5 Steps to Improve Your Time Management

As a business owner, we have an abundance of resources available to us, whether online in articles, free workbooks and videos, or offline with books and networking events.
 
In addition to these resources, I am also enrolled in two amazing membership sites that have masterclasses on every aspect on business and are 100% aligned with the vision and values of myself and my business.
 
I have always said that I had all the resources I need to become a millionaire. But you may have noticed that I haven’t got there yet. One very good reason for this is time… sadly most people don’t go from idea to millionaire in a year… or two.  
 
Plus, I haven’t always made time to work through the masterclasses.
 
Below are 5 steps that I have now implemented into my routine to help me be more organised and effective with my time.
 
Step 1: Clarity
Whilst this seems to be my constant number one go to, it’s always important to know where you are going and why you want to go there.

Once you know what the what and the why, it’s time to establish the how. What resources do you need? Who do you need to get on board to help?

As a checklist and planner enthusiast, I also recommend writing down what needs to be done. This helps keep to-do lists from running around in our head all day or from forgetting anything. It also helps with Step 4 below.  
 
Step 2: Clean up your To-Do List
Ask yourself honestly… are you really going to do all of your tasks? Or are you writing down things that will lead to procrastination? What can you remove?

It’s nice to have a full to-do list with all the jobs that have been on the “one day” list forever, but make sure it’s realistic. Overestimating can easily lead to overwhelm.

Plus, there’s nothing more draining than seeing a task staring at you constantly. I’m still to properly clean out my wardrobe 🤦‍♀️

But what if you HAVE to do a horrible task… then follow Step 3.
 
Step 3: Eat the Frog
I remember learning this back in 2013 and thinking it was the strangest thing ever. Little did I know that I was learning one the most important steps in time management.
 
The concept behind Brian Tracy’s eating the frog is that you do the worst task first! You look at what the ugliest task is and get it out of the way, then work your way through to the least ugly task.
 
When we avoid doing something, we waste time, procrastinate and stress or worry about the outcome of the task. By getting it out of the way, you are able to move on with your day and other task with greater ease.
 
To find more information and resources, Click Here.
 
Step 4: Group related tasks together
In NLP, this process is referred to as “chunking”.

Chunking up helps you expand something to look at a bigger picture. This can help increase motivation as can see the overall impact of your actions.

Chunking down is when you take a big task and break it down to smaller, more manageable steps.

When looking at your to-do list, what tasks can you group together to have a big overall win? What actions can be broken down further so you don’t feel as overwhelmed?
 
Grouping tasks together can also help minimise distractions and procrastination as you can quickly move from one task to the next.
 
When we find our groove, we can take on the world!
 
Step 5: Identify your behaviour patterns
We all have different energy levels throughout the day and learning to identify these levels can help you create an efficient and easy way to stick to daily routine.
 
I have always been the first to admit that I’m not a morning person. My chatty personality doesn’t wake up until at least 11am. Between 9-11am is the best time for me to be really productive and do admin.

Once the coffee kicks in and I began engaging with people, I find my creativity and curiosity take over so that is the best time for me to work with clients and focus on marketing.

Then towards the end of the day, I begin to wear and am happy to relax a bit. I find that training and personal development tasks are ideal as I’m able to sit back and just absorb the information. It sounds crazy, but it works for me.

Many people also find it helpful to work on creating their marketing content first thing in the morning when ideas flow to them with more ease, and also before they become content consumers throughout the day.
 
It’s not always easy to power through our to-do lists and some days are easier that others to get things done.

Just never give up the opportunity to take a break and to check in and celebrate your wins!

So, long story short… Time management is really personal management, life management, and management of yourself – Brian Tracy

Image by Kevin Ku