Welcome to The Business Tea Break
Kerry Hopkins
Helping business owners in the Black Country to become more confident and lead the life they have always dreamed of
This is the first of my monthly LinkedIn Newsletters designed to give you a break from your day and to think about some new ideas and insights to help you in your business.
For June, I am going to be focussing on time management.
As we approach the summer, holiday time and time with our families all start to creep into our schedule so how do we make time for them without compromising how effective we are?
Here are my 5 Top Tips for planning your time more efficiently so you can enjoy the summer without worrying:
Prioritise the tasks in your business that are taking you towards your goals. Allow the time in your diary to make these things happen, then eliminate the tasks that you don't need to do...we've all got those tasks that aren't essential but seem to fill up our time!
2. Delegate and outsource
Who in the business can and should be doing some of the tasks you're finding yourself working on? If you have administrative tasks that seem to take forever, consider outsourcing these tasks. If you're a manager, how many of your tasks should fall to a team member but you are used to doing them and so don't pass them on? Analyse your activity and see where delegating and outsourcing could help.
3. Plan ahead and automate
If you know you have some time away coming up, plan accordingly. Don't wait until the last minute to start rescheduling meetings or telling colleagues that you're going to be away. What tasks could you start to automate now so that you don't need to think about then whole you're away. Planning is crucial when it comes to time management so find a way that works for you to make this easier to do consistently.
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4. Set boundaries
What are your non-negotiables? If it's picking up the kids from school, making time to go to the gym, getting home in time to cook a meal make sure you plan these into your week. Set boundaries for your time and stick to them. Clearly communicate your availability and priorities to your team and clients. This helps to manage expectations and prevent unnecessary interruptions.
5. Learn to say 'no'
When we find ourselves in a time crunch but we also find it hard to say not we can end up compromising the quality of what we do. It's really common for us to try to take more on so we don't let people down but in reality if we can learn to say "no" to the things that we know are going to make things harder for us then in the long run we will be able to manage our time better. If saying no feels uncomfortable, find a way that makes it easier for you .e.g. "I'd love to help but I won't be able to give it the attention it deserves right now", "I can't help with that at the moment, how can I help you to find someone who can?" or, "I'm sure that I could help you but I haven't got capacity right now, is there another time that we can look at together?"
Read my blog "Is being 'busy' a form of self-sabotage?" for more tips on being efficient with your time...
For more advice on freeing up your time so that you can work on your business, you can download a free copy of our 25 tips here: https://info.blackcountry.actioncoach.co.uk/free-up-your-time-to-work-on-your-business-download