day and get on with your schedule. I look over my e-mails and facebook once in the morning and once before I close down for the day.

Don’t answer your phone or respond to text messages when you are working on MMA. That’s what voice mail is designed to do. Return calls and text messages during your arranged time for that activity.

The other major distraction is disorder. Keep you work area clutter free and organized.

Be more productive – Do away with energy robbers.

Exercise at least 2 – 3 times each week. Drink water throughout the day. Stay away from junk food – that definitely is an energy killer. You put junk in you get junk out. Take several ten minute breaks throughout the day – get some fresh air, walk around, clear your mind. I work in 50 minute blocks. I actually use a timer and when the timer rings, I take a ten minute break. Then I go back to my schedule.

Be more productive – Master your skills.

Decide upon one or two ideas to develop business and really become well versed in each of them. Take 90 days and stay with that strategy. Refine it. Evaluate it. Make it work for you. As soon as you have become adept at that skill, pick a new skill and learn that. Don’t let yourself become disheartened by trying every new thing you hear about. For instance, if it’s blogging, blog every single day until it is a habit. Whatever it is, excel in it and then proceed.

Be more productive – Balance is necessary.

I take time every day for gratefulness, for visualizing my goals and for personal development. I set time for my friends and loved ones. And I take Sundays off. You can’t be productive if you burn yourself out.

I know there are many more ideas you can think of to help you manage yourself within time. It doesn’t really matter how much time you have to provide to your business. Just organize yourself and operate it like you are your own boss. I like what Andy Rooney said: "I've learned ... that the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done."

So Be More Productive! And Be Healthy for Good!