Time Management Tips

If you find yourself long on ambition and short on time, manage your work more efficiently
 
by incorporating pointers:




1. Stop multitasking immediately.

Studies have shown that multitasking is actually less efficient than doing single tasks sequentially because you work with better focus doing one thing at a time.

 
2. Prioritize, Prioritize, Prioritize. 

You’ve probably heard of the 80/20 rule. It says that 80% of the profits you’ll see will actually only come from 20% of the products or services that you offer. This philosophy should also be applied to your work in general.

There are certain tasks that will give you much more ‘bang for your buck’ in terms of moving things forward than others. The idea is to sit down and identify those products or services (and tasks) that are going to be most profitable for you, and then organize your day such that you are giving more of your energy to those items.

There are two benefits to this: you’ll feel more accomplished and see greater profitability, and you know that if something has to fall by the wayside it won’t be one of your most important items.

 
3. Be Honest With Yourself About Being A Human. 

David Heinemeier Hansson of 37signals advises to “plan for 4-5 hours of real work per day.”

If you consider yourself someone who works an 8-hour day, this may seem like a low estimate. But if you look at the numbers with an eye toward allowing for your own biology to factor in, it’s pretty realistic.

Now, nobody is telling you to AIM for 4 hours of work per day, but when you are estimating how much time it will take you to get a project done, be aware of that reality.

Why not 8 hours straight? The most science-y stat we found points to the human brain consuming more glucose (energy) to do it’s job than your other organs. It will use up your reserves in approximately 60-90 minutes. So if the work you’re doing depends on your brain, you have to give it breaks, healthy snacks, and time to recharge every hour to hour and a half if you want it to continue performing at its peak.


 
4. You are only human: Know Your Limits. 

Temporal Limits:

There are 16 or fewer waking hours in any to complete all your tasks at work and at home so put limits on what you imagine you can accomplish...


 Physical Limits:

The human brain consuming more glucose (energy) to do it’s job than your other organs. It will use up your reserves in approximately 60-90 minutes. So if the work you’re doing depends on your brain, you have to give it breaks, healthy snacks, and time to recharge every hour to hour and a half if you want it to continue performing at its peak.

Financial Limits:

Be careful to avoid the stress of burgeoning debts.  Money worries paralyze creative thinking...



5. “Done is better than perfect.” 

If you’re looking for a motto role model for your small business, your could do a lot worse than Facebook. As is implied in their unofficial company motto,

...if you always expect your first crack at something to be absolutely perfect, you’ll never get off the ground.

Take Facebook as an example: The number of iterations of the product we’ve seen are innumerable, but that’s what makes it continue to succeed.

They came up with the best they could do at the time, launched it, and made changes as they went based on the learnings they got along the way.

Start with the best work you can do at the time, and know that you will make changes and improvements as you go forward.

The important thing is that you get moving in the first place.



"A  journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step."

Lao-tzu (604 BC – 531 BC)
 






Source:
http://www.webs.com/blog/2013/04/03/4-big-time-management-tips-for-small-business-owners/


Posted by Sarah in How To / Tips on April 3, 2013