07/04/2024

Mettley Team

Business Owners Guide to Saving Time:

Master the art of time management in 5 key steps

In a fast-paced world of business, it can be daunting trying to keep up. With the endless to-do lists, how do small business owners keep productive? 

We made it easy for you by breaking the answer down in 5 key steps on how to save time as a small business owner in 2024.  

1. Be SMART with prioritizing tasks

It's easy to say be smart, but how do we actually do this without tripping over ourselves in the endless "What to do first" question lingering in our mind as we chop and change between tasks, resulting in only achieving 1 out of 10 tasks scheduled for that day. 

What are your business goals?  Your long-term 5-10 year goal. If the tasks you are completing that day align with achieving the main business goal then put them first. If there are 5 that align, which ones are time-sensitive? ... Put those before the others. 

• Specific : Doing {task 1} before {date} will help me towards achieving my business goal of {main goal] 

• Measurable: I will be able to measure this by checking {app} and can evaluate success by {metrics} and {metric}

• Attainable: * can you achieve this within the dedicated time frame? if not change the date in  Specific

• Realistic: * does the task align with your values and goals? how?

• Timely: * select a start and end date 

2.  Delegate 

"Work for your business or let your business work for you"

When you first started did you see yourself slaving away working crazy hours or did you imagine a business where you have the freedom to go fishing on a Wednesday or have EVERY weekend free to spend with family?

If the answer is the latter then it's likely that you might just be a little scared to delegate or you are waiting for work to increase before you do. However, if you're delegating to someone who can increase business productivity and sales then you can kill two birds with one stone - they eliminate the need to make more money before outsourcing as they are making it for you! WIN WIN. 

Being scared to delegate can be daunting but if you want to achieve your goals of saving time and increasing productivity then big boy pants are needed here.

Tips for delegating;

•  Backing your decision by doing your research on the outsourcing business 

• Do a  90-day trial if you are contemplating hiring, to help you in your decision-making process

•  Track return on investment (ROI) using the SMART goal structure as mentioned earlier in the blog.

3. Keep up with technology 

• Auto replies on socials and chat-bots on webpages help speed up customer satisfaction by fast replies and eliminate the need for continuous checking of messages. 

• Social media content scheduling - research the best times to post content and schedule it for that time within Meta Business Suite. Other social media management options available are tools like Hootsuite.

4. Time efficient

• Check your emails once a day in the morning,

•  Turn your phone notifications off on Facebook and Instagram or any other platform that distracts you, to reduce the chance of them getting in the way of completing your main task. 

• Schedule 5-10  minute breaks every hour to walk away from your task for a bit - you could use this time to check your messages, have some water, do some stretches, have some food, or meditate. This will help you reset and rest your brain from that task and reduce fatigue. 

5. Continue to evaluate

Take time once a week or once a month, either in a team meeting or for self-development and check in with yourself on what you aimed to accomplish and what you actually achieved. If adjustments to your SMART goals are needed then adjust for next week/month. 

Conclusion

Time management is about doing the right tasks efficiently- not doing more. 

Utilizing this proactive approach by incorporating these 5 steps toward more efficient time management will enable you to free up valuable hours to reduce stress and focus on what is most valuable to your business and yourself as a business owner. Take charge, and make your time work for you.