Page 13 - The Compass - Volume 14 Issue 5

MANAGEMENT
Six Time-Management Strategies by Hayley Sandiford

for the Busy Business Owner

unning a business can seem like a job without end– of apps and software solutions that can help you prioritize
Rwork weeks that include late nights, early mornings, tasks, set reminders, and even manage your email flow. If
weekends—and the feeling that without you, the place you don’t have time to respond to an email right away, set a
will fall apart. No wonder business owners often feel reminder to follow up at a designated time.
overwhelmed by everyday tasks like answering emails, Take a Break: Many studies on productivity show
customer phone calls, or trying to solve a technology 5
that working continuously for hours on end does not
problem. What business owners should be doing, however, yield great results. The brain works much better if we
is ditching all those hats and focusing on things that really give it a 20-minute break after 90 minutes of focused work.
matter—like strategies for increasing sales, making critical Without those rests, you’re going to feel burned out and
hiring decisions, developing people, and streamlining unable to make smart decisions. A break, of course, means
services. actually getting away from your desk, so do something that
You can’t add more hours to the day but you can manage has nothing to do with work: take a walk or meet a friend
your time more effectively, which is essential for increasing for coffee. You’ll reduce stress and activate the parts of
productivity and efficiency. Here are six ways to keep your your brain tied to creative thinking and innovation—both
days focused on the tasks that move your business forward necessities for any successful business.
1 6
(and keep you from burning out): Reach Out for Help: As an SGI member, there’s
Prioritize Tasks: Do you ever feel that you have so
no need for you to waste time trying to reinvent the
much going on that you don’t have time to actually
wheel. You have access to hundreds of resources and
get anything done? Well, you’re not alone. Many of us
spend so much time fighting fires that we feel we don’t have tools right at your fingertips! All you have to do is search
Your SGI HUB, schedule an appointment with any of the
time for anything else. To help you get ahead, you need to coaches, post on your affinity Facebook group, or reach out
spend a little time each day, whether it’s in the morning directly to one of almost 1000 members. No matter what
before the craziness of the day begins, or in the evening you are going through or what you are trying to create,
when the dust settles, to write down a list of everything you chances are it's out there already. 
need to accomplish that day. If possible, schedule blocks of
time for things like checking email or reviewing invoices. A
great resource many business owners find helpful is David
Allen’s book, Getting Things Done. It’s an approach to your
crazy workweek that organizes and divides everything you REACH CUSTOMERS.
need to do into the right buckets so you can focus on the WIN JOBS.
2 Every 2 seconds a homeowner turns
most important initiatives every day.
Set Goals: Setting goals helps you focus on your
to HomeAdvisor to find a pro.
future desired state. Without goals, you and your
team will lack purpose and direction. Meet with
WILL THEY FIND
your fellow leaders and map out yearly and monthly goals YOUR BUSINESS?
together. Clearly communicate these goals to your team
and make sure they are always top-of-mind. When creating
your daily task list, make sure you understand how each
task you complete moves the company toward its bigger
goals–whether that’s reducing the attrition rate of your SGI EXCLUSIVE OFFER:
club-membership program or adding a new truck.
3 8% OFF
Delegate Tasks: For one week straight, I want
ProFinder Leads
you to write down every little thing you do in your
company, from answering the phones, reconciling
inventory, and even taking out the trash. At the end of the
week, review each task and decide whether it is something
that you and only you can or want to do or if it can be GET STARTED TODAY!
delegated. Once you can focus on fewer tasks you’ll be able
to spend more time on the urgent or important ones and be
4 888.971.3363 HomeAdvisor.com/SGI
more successful at completing them.
Leverage Technology: Technology can be a time
suck (i.e. social media) or it can help you to maximize
your time and increase productivity. There are tons

THE COMPASS | Issue 5 | 2019 13