Big Time Wasters: How to Stop Wasting Time
No one likes to spend their invaluable time wasting their invaluable time. And, for entrepreneurs especially, this simply cannot afford to happen.
When entrepreneurs spend their time doing things that someone else should be doing or could be doing more efficiently, they begin to lose time, energy and – gasp! – money.
So here are some of the ways you could be wasting your time – and a plan to avoid that in the future.
1. Disorganization & Inadequate Planning
Consider this your formal invitation to set aside time and begin to take small steps to become more organized. Disorganization leads to a foggy brain and ultimately frustration in your business.
Put simply: It’s not worth it to let yourself fall into this space.
Many tools can be used to communicate and manage project tasks with your team. Here are some of the tools and apps our teams at BELAY leverage to stay organized.
1. Slack is a collaboration hub that connects your organization – all the pieces and the people – so you can get things done. And we’re here to corroborate those claims. Our entire organization uses Slack to stay connected.
2. Basecamp is a project-management app that combines all the tools teams need in a single, straightforward platform.
3. Asana is a cloud-based software that facilitates colleagues within an organization to track and manage the progress of projects. Tasks are created to monitor individual contributions to a larger, collaborative project. Many teams in BELAY use Asana, so we’re big fans here.
4. Trello is a collaborative app that organizes your projects so you know what's being worked on, who's working on it, and its status.
5. Todoist is a top-ranked productivity app for organizing life. It keeps track of all your tasks, projects, and goals in one clean, user-friendly, simple place.
6. Zapier is an online automation tool that connects over 1,000 of your favorite apps. Connect two or more apps to automate repetitive tasks without coding or relying on developer integration, move information between web apps automatically, and develop your very own workflow with just a few clicks.
7. Toggl is a time-tracking app that allows you to track your daily activities across different platforms while providing detailed insights, reporting, automated tracking, and an opportunity to optimize your workflow by identifying areas where you can improve.
2. Email
Email can be another major time-suck.
Whether you’re Team Inbox Zero or Team I’ll-Keep-All-Of-These-Emails-Right-Here-In-The-Inbox, spending a large amount of time on email management can still get tricky.
There are many ways you can better manage your email overload.
Set aside designated time to check your email each day, whether it’s an hour total or several blocks of a few minutes spread throughout — whatever works best for you. You can even take it a step further by setting your calendar as ‘busy’ during those times.
During this time, address emails immediately. Don’t put them off or add them to tomorrow’s to-do list. Take the time to respond or make action items now so that you are more clear of the priorities.
You should also be unsubscribing to the emails you don’t need. Think: newsletters, promotional emails and solicitations. You can search for the term ‘unsubscribe’ within your inbox to quickly locate all senders from whom you can opt out.
Taking these steps will allow you to focus better during the day while simultaneously clearing the floating cartoon-like word clouds in your head.
3. Micromanaging
You have to trust your team. When you hand them the keys, you open up endless possibilities and empower them to help you.
But when you’re spending time checking in on the projects they are completing on their own and micromanaging, you slow down the process.
Micromanaging your team makes it appear that you don’t trust them, which will eventually lead to them not trusting you.
We break this concept down even more in this episode of our podcast.
4. Not Delegating
At some point, when a high-performing leader is excelling, they come to a place where productivity reaches a crossroads: The intersection of ʻDo It Myselfʼ and ʻDone For Me.ʼ
The former protects your money, the latter protects your time. And when you begin to delegate, you become productive — the best result!
Productivity is measured by results, whenever and wherever work happens. And this resource explains how leaders can equip their teams to maximize productivity to maximize results.
A Leadership Podcast For Small Business Owners
Are you ready to get more done and see more results? One Next Step is the business mentor you’ve always wanted.
Our hosts, BELAY CEO Tricia Sciortino and CFO Lisa Zeeveld, aim to provide takeaways and actionable insights for you every single week so you can affect change in your business as soon as possible.
Make sure to subscribe so that you don’t miss any more tips on productivity and organization that can help you stop wasting your time.
And there’s never been a better time to hire a BELAY Virtual Assistant as we’re offering $300 off your start-up fee when you talk to us about a VA by August 31, 2022.
So what are you waiting for? Organize your life – both personally and professionally – today!