As a small business owner, you have tons of tasks that have to be completed each day and mostly they all have to be done by you. I think it's hugely important to keep an agenda or calendar of some sort and actually write down each task that needs to be accomplished, no matter how small. Once you have a to-do list put together, then you have to get down to checking things off the list. How you go about organizing your day & time can help you to get to all the items on the list.
1. Only email at certain times of the day. I know this sounds crazy, but setting up certain email blocks in your day can really help you focus on other projects. I check mine when I first get into the office, after lunch & about an hour before I plan on leaving the office. This eliminates interrupting other tasks in order to check your email & ensures that you are giving your full attention to the email at hand.
2. If you have a large project to complete, like designing a new line of cards, break it up into small chunks each day for a week. Spend one or two hours a day working on that project and nothing else. Once your allotted time is up, move on to the next item on the list. This ensures not only that you'll have time to do other tasks in the day, but also that you won't get burnt out on a large task such as this. You might think that this technique would leave you feeling as though you didn't accomplish all that you were meaning to, but I always feel accomplished when I make positive progress on a large project rather than forcing myself to get it finished in one day.
3. If you're the only one if your office or just the boss of your office, leaving to run errands can put a hold on all productivity. Bundle your errands into one day so that you're not having to be out of the office every day for an hour but just one day for a few hours. This also saves gas.
4. Working from home can mean spending meals in your office at the computer checking emails, but I think it's important to give yourself a break for meals even if it's just 15 minutes. Set aside time for breakfast, lunch & dinner. You have the ability to take better care of yourself since you are at home and you should take advantage of that opportunity by preparing healthy meals that you take time out to enjoy. You'll return to work with a fresh perspective and more energy to get things done.
Since small business owners have so much on their plate, it sometimes seems that doing multiple tasks as once is a necessity, but I have learned that when I give tasks my full attention, they get done faster and better.
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*If you have a tip or a business question that you think I should feature in this section, please contact me at avie.designs@gmail.com with the subject: blog.smart biz
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