Time is precious, and it’s inevitably ticking away while you sit and ponder about what to do; however, setting aside some alone time each day to, well, ponder, may just be the best thing you could do for yourself.
Stephanie Vozza’s article discusses author Gary Keller’s use of time blocking: a technique where he devotes a couple of hours each day to a single task to stay focused and detach from all distractions. The practice is simple; identify your goal, focus and put action into it to get the ball rolling. These essential tips about using time wisely will move your business to its ideal place.
Identify your most important task. Doing so gives a clear perspective of what to focus on. Small business owners/entrepreneurs can dedicate the first few hours of the day concentrating solely on this top priority. This is the golden part of the day where the decision is made to tackle the single most important job. It goes without saying that practice makes perfect but many times it’s the obvious advice that’s overlooked. That being said, keep in mind even the act of practicing requires training so schedule in a good chunk of time at the start of each day and stay consistent. After that, it goes downhill from there.
Some folks will fall guilty to the daily ritual of checking their Facebook accounts well before mid-morning (followed by e-mail, Twitter and the daily, adamant visit to the local coffee shop). Remember, everything is a distraction until the day’s most important task is completed. Create your schedule to follow instead of joining the herd of sheep. Decide what the accomplishment for the day is and work around that; everything else comes after, leaving more room for flexibility to do as you please.
Plan, plan and do more planning. Set aside time to plan and think about your company; envision where you are now and what you want to become. Allow yourself time to reflect and plan every day and once you’ve got the groove, set aside an hour each week. Giving yourself this thinking period will help alleviate the bustling traffic in your head. Plan and it’ll be easy to see the road ahead clearly.
Taking time off is a great jolt of rejuvenation, but it also means loss of critical working hours. Vacations and weekend getaways are always tempting, but as I mentioned earlier, everything is a distraction until the real work is done. Make it easier for yourself and complete the number one task before letting loose and you’ll reap the goods in no time.
“Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” – William Penn
