Nine Time Saving Tips For Solo Entrepreneurs

Running a business can be stressful — but there are many techniques you can do to make each month simpler while still getting tons done. Here’s a quick look at some things you might want to try to make the most of your day:

Always have a daily to-do list – This is the cardinal rule for every business. Have you ever sat down – finally – to spend time working on your business but can’t remember that list of 50 gazillion things you need to do? That mlm network marketing lead you need to follow up on? That email you need to send? Keep a to-do list each day, so you can at least get started quickly and accomplish your most critical activities.

Keep a master to do list – You can’t keep the 50 gazillion things in your head. Get a small notebook and do a “brain dump” of everything you need to do – every last stinky little thing – so you can move on. You can divide it into categories, such as business and personal, if needed. This will relieve a huge amount of stress. For more about how to do this, get a copy of the book “Getting Organized” by Stephanie Winston. It rocks.

Break large tasks up into smaller ones – If you have huge tasks on your list, like “set up a website”, there’s no way you’re going to accomplish this in an afternoon. There’s just no way that “build an mlm network marketing lead strategy” gets done in one day. Figure out the steps, and list each of those. Then tackle the smaller steps one by one. This is how you eventually succeed.

Use percentages in figuring out your time – Figure out what activities are most important to achieving your outcome, and how often you need to do each one. Let’s say you need to spend 20% of your time working with your team or employees, 20% prospecting for new mlm network marketing leads, 20% screening leads, 20% doing presentations, and 20% marketing. Just break down your time accordingly. If you spend five hours a week on your business, you’d spend about an hour on each activity. Most people don’t think about their time this way, and it can make a huge difference.

Use a timer – Seriously, get yourself a kitchen timer and use it religiously. Most cell phones have a clock that has a timer function, so use it! Set up the amount if time you’re going to spend on a particular task for the day, and then stop when the timer goes off. This one tip will make all the difference in the world.

Take little breaks – I try to do my most crucial work in 25 minute chunks, followed by a 5-minute goofing-off period… then back to work on a different task. You’ll find that this little technique makes your 25-minutes of focused time much more productive.

Make the boring interesting – For things that are boring (and that you don’t want to do), race yourself. Set a reward. Play music. Take yourself out to a coffee shop, the beach, or some other place you like. Do what it takes to make it fun and get it done.

Look for ways to double up and use your time more effectively – Can you make one presentation a week, and invite multiple people to it? Is there someone you could partner with, or someone you could hire to do certain parts of your process? Could you use videos, recorded calls, or something else to handle “FAQ’s”? Can you do your marketing in a way that is less time intensive – and maybe have time to do more marketing? Always be on the lookout for ways to double-up.

Limit your time to check emails – Seriously, you don’t need to check your email 30 times a day. Once in the morning and once at night is probably enough, and you can probably set yourself a 15 or 20 minute limit and still get everything done with time to spare.