Time Hacks for Small Business Owners

“I don’t have enough time”

– Everybody, Everywhere, All the time.

I am yet to run into someone with perfect time management and although I like to think of myself as pretty damn good, its been a long road to get here. Now that I am on top of my time I wanted to share with you all the top time “hacks” I wish I knew when I started running my first side hustle!

1. When you are working, give yourself the environment you need to get into a flow!
   
   This is no joke, flow is real… its that awesome feeling you get when you’re in the zone, you’re perfectly focused and nothing is going to get in between you and your goal!
   
   

   The flow state is defined as an “optimal state of consciousness where we feel our best and perform our best.”
   - Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, Psychologist

   
   Now the way to get into flow isn’t as simple as you may like, and it can differ from person to person. The best thing I can recommend from experience is: when you feel yourself get in a flow, take note, think about what is happening around you, what you have done so far that day, and why might you be feeling the flow. Ultimately, if you can replicate those conditions you will be on your way to getting in the flow!
   
   
   
2. Turn off those mobile (and watch) notifications!
   
   I’m sorry to be the one to tell you, but not responding to a tweet in under 5 minutes won’t actually kill you. Same goes for facebook, snapchat, insta and all the rest. It’s just the sad reality, and it is my undoing. 
   
   Have you ever reached for your pocket because you felt a vibration, just to realise your phone isn’t even in there? Our minds are addicted to these little things, so the best we can do when we are bossing it up at work is to turn them off! One client puts her phone in another room, works for 20 minutes, then rewards herself with 5 minutes of phone time. Repeat. Find what works for you!
   
   
   
3. Lists, inbox, workflow management tools – find what suits you
   
   There are so many different ways to manage your time and to-do lists, but what is important is that you don’t overdo it. Too many lists, workflow tools, calendar events etc can create unnecessary duplication and can even lead to things being forgotten or lost in the process. After all, you are meant to do  things on the list... not spend all your time making the lists.
   
   I use a lot of lists for managing my workflow, but lists aren’t for everyone so I don’t want to pass it off as the one answer. You will have a way of working that is best for you so all I recommend is you find what that is and stick to it, try to not manage your workload 4 or 5 different ways! 
   
   If you want more ideas just flick me an email and we can chat.
   
   
   
4. Book time to work on your business
   
   What baffles me as a small business owner is the lack of time other business owners put into running their own. This business is my baby and I love it, I want to care for it and help it to grow. This means spending time ON it, not just IN it.
   
   If you find that your time is always committed to servicing clients, fixing problems and dealing with admin, then the first thing I can recommend is putting an hour away (more ideally) in your calendar, once per week, where you focus on your business. Focus on making it better! Deliver a service to yourself up to the standard that you would deliver to your clients.
   
   Allow time for you to work on your business. We get caught up in the urgent that we forget about the important, but working on you and your business is just as important as helping your clients (maybe even more important!). Having this time for yourself, to think and improve the way you do things will not only help your head-space, but it will also help you identify efficiencies (you know, things you can do better and faster!).
   
   
   
5. Delegate where possible
   
   Yes, even Beyonce is limited to 24 hours in a day... but she gets a lot of help, and you can too.
   
   You are a business owner, you run a business, therefore you’re a legend whose time is extremely valuable! If you are spending that valuable time scanning, writing receipts (god forbid you still do this), and picking up mail, well I am sorry but you are wasting your time!
   
   Get onto a service like fivrr or bring me on to set you up with an API connector like Zapier (don’t worry, you don’t have to know what any of this means) and lets get your business a bit more automated and give you back the time to grow your business!
   
   
   
   I hope this has been of some help to you all. If you have any brilliant time hacks I would love to hear them! And if you do find yourself with time to spend on your business I would be more than happy to help you grow it!
   
   xxx
   Lauren