Introduction
The world of corporate doesn’t sleep nor stop. It’s ever-evolving and growing. Time, here, is an investment, and the wise time investment is the most valuable investment one can make when in the world of entrepreneurship.
Time management is not a natural talent but a skill developed over time. It is a life skill honed with conscious effort made towards it. While some people may believe otherwise, time management is actually quite easy to cultivate, given that appropriate efforts are made towards it.
Below we discuss 7 tips to manage your schedule like a pro-entrepreneur. They’re practical and simple to follow and cultivate.
1. Invest in a journal
Journaling is one of the most productive ways to sketch out a plan for yourself and get your routine in check. Journaling seems pretentious to some and too hectic to others. While it does appear a little tedious, to begin with, and maybe a little confusing, journaling is actually a pretty easy task.
You can even lookup different techniques and tutorials on the internet for charts and formats to start with. Please remember that journaling is something that you do for yourself; hence, do it however you prefer it. Be as expressive or as concise as you wish.
2. Create a routine
Discipline is an essential habit to cultivate for anyone who aspires to be successful. The first step towards that direction is creating a routine. When we set ourselves into a routine, tasks become manageable, and we can think with much clarity. Creating a routine helps in increasing productivity rate while being all over the place decreases it. Obviously, this is easier said than done. Hence, begin with little steps.
Try doing little things and cultivating small good habits, like making your bed in the morning right after you wake up. Scientifically, it takes 21 days to develop any habit. So, take this up as a 21-day challenge. Choose some small yet good habits you’d like to practice. This might seem very pointless at first, but it won’t take you long before you start making bigger changes and better choices in your life.
3. Exercise and eat healthy
“You are what you eat.” We grew up listening to this saying by our parents. Yet, how many of us truly understand the essence of this phrase? Whatever goes into our bodies reflects on our physical appearance.
Our health is truly our wealth. What are we even without it? This tip is quite simple and self-explanatory. One needs to develop a good workout routine and watch what they eat to be able to function healthily. You can choose from a great variety of options as to what you’d like as a workout routine. Getting in 20-30 minutes of workout 5-6 times a week can work wonders for you!
4. Schedule, schedule, schedule
Another very underestimated yet amazing time-management technique is to schedule everything that you can. This ranges from calls to meetings to emails to literally anything and everything that you can schedule.
The point of scheduling is to prioritize your work and perform tasks that need your immediate attention first and foremost. Scheduling also helps in lesser wastage of time and only dedicating the required amount of time to any task.
5. Learn to say ‘NO.’
Ah, the n-word! Refusing someone or something is a herculean task. Needless to say, most of us would rather choose to put ourselves through the trouble than refuse. Although, what we fail to realize is that how much this is costing us our time that we, otherwise, would’ve invested and utilized more wisely. There’s a first time for everything. Start saying no to what doesn’t serve or is not compatible with your goals. Eventually, you’ll realize that you are saving a lot more time to perform any necessary tasks.
6. Practice short-form communication
Implementing short-form communication is another technique that can save you a lot of time to perform other important tasks. This also helps in boosting your productivity. Make your meetings and calls last for not more than 10-15 minutes. With such a time limit at hand, no one would be beating around the bush, and tasks will be completed with much more efficiency. This also leaves room for more ideas and improvements because the original idea had already been conveyed quite clearly and without any confusion.
7. Do not compromise on your personal time
At the end of the day, we are all humans. Compromising on personal time is not a smart move if you wish to be successful in the entrepreneurial world. “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” While investing time for yourself might seem unnecessary in the beginning, you’d crave a much-needed break if you don’t make some room for it in your original schedule.
Compromising your personal time also causes other people to hoard it, and you’d find yourself exhausted, mentally and physically. Hence, while the world cheers you on to hustle, do not forget to take care of yourself.
Bonus tip
Try making some time to have an Escape Room experience. While Escape Rooms are a place to have fun, you also return home with a lot of valuable experience that you could implement in your business. From time management to brainstorming to on-the-spot problem-solving skills, you can learn so much at an Escape Room experience!
