We all know it’s the little things that add up to be our biggest timesucks in a day. We’ve heard this over and over. But the reverse is also true. The little time savers are the ones that add up big.

When you’re running your own business, you basically hit the ground running (pun intended) every morning. Pretty much every minute of work time is valuable and required to keep your business afloat. Of course you still need to take regular breaks to keep yourself from burning out. (I’ve burned out more than once, so I know what I’m talking about there). But during the times you’re actually working, you want to be able to squeeze as much productivity as possible from those working hours.

Decrease Interruptions And Distractions

Frequent interruptions and broken schedules are a terrible timesuck as you have to keep “restarting” all the time. It not only takes more time, but you’re also less productive in what you’re doing, because you keep burning up mental energy every time you have to change gears due to an interruption.

We only have a certain amount of mental energy each day, and when it’s gone, it’s gone. So be sure you’re using it on things that actually matter. A good way to minimize interruptions is to not answer the phone or check emails for a set amount of time.

Give yourself an hour or two of solid work before you check your messages. That way you won’t be interrupted, and you’ll get more done. If you have trouble ignoring your phone or emails, turn the ringers and notifications on silent. That way you won’t hear them coming in, but they’ll still be there waiting for you when you allot time to check them.

Society has driven us to a point where we’re expected to be instantly available 24/7. However, it’s much better for your energy level and quality of work if you’re not. If you don’t answer your phone for an hour, everything will still be fine. The exception here of course is if your business specifically requires answering phones immediately as part of the business. If so, you may want to look into getting a separate line just for business calls. Then you won’t have to be distracted by your regular phone.

Get Organized

Another thing I can’t stress enough, is organization. While I’ve always been super organized working for other people, organization sometimes seems to go on the back burner in my own business. But I have definitely found that the more organized you are, the more time you save. And this applies to every business. Whether it’s having an organized schedule, an organized supplies cupboard, or just organized computer files.

No matter what your business is, organization is one of the biggest time savers you can have. You’ll spend less time looking for stuff and burn less brain energy trying to figure out what comes next. And you’ll spend less time writing the same stuff in a file three times because you can’t find where you put it the previous two times. (Yes, I’ve actually done this).

Have A Dedicated Work Space

Not everyone can have an entire room dedicated to just their business. But most of us can afford a certain area dedicated to our business. Mine is a corner of my bedroom where I film my videos and a desk where I do all the “computer work” my business requires.

A dedicated workspace saves you time because you likely have the main things you need organized somewhere near that space. But also because it puts you in the the mindset to work. You let the distractions of everyday life go, and just get done what needs to be done in your allotted amount of work time.

If you have family and can’t have a workspace separate from the house, you may need to train them. You’ll have to let them know that the workspace is like your dayjob, and when you’re in that space, you’re not to be disturbed. Unless it’s an emergency, whatever it is will have to wait until you emerge from your space. With fewer distractions and the workspace mindset, you’ll save a lot of time that you would normally spend “getting into” work mode.

Multi-task, But Don’t Over Multi-task

While multi-tasking is a great way to save time, you do have to be careful with it. Too much multi-tasking can put your brain on overload and not give it time to “breathe.” Mentally you’ll burn out if you try to do too much at one time, simply because the human brain was not meant to process so many different tasks at one time.

However, when used correctly, multi-tasking can be a great way to save time. I usually multi-task to make my candles. I’ll put on a pan of wax to melt while doing my “computer work,” such as writing blog posts or cutting a video. (The stove is right next to my work area, so I don’t have to worry about forgetting it and starting a fire). So keep multi-tasking to simple things like that.

Maybe put on a crockpot to slow cook your lunch while you’re working for a few hours. Since you won’t have to constantly tend it, it won’t be a distraction. Then right about the time your allotted work time expires, your lunch will be fully cooked and waiting. Talk about a tasty way to multi-task!

Written by Amber Reifsteck, The Woodland Elf

The information provided on this website is for general information purposes only. If you choose to rely on the information on this website, you do so at your own risk and you assume responsibility for the results. (Full disclaimer here)

Enjoy this post? Click here to subscribe by email and get new posts delivered to your inbox.

Ads by Google