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15 Tips for Effective Time Management

If we only have 24 hours in a day, but it seems like we always need more time, should it be that we just need to become more productive individuals in order to succeed in time management?

The answer is yes! absolutely yes, and here is how you accomplish that:

  1. Create a Manual. As you have to do things over and over, next time you won't have to spend hours reinventing the wheel, because now you will have a step by step guide to follow.

  2. Create templates. You can use templates to apply time management to so many things: invoices, contracts, faxes, orders, proposals, statements, product and service descriptions; that way, you will save many hours by just changing the things that need to be change like customer name, part number, etc; instead of writing one of this documents from scratch each time.

  3. Standardize answers for your emails and phone inquires. If you have a frequent asked questions page on your website, chances are that people won't keep asking you the same questions over and over. Therefore you will automatically gain several hours a week.

  4. Use a calendar. An old time management favorite! It comes very handy to have a calendar close, accessible and in a place where you can look a it every time you need to. That way you won't be forgetting appointments and double booking yourself.

  5. Make a to do list. Another time management classic, because nothing works wonders like a to do list. It not only gives you a sense of accomplishment every time you are able to cross something off, but it also help you keep things in perspective.

  6. Prioritize. Often the most important things for your business and your life don't have a clear deadline and we tend to leave them for last and everything else seems to get attention before those really important things. As a consequence, we often pay a big price on time and money for not paying attention to these things on a timely manner.

  7. Set time aside. Make appointments with yourself for some creative thinking time. This is when you are going to grow your business, think strategically and add a competitive edge to your venture. Treat these appointments like you would any other appointment with a customer. Do not allow interruptions and do not cancel them to extinguish fires.

  8. Organize your shopping needs. A time management must! Avoid having to run to the supply store every day. Keep a list of all the things you need and unless you have something extremely urgent to get, only go once a week or once every other week.

  9. Plan your errands. Make your errand time an efficient one. Plan your route, know what you need to do ahead of time and avoid rush hours.

  10. Keep frequently used things handy. If you are working with a client right now, keep that file in your drawer instead of the big file room. Same with staplers, and other supplies that you may share with others.

  11. Learn how to use technology to your advantage. Email could be tricky, but if you know how to do filters, spam check, folders, you can really prioritize what, when and how you read your emails.

  12. First things first. Some time management tips never grow old. Avoid procrastination. Do the most important things early in the morning, that way you won't get caught up in a panic mode at the end of the day.

  13. Use your voice mail. If you are working on something important and you are not expecting an important phone call, either let someone else answer the phone or set your voice mail to answer your calls. That way you won't get interrupted every 30 seconds.

  14. Get help. You probably overworked, because you are overworked. If you can afford an assistant or another sales person, it may be a good investment, because if you get a good helper the results will show.

  15. Take care of yourself. Fill your bucket first, so you can fill others. Eat properly, exercise, get enough sleep, relax. If you are out of ideas to overcome a roadblock, hire an entrepreneur coach. like me that will help you overcome any obstacles that might be slowing you down or completely stopping you from achieving your goals.

Click here for other Time Management Articles


Still having a hard time with balancing your life or finding the right work life balance?

Perhaps, you need some help structuring an effective and efficient personalized and unique Time management system that works for you?

Do you need help getting yourself motivated to actually take action and step up to the plate, so you can achieve your goals?

Remember that you can do anything, but you don't have to do anything alone! As an Entrepreneur Coach, I'm dedicated to empower women entrepreneurs and help them overcome obstacles that are slowing them down and preventing them from achieving their goals.

Try our FREE Discovery Coaching Session, the most insightful 30 minutes that you will have! But don't waste more time, because availability is limited!

Carmen Shearer
Founder and CEO
Entrepreneur Women Coaching and Training, LLC
(800) 980-3928


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