People who own small companies are some of the hardest working individuals in business. They usually must pay attention to almost every aspect of the business: marketing, accounting, hiring employees, quality control, customer complaints…and the list goes on. How does a small business owner deal with the overall picture when there are so many little details to manage?
There are many ways to save time and spend more focus on business matters. Here are three time-wasters we think you can eliminate to help give you extra hours in a day for more important matters.
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Don’t Answer Your Email
Don’t be confused by this point. You most certainly should pay attention to the communications that come your way. However, you have better things to do than sit in front of a computer, read through hundreds of emails, and respond to most of them.
Rather, hire an assistant and assign him or her the task of scanning, sorting, eliminating junk or unimportant email, and even responding to certain email inquiries. That way, you have only the important matters you need to pay attention to, and you can focus more time on managing your business.
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Don’t Eat Alone
Every hour you spend alone with your sandwich is an hour you could be spending making business deals, brainstorming your business plans, or even meeting one-on-one with your managers or employees. Take your lunchtimes seriously and combine your eating time with moving your business forward in some way.
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Handle It Once
At home, when you set your empty glass down somewhere, you then have to pick it up again later and take it to the dishwasher. If you put it straight where it needs to go next, you don’t have to spend additional time on it later.
Use this philosophy when you tackle items on your to-do list. Don’t put something in a “later” bin. Handle every item only once to save time. If an item needs further attention or research, then mark it with what needs to be done so you have at least made progress on that portion of the process.
By taking these three points into consideration, you’ll find invaluable time to strengthen the core of your business.
