Running a small business can be a whirlwind, right? Small business owners are superheroes, juggling a million tasks at once, but they often struggle to find enough hours in the day to make a lot of progress… So let’s dive into some time management hacks for entrepreneurs, specifically designed to help you conquer your day and hit your goals!

Set Reasonable Time Limits

I’m sure you’ve heard this concept before, but it bears repeating: The amount of time you allot for a task is how long it’s going to take you.

For example, if I give myself two hours to write an email to my email list, then guess what? It’s going to take me two hours. I’m going to stretch it out and drag my feet and maybe scroll on Instagram for a few minutes. That email isn’t getting done anytime soon.

On the flip side, if I give myself thirty minutes to write the same email, chances are, I’ll write it within that block of time. I know it needs to get done, so I don’t waste precious time. As a result, I have an extra hour-and-a-half of time left over.

Crazy how that works, right?

Setting deadlines for myself (both big quarterly deadlines and small daily ones) allows me to manage my time better and stay on top of tasks.

Write your own deadlines in red on your planner if you have to—just stick to them. Block out time for projects.

Take breaks

This time management hack seems counterintuitive for entrepreneurs. However, taking breaks actually facilitates more creativity and helps you avoid burnout. You can even meditate if that’s a worthwhile reward for you.

For me personally, I like to get up and stretch my legs or check my phone after I cross an item off my to-do list. If you do the latter, though, be sure it doesn’t distract you in the long run.

Plan out your week

I’ve mentioned this before, but I plan out my week on Sunday afternoons. It helps me know what’s coming up in the week and fill in all the necessary tasks that’s on my mind.

You’d be surprised at how sitting down for a few minutes to plan out the flow of your week can actually save you SO MUCH time.

Whether it’s making an agenda before a meeting or making a to-do list for your day, taking time to plan is often a very good (though not new) time management hack for entrepreneurs.

How else can entrepreneurs and small business owners maximize their time? Learn how to make distractions unappealing and one of my favorite productivity tip by reading this blog post: Productivity Tips for Entrepreneurs.

Decide if you work better when you complete easy tasks or most difficult ones first

Mark Twain once said, “if you have to eat a live frog, do it the first thing in the morning.”  In other words, tackle your hardest tasks—the ones you dread the most—first. Then you’ve freed up the rest of your day.

In contrast, another strategy you could implement is completing a few easy tasks first-thing in the morning. I actually prefer this method because I feel more confident to take on the rest of my to-do list if I’ve already crossed something off (regardless of how easy it is). Think of it as a “snowball effect.” You gain momentum and encouragement because you already feel productive.

Experiment and test out which method works best for you!

Use technology to save time

Another time management tip revolves around the taboo subject of technology. While I agree technology can be a big distraction, if it’s used correctly, it can also be a huge timesaver!

I would all entrepreneurs to use technology to automate as much as possible. Schedule your emails and social media posts in advance. I use Metricool to schedule my social media, and I know many people use ManyChat to automatically respond to messages.

You can also automate appointment reminders. Calendly is a great scheduling tool that lets people select an available time on your calendar. It’s very hands-off for you, which lets you focus on the big picture, instead of getting bogged down by all the back-and-forth.  

Time management hacks for entrepreneurs

Now that you know how to manage your time better, how should you implement it?

My biggest advice is to start small. You do not want to overwhelm yourself. Take it a little bit at a time and build up! I’d love to hear which time management hacks you plan to try. Let me know!