We’re all given the same 24 hours in each day, yet why do some people manage those hours better than others? There are those who seem to breeze through each day fitting in endless tasks, taking each task in their stride sailing through stress free while others are always running late, super busy and appear to be in a constant state of overwhelm.
Common Time Management Myths
Read on to learn more about the importance of time management and a few common myths including:
- I don’t have time
- Only I can do it
- I must be everything to everyone
- If I multi-task I will achieve more
- How do I stop feeling overwhelmed?
I don’t have time
If you ‘don’t have time’ for something, it generally means it’s not a high priority for you. If it’s important enough, you will make it happen. A prime example is dropping off and picking up your children from school. You know school starts at 9am and finishes at 3pm and somehow amongst the chaos and craziness of the day, you make sure they are dropped off and picked up on time. Why? As your children are a high priority so it’s important to you.
Only I can do it
Business owners often think they are the only one capable of doing certain tasks. While this may be true, generally it’s not the case. Delegation is the key to getting your time back and a good leader must be able to delegate. How? Look at the tasks you do within your business that aren’t your forte and employ someone else to do them for you. The money you pay will be returned through lack of stress and giving you time to focus on other areas of your business.
If there is an area of your business that takes up a large amount of your time that only you have the required skill set to do, there are smart ways to delegate that too. Break down the task into smaller jobs and delegate or outsource them to your team, giving clear instructions on how you want the task done. Over time, as your team’s confidence builds, you can add more tasks. It may initially take longer for the task to be done, but over time it will give you your time back.
I must be everything to everyone
If this phrase rings true to you, you must learn to start saying No. This may be hard to do as you are used to being everything to everyone, however you must look at what things you are committed to and decide what is and isn’t a necessity. Tasks that aren’t a necessity can be delegated to team members, contractors or family, even if it is only temporarily.
It’s important to remember if a customer receives a high standard of service and the intended product is delivered, you need to let the method it was delivered go. If you have well defined task guidelines or standard operating procedures, then the delivery will be perfect every time.
If I multi-task I will achieve more
Multi-tasking means you are doing more than two things at once. While the idea sounds great, can you really do it and do it well? For multi-tasking to be productive and effective, you must keep switching between the tasks you are doing rather than trying to do multiple tasks at once.
How do I stop feeling overwhelmed?
Overwhelm is an unpleasant feeling. A good way to reduce this feeling is to begin each day by making a list of what needs to get done. Read through your list, prioritise what’s most important then ask yourself what can you delegate? What can you remove? The tasks that remain, will be those that you have to do yourself. Manage these tasks by allocating a block of time to work on each one. It’s an amazing feeling at the end of the day when reflecting how much you got done.
Cathy is the Attraction Maven at CATCO Enterprises and your local digital marketing expert
Cathy Smith is the attraction maven and has CATCO Enterprises for more than 19 years. Cathy has helped hundreds of business owners achieve their marketing goals and can help you too.
If you want to build your social media channels, increase traffic to your website or develop a digital marketing strategy suited to your business needs call Cathy today on 0409 489 464.
