3 Strategies for Effective Time Management
March 3rd, 2016 Tags: 
Posted in “Until we can manage time, we can manage nothing else.”
Peter Drucker
3 Strategies for Effective Time Management
3 Strategies for Effective Time Management
Here are 3 strategies for effective time management to help you address this pressing problem and meet your chosen objectives. To begin, ask yourself, “How am I spending my time?” As an entrepreneur or small business owner are you keeping track of how you use each hour of the day? Are you tracking your time like you keep track of how you spend money or how many steps you take during the day? Are you focusing on the Activities, Conversations, and Thoughts (ACTs) that produce results for your business?
1.Track and Assess How You Are Currently Using your Time
Use a diary or scheduler/calendar to record all your Activities, Conversations, and Thoughts (ACTs) for a week and any everything else that you do. This allows you to determine what you are doing right now to manage your time. A review of how you are currently managing time will help you determine whether you are wasting time, i.e., not addressing priorities or are you spending time on priority matters. This diary will be very enlightening. You can use it to help eliminate certain activities, consolidate other activities, and help schedule essential tasks
2. Make Appointments with Yourself
Schedule specific appointments with yourself to do those essential business tasks. Just like you schedule outside appointments, do the same for the tasks that produce results in your business. So you must schedule time for the Activities, Conversations, and Thoughts (ACTs) that are important for your success. As business guru Tom Peters has noted over the years that time is your strategic weapon. You must manage time wisely to remain competitive in a fast moving business environment.
3. Plan for Tomorrow at the End of Today
Take 45 minutes at the end of every day to plan for the next day. Those 45 minutes are crucial for making sure that you have scheduled time for high priority Activities, Conversations, and Thoughts (ACTs). Planning for the next day allows you to free your mind at night of all the worry and clutter of thinking about tomorrow. Be sure to strategically consider when you have the highest energy. Plan to tackle the most difficult tasks during that time. This is one of the most effective ways to manage your time.
Some gurus suggest that you plan for each day at the beginning of the day. We prefer to do this time management step at the end of the previous day, so that in the morning we are ready to go with our plan in hand.
Conclusion
By now you can see that time management for entrepreneurs and small business owners can be accomplished using three tips that keep you focused on the Activities, Conversations, and Thoughts (ACTs) that produce results for your business. Remember to (1) track and assess how you are currently managing your time; (2) make appointments with yourself in your calendar to address your key Activities, Conversations, and Thoughts (ACTs); and (3) plan for tomorrow at the end of today. For other tips on effective time management and productivity, read the following posts:
Finding Time for Yourself: “Me” Time
7 Powerful Strategies to Improve Your Business Time Management
One part of effective time management is to delegate to your business team. To learn more about building your business dream team check out The Strategic Pathway to Success Program!
What techniques are you using to address time management? Please add your comments below to share with our community at My Biz Dream Team.
Also published on Medium.
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