Category: time management

Grow Your Business Without Stretching Yourself Thinly

Scott Asai2 Comments

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When it comes to business and working for ourselves, the aim of the game is to grow and make it a thriving success. You are finally doing something that you feel passionate about, and that you are making money from with a flexible working and home life approach. However, the problem you may have is stretching yourself too thinly. There are a lot of plates to spin and sometimes too much to think about. With that in mind, here are some of the ways that you can grow your business without losing your mind.

Outsourcing where needed 

One of the biggest temptations that all business owners will have when it comes to their business is to manage and complete everything themselves. If you want a job done properly, you may as well do it, right? Wrong! This is where you end up not doing things to the best of your ability. Outsourcing can be a real asset to your business, and there are many avenues you can choose, depending on your strengths and weaknesses. Companies like Simplified can offer things such as IT services, websites you find online will give you access to freelancers who can take on roles such as website development or social media management. Work out where your time is best focused, and then consider outsourcing the other elements. 

Working on your time management 

You might need to take some time out to figure out some of the best processes that work for you when it comes to time management. As a business owner, even if you do outsource certain aspects of your workload, you will still need to manage your time and prioritize the things that need to be done quickly. This is when looking into different time management options can help you to succeed in this. There could be many different things you could consider and try that work for you. 

Analyzing your business regularly 

Each week or month, depending on the type of business you have, it will be worth it to sit down and analyze the results. This might be the amount of sales, and the popular times in which they were made. What brought those customers to your business? Was it a deal or an advert? Then look at other things such as website analytics, the demographics of your customers. These things can help you to make better decisions about things moving forward. 

Making allowances 

Finally, even though you may be a business working from home, it is also important for you to make some allowances. This could be anything from having a storage unit for your stock, a dedicated office in your home to help you work better, or even getting to the stage where you lease an office or shop and hire staff. These are exciting prospects and could definitely be a great way to help you move the business forward without stretching yourself and could help you to be more successful moving forward. 

Let’s hope these options have given you something to think about within your business.

Time Management Tips For Self Employed People

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When you first become self-employed it can be a little bit of a shock to the system not having a ‘clocking in’ or ‘clocking out,’ and someone to tell you what time you can eat and use the toilet, yes that sometimes happens! But once the initial excitement and fear wear off, you will find yourself with a workload you had no idea you would be facing, all the time in the world but no idea how you are going to fit everything in. 

If you’re lucky you will have developed some time management skills at least before you take the plunge to work for yourself, but if not, here are a few tips to help you along the way.

Assess The Load

This one sounds a bit like the beginning of a manual handling training session, but it really is ultimately the same thing, you need to know EXACTLY what you are dealing with, write it all down, add it all up and then prioritize the workload. Discover what it is you need to do first, and then you will be able to allocate the right amount of time to it! You can quickly become overwhelmed at the beginning, but if you follow this piece of advice from the beginning, you will soon find yourself gaining momentum and smashing through your projects. 

Use Tools

You have the tools of the trade at the ready, you’ve worked out precisely what equipment you need to get your job done and to run your business effectively, you have the software you need too! But have you considered time management tools? There are lots of different apps and websites that will be able to help you keep on track and delivering results before the deadline is reached. You can also find training on this via Powercall Training too. You’ll thank yourself for doing the research on this one! Don’t forget to keep a very clear and updated diary as well to avoid double-booking yourself! 

Remove Distractions

If you are self-employed, there is a change you’re working from home a lot, which is a great position to be in, except it’s possibly the place with the most distractions you could find! Postmen, pets, and neighbors are always going to be around with their noise and distraction tactics (especially the dog!), so if you can make a space out of the way just for working in, that has fewer distractions you will find it much easier to keep focus. Also, don’t forget to keep social media and messenger services closed when you need to stay on track, this is a significant drain on your attention span!

When it comes to starting out in the self-employed world, then you will want to gather as many resources as possible and keep to the plan. If you’re naturally organized with incredible focus, then you should be fine, if not, well then, start by assessing the load and take it one step at a time! Before you know it, you’ll have a little bit more time free to grab a sandwich maybe!

 

Stop Wasting Time Today: Here’s How

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If you want to be as productive as possible and ensure you’re not constantly playing catch up, then you’re going to want to make sure that you utilize your time as well as possible. However, many workers admit to wasting hours of time each day. Some people admit to even wasting more than 5 whole hours! Whether you’re a business owner, solopreneur, or an employee, that isn’t a good way to spend your time. Just think of the things you could have spent doing in 5 hours, both high energy and low energy tasks. Being aware of what your biggest time sucks are and how you can improve them will help you to make the most of each and every day and get as much done as possible.

