Get the Most Out of Your Workday with These Time Saving Tips for Entrepreneurs

If you’re an entrepreneur, then chances are that you know the feeling of having too much on your plate all too well. Sometimes it feels as if your to-do list is never-ending and that there just aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done. If you struggle with feeling overwhelmed or could use some suggestions for how to better manage your workday, try these time-saving tips to help you work smarter, not harder.

Use The Pomodoro Technique to Stay on Task and Schedule Your Breaks

Do you find yourself getting easily distracted by scrolling through social media or checking your texts? While taking breaks helps prevent burnout and allows you to return to a task refocused and rejuvenated, taking frequent, unscheduled breaks can really hamper your productivity. Instead, try using the Pomodoro Technique to plan your work and your breaks.

The Pomodoro Technique is a time management principle where you create a to-do list, set a timer for 25 minutes, and commit to working uninterruptedly until the timer goes off. Once the timer rings, you reward yourself with a 5-minute break. After you have completed 3 rounds of work, take a longer 20–30-minute break before returning to work once again. This technique can help you break down larger, more overwhelming items on your to-do list and minimize interruptions to help you stay on task. If 25 minutes seems too short, or you think it may hinder your creative flow, try modifying the technique to better suit your style of work.

Leverage Technology to Help You Be More Efficient

Automating your most time-consuming tasks is one of the best ways for entrepreneurs to increase productivity and free up a significant amount of time. There are tons of free business tools to help you use technology to your advantage as a small business owner. Here are a few easy ways technology can save you time:

• Booking appointments

If you own a salon, spa, or service-based business and are manually handling appointments, you’re probably wasting a ton of time on something that your customers can easily do online. Consider an appointment scheduling tool like Genbook, Square Appointments, Acuity Scheduling, or Calendly.

• Project Management

Managing a team and staying up to date on the status of projects can be quite a challenge for small business owners. Instead of wasting time looking through your inbox for a specific email about a project, or repeating instructions or updates to multiple team members, project management tools like Trello, ClickUp, and Asana help facilitate collaboration and increase productivity.

• Prescheduling social media posts

Creating, posting, and managing social media updates can eat up a lot of your time. Save time by using a social media management tool like Buffer, Hootsuite, or Hubspot to preschedule your posts.

Group Your Tasks into Several Batches

Sometimes switching gears from one work-related activity to another isn’t easy. Your brain may have a tough time transitioning from responding to emails to managing invoicing to writing a blog post. The best way to effectively handle different tasks is to group them into several categories and then work on them in batches. For example, group shorter, repetitive tasks that don’t require a lot of brainpower for after lunch when many people experience an afternoon slump. A few ideas for the types of activities you can group together are:

• Returning phone calls
• Meetings
• Research
• Brainstorming
• Responding to emails
• Creating presentations
• Scheduling social media posts
• Administrative tasks
• Writing

Need Help Growing Your Business?

Don’t let a lack of funding slow down the growth of your business. SBG Funding can get you access to cash needed to hire additional employees, purchase automation software, improve cash flow, or expand your business. Simply apply today to see how we can help.

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