Six Time Management Secrets for the Home Business

Everyone has experienced the frenzy of having too much to do and too little time to do it in.  Sometimes our poor time management skills require us to run even faster on that crazy hamster wheel.  But you went into business so that you could have more time for yourself.  So how did you end working even more hours?  Here are ten time-saving tips to help you manage your business and recover your life. 

1. Templatize
How many repetitive tasks do you do in one day?  If you’re wasting time creating the same documents or sending the same types of emails, it’s time to standardize some of these tasks.  Create form letters, standard documents, and redundant text for typical, lengthy emails.  This should save you time, and because time is money, you’ll be able to spend that saved time either making more money or enjoying what you’ve already made.

2. Plan Daily
The old adage goes, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”  Take a few minutes every morning to review your schedule and plan your day.  This time will go far in helping you use your time more effectively.

3. Prioritize Tasks
Just last week I spent 5 hours on a project I felt strongly about, but when I looked over my accomplishments later, I realized I hadn’t finished a task that was more important and timely.  When we don’t prioritize our tasks, we run the risk of putting a lot of effort into something that isn’t crucial.  

4. Avoid Procrastination
Procrastination is the great time-killer.  It would be interesting to count up all the time wasted simply by procrastinating crucial tasks.  How much time and energy do we spend worrying about one of those important to-do items?  How often do we distract ourselves with silly things like straightening our desks or purchasing unneeded office supplies in order to delay unpleasant tasks?  Take a deep breath and procrastinate no more.  And reward yourself for it later.

5. Become a Speed Reader
We’re not kidding.  Some of us are slow readers, and lots of time could be saved in learning how to locate significant data quickly.  It also helps us to keep abreast of information that is crucial to our success in the tax profession.

6. Log Interruptions
Everyone business person is interrupted countless times a day.  Some of those interruptions help grow your business (like clients who call with work for you to do).  But some interruptions are unnecessary and, if anticipated, can be handled in a timelier manner.  So take a simple pad of paper and for one week note each interruption.  Be sure to note the time, date, interrupter, and the subject of the interruption.  Once you have the information you can evaluate it.  Which interruptions could have been avoided?  Which were of no value?  Perhaps you have someone calling you for information that you could teach them to find themselves?  While the teaching moment may cost you an hour now, it may save you hours in the end. 

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