Time Management For Entrepreneurs

You ever wake up and you just feel powerful?  Like for some reason you have that extra pep in your step...you feel effective and resourceful...you have youthful energy...and for whatever reason...you go out and crush the day.

You get everything done you wanted to quickly and efficiently. You dominate your todo list.  Your advice was spot on. Your attitude was amazing. Nothing bothered you that day...not traffic...not negative people or the news or what you saw on social media.

You were ON and by the end of the day you felt a ton of progress which made you feel great about the day.

Well in this article I’m going to share how you can powerfully wake up like this most days and avoid one of the biggest stressors in business.

Do this...and become more effective!!!

Time is finite. We all have the same 24 hours each day. Some people wake up immediately stressed out.  They feel overwhelmed by their todo list that day. They feel like they’re always running late and that there is not enough time in the day to get what they need done.  This lack of time causes a massive amount of stress and anxiety and heartburn so they’re short tempered...unhealthy...and negative.

I used to be this person.  Always late. Always unorganized.  Always stressed about time. Especially as an entrepreneur in the real estate business.  I would rush around trying to cram as many tasks as I could in each day and felt like success couldn’t happen fast enough.  I would work insanely long hours convincing myself to power through and get as much done each day as possible.

But here is what I found to be true. And I’m going to share with you how I broke free from this disease here in a moment...but real quick...make sure you subscribe to my channel if you get value from my videos.

But here’s what I know to be true….when I was stressed...in a negative place mentally or emotionally because I felt late or behind or unresourceful...I was WAAAAY less effective and the work I was putting out wasn’t my best work.

The key to breaking this cycle is time management.  Now adopting good time management techniques in your business isn’t about getting more tasks done each day...it’s about simplifying activities, becoming more effective in the tasks you do do...and doing things better.

It’s about eliminating the things you shouldn’t be focusing on...like a not to do list and understanding that it’s not just about working hard...it’s about working smart.

FREE ebook "How To Flip Houses With Little Or No Money Down" :

So what I want to do is share with you 3 simple time management techniques you can apply to your life immediately.

Technique #1 is to start with auditing your morning and evening routine.  If you can take control of your mornings and nights...controlling the middle of the day becomes much easier.

Ask yourself these questions…

1. What part of the day do I naturally feel more energy?
2. What critical work needs to be done asap or I won’t make money today?
3. What repetitive tasks am I doing that I probably should outsource or automate?
4. Am I setting boundaries with my co-workers, team mates, vendors, or prospects?
5. What distractions can I eliminate from my life?  Things like social media...checking email...having your office door open...having your phone by you.
6. What’s my current morning routine...am I starting off powerfully by focusing on things I’m grateful for...drinking water...exercising...or, am I watching negative news, checking email, or focusing on social media right when I wake up?

By doing an audit of your routines and asking these types of questions you can start to develop better success habits such as planning out your day the night before. This is powerful because it gives your mind clarity on the 3-5 most important tasks you want to get done the next day and allows you to rest better at night without holding on to the uncertainty or anxiety of your next day.

Technique #2 is to start your day focusing on the most critical work essential to you making money.

Mark Twain once said “if it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to each two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.”

And I believe that if you tackle the most crucial and hardest tasks first...when you have the most youthful energy in your day...then your day has already been a success!

So to dominate technique number 2 it’s important to develop the skill set of prioritizing tasks like a boss.

Think of all the activities that “move the needle”.  The ones that are urgent. The ones that have a deadline or are an emergency.  These are the ones you should be focusing on first and everything else should be scheduled to do at a later date, delegated, automated or deleted.

Use the Pareto Principle otherwise known as the 80/20 rule when making these types of decisions.  The Pareto principle was named after an italian economist who stumbled upon the concept by observing that 20% of his peapods in his garden contained 80% of the peas.

He kept observing other things and realized this pattern applies to many areas of life.  And it’s true...I mean think about it...

20% of your customers are typically responsible for 80% of your profits.

The richest 20% of people in the world hold 80% of the worlds wealth

20% of your tasks each day will bring in 80% of the results.

So here’s what to do...start by creating your list.  Then give each task a grade...A for the most important or urgent tasks, B for tasks that you have to get done but can be scheduled out 2 or 3 days, and a C for everything else such as repetitive type tasks.

Then prioritize your A’s in order of most important to making money and ignore or delegate every other task on your list until the A’s get completed.  Then update the list by upgrading your B’s and C’s or adding new A’s and start the whole process over.

Can you start to see how focusing on time management can make you a more effective and happy entrepreneur?

I know it did for me so let’s drive home this video with reviewing technique number 3 which is all about Delegation.

You see...many of the tasks you do each day are not within your core competency, are repetitive, or are simply low return high energy tasks that someone else should be doing.  Many of the C’s on your list should be delegated, outsourced, or deleted.

But how can you become an effective delegator?

4 Simple steps...

Step #1 is to Find The Right Person.  Whether it’s a VA you find on Upwork.com, an intern from the local college, or you hire a new team member...the first step to delegating properly is finding the right person.  My general rule of thumb is to Hire Slow...and Fire Fast. Have any potential prospects jump through some hoops in order to get the job such as sending in a video pitching you as to why they would be a good fit for your team.

Step #2 after you find someone good is to Provide Clear Instructions.  Write down each task step-by-step or create a clear training video where you record yourself doing the task so there is no uncertainty as to how you want the job done.  These step by step manuals in business are called SOP’s or standard operating procedures and each task should have an SOP associated with it.

Step #3 is to Define Success.  What is the expected outcome and how long should each task typically take.  This is why I recommend you do the activity first and create the SOP. You can then internalize how much work, how long it should take, and how to manage the person eventually doing the activity.

Step #4 is to ensure the person doing the task has Clarity.  Have them teach you how the task should be completed. After their first few times doing it make sure to work closely with them and quickly course correct them in the right direction before they develop any bad habits.  If you invest in your team members or VA’s you will quickly realize how valuable being able to leverage other people's time and skill sets is to building your business.

Alright...you now have the blueprint for time management success.  What are your thoughts? Below this video share with me 1 or 2 time management techniques that you’ve discovered so we all can learn and grow together.

I appreciate you...thanks for reading this...make sure you like this article and feel free to share this one with another real estate investor or entrepreneur to help set them up for success.

Your friend in the real estate biz,

Cody Sperber aka The Clever Investor

Take care...comb your hair...Sperber Out!