Small Business Advice: Manage Your Time With This Spreadsheet

by Dawn Fotopulos on June 13, 2012

Invest Your Time

Before you know it, Friday is here and you didn’t accomplish half the things you had planned during the week. Does this sound familiar?

Laura Vanderkam has a great article on how to emulate what the most successful people do.

Most people act like  money is limited and time is limitless. The exact opposite is true. We only get 24 hours in a day. How do you invest your time and how would you LIKE to invest that time?

Start by capturing how you spend your time now. Laura has a great Excel spreadsheet that enables you to describe how you invested a few minutes or a few hours.

Go here to download it for free. I did and I intend to use it faithfully.

Laura suggests identifying key categories in your day.

Log Your Personal Time

Personal time can include commuting to work, commitments to your family, sleeping, and exercising.

Log Your Professional Time

Professional time can include contacting existing customers, delivering your service, getting out bills and collecting cash promotion for future business.

Make believe your a lawyer or an accountant. You have billable time (directly affects the revenues of the business) and non billable (support) time.

Track Your Actual Time for Five Days

Map your day for five days. Fill in the “non-negotiables” first like sleep and exercise.  Add in the revenue producing activities for your business. Then add in time for supporting paperwork so you don’t lose control of what’s happening in the company.

Just do this for five days. Make sure you capture the time you’ve wasted online, on your mobile phone and Facebook socializing.

Make Course Adjustments

Now you can see where your time is going and you can make adjustment.

This analysis will encourage you to find easier, more time efficient ways to accomplish everything you need to.

Spend more time on building your network and your reputation.

Make “dates” with your children or mate. Don’t let weeks go by without working out.

You’ll feel better, happier and more productive.

Thanks Laura!

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn!

_________________________________________________________________

Our Instant CFO, Instant Marketing Manager and Instant Sales Manager Courses will teach everything you need to know about running a successful small business.  A $249 value for only $49. You get the Instant Marketing Manager and Instant Sales Manager Courses as a BONUS!

And it’s 100% guaranteed. If you’re not satisfied, we’ll refund your money.

 


Stay in the Loop

Want the best small business tips? Sign up here and get our cash flow report for free. No spam.

{ 0 comments… add one now }

Leave a Comment

Previous post:

Next post: