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7 Tips to Crush Your Small Business Tasks Faster And Smarter

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Cheryl McIntyre


Are you a small business that needs to get through a lot of tasks? Some days, it seems as if there are too many things you need to complete. It's easy to feel overwhelmed and stressed out. But you don't have to feel that way! If you follow the tips below, your small business will be more efficient and run more smoothly.

Evaluate your current status.

Take a step back and evaluate how you're spending your time. What are you doing every day? What are you doing every week? What tasks do you complete each month? How much time do they take up? After reviewing this information, identify areas where you could potentially improve.

For example, if you're spending a lot of time on social media, it might be worth it to cut back on that and instead spend some time on other business-related activities such as creating new products or services for your company.

Define your goals.

It can be tempting to just dive right into a task without thinking about why it needs to be done and what your end goal is. But if you don't have a clear idea of what you're trying to accomplish, it will be difficult to stay on track and know when it's time to put down the work so that you can enjoy life again.

Take some time out of each day or week to think about what you want from your business and how best to get there. This will help keep stress at bay as well as ensure that your business grows in a way that makes sense for both yourself and your customers.

Prioritize time-sensitive tasks.

If you have a task that has to get done within a specific time frame (e.g., a presentation due in one week), then make sure it's on top of your list. If it's not due for a while (e.g., a report that needs to be written), then it can wait until later in the day or week when you have more time available to work on it.

Create a plan.

The best way to crush your to-do list is by creating a detailed, prioritized plan before tackling any projects. This will help you prioritize your day, focus on the most important tasks first, and get more done. Many mobile workforce management companies say that this is one of their secrets to success. They always make a plan before taking on any projects, and this allows them to be more efficient with their time.

Know where you are wasting time.

This may seem obvious, but it's important to step back and examine how you spend most of your time each day. If you're sitting at your desk, take a look at what websites are open on your computer or phone. If you're out running errands, look at how often you stop into coffee shops or restaurants. Are there any activities that seem like they could be eliminated without hurting productivity? How about projects that could be delegated or automated?

Once you've identified these, it's time to cut them out. The less time you spend on these activities, the more time you'll have available to focus on what really matters.

Follow the 80/20 rule.

The Pareto principle states that 80 percent of your results come from 20 percent of your efforts. What this means is that if you can identify the 20 percent of tasks that produce the most results, you can focus on those and let go of everything else.

For example, if you spend an hour each day responding to emails, but only receive 10 responses during that time period, then it's safe to say that 90 percent of your time is wasted because only 10 percent of your responses produce results. In this case, it would make sense for you to spend less time writing emails, so long as it doesn't negatively impact customer service or sales growth.

Ask for help when you need it.

This tip applies especially if there are tasks that require specific expertise. If you're not sure how to do something or don't have the skills needed for it, ask someone else for help instead of trying to figure it out yourself. This way, both parties get what they want — someone else does the work while you get some extra hands on deck.

Takeaway

The tips above are just a few of the ways you can improve your time management skills as a small business owner. Use these ideas to organize and plan your work for success, but also use them to free up more time for yourself. If you utilize these tactics on a daily basis, you'll find that your days go by faster and are much more enjoyable in the process.


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Cheryl McIntyre
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