Below we’ll explore in more detail what you can do if you want to get more done and be absolutely sure that you’re making the most of your days:

  1. Know When You Are At Your Most Energetic

The key to not wasting time and to getting as much done as possible is to know when you are at your most energetic. Most people are most energetic early in the morning, a small amount are true night owls and get more done at night. Wherever you fall on the spectrum, make sure you’re honest with yourself. This way, you can schedule out when you do your most high energy and low energy tasks and get them done to a high standard.

  1. Find More Effective Ways To Utilize Your Time

There are numerous ways you can ensure you’re utilizing your time in the most effective way. You can outsource and automate tasks that you do every day for example, using freelancers and software. Software like JungoHR | Canada’s 1st HR Software with Multi-Carrier Connectivity can be extremely useful in various industries.

  1. Use Apps And Gadgets

Apps and gadgets can help you to better tracks your time. Timeular is a great gadget that  you can use to track exactly how long you spend on certain tasks and then make changes depending on what you need to do. Then there are apps that you can use to block certain sites from your devices so you can work without distractions.

  1. Plan Your Day In Blocks

Planning your day is key if you want to get as much done as possible. Plan out your time in blocks and know exactly when you’re going to do what and stick to it.

  1. See If You Can Get The Most Important Things Done Early In The Morning

As most people are more productive in the morning, they find it more effective to get the most important things done early on. Try getting up before the rest of the world and see what you can do.

  1. Stop Clouding Your Focus

Social media and emails can fill your head with needless information and cloud your focus for the rest of the day. Don’t let that happen!

Here’s How an MBA Can Help With Personal Development

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An MBA is a great way to develop hard business and finance skills, but technical skills aren’t all you’ll learn in an MBA program. Soft skills like communication, public speaking, stage presence, writing, etiquette and confidence are just as important for success in the business world, and most MBA programs focus on helping students develop them. As you advance in your MBA studies, you’ll find that these skills become key components of your personality as you grow into a more effective leader.

You’ll Gain Credibility

Is credibility really a skill that can be cultivated? It sure is. As you attend MBA classes and learn more about the world of business and finance, you’ll gain confidence, charisma and a persuasive influence that will give you credibility in the eyes of colleagues and employers.

Just having the MBA credential will increase your credibility, because recruiters know how much work it takes to complete one of these difficult degree programs. Just the fact that you chose to do an MBA at all speaks to your work ethic, drive and ambition. You’ll come across as someone who sets, and achieves, goals for his or her career. You’ll develop your work ethic and sense of corporate responsibility, too, both of which will make you seem more credible.

You’ll Learn More About Business Etiquette

If you’ve been in the work force for a while, you likely already have some sense of proper business etiquette. You may already know how to dress, how to listen actively, how to behave at business lunches and professional meetings and how to prepare for presentations and conferences.

However, attending business school will help you hone and develop your business etiquette. For example, many online MBA programs in California and around the country offer their students study-abroad opportunities, where they’re able to travel to major cities around the world, network with business professionals from different cultures and pick up some cross-cultural understanding of business etiquette. That’s an opportunity you may not have already gotten in your professional life. You’ll also have the chance to develop your interview skills, learn how to ask the right questions in a conversation and improve your business email etiquette.

You’ll Become a Better Communicator

Communication skills are so important in business, whether you’re giving a presentation, writing an email or congratulating Tom from accounting on the birth of his new baby. MBA programs are excellent at helping students grow their communication skills, especially since they expect students to carry themselves as managers and leaders from day one.

In your MBA program, you’ll learn stage presence and public speaking skills from classroom presentations and, later, from giving presentations during corporate consulting projects. You’ll learn how to modulate your voice and practice your gestures to become a more effective presenter. You’ll also attend writing workshops that will help you develop your written communication skills – and taking classes online will help with this, too, as writing will most likely be your primary method of communicating with classmates and professors.

Of course, you’ll also learn collaboration and negotiation skills. Even online MBAs place a lot of emphasis on learning to work well with others, and you’ll become extremely familiar with communications technology if you go the online route. You’ll also develop the ability to present strong arguments in negotiations with employers, vendors and clients.

You’ll Cultivate Excellent Time Management Skills

Just about any graduate school program will teach you time management skills, because almost all of them are extremely rigorous. In an MBA program, you’ll be on a tight schedule to prepare, present, and submit assignments, and deadlines will be non-negotiable. By the time you’ve finished with your program, you’ll have great self-discipline and rock-solid time management skills. You’ll also learn the fine art of prioritizing, whether it’s to decide which assignment to work on first, or which events and electives to participate in versus which to leave out of your busy schedule.

Earning an MBA is a great path to a higher salary and a better career, but it’s also a means of deep and meaningful personal development. You won’t be the same person on graduation day that you were on the first day of class – and that’s a good thing because the person you’ll become will be a better, smarter, more confident and knowledgeable you.

What We Really Do In January

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January is a bit of a let down if we’re honest. There is so much hype surrounding December and even November, with the holidays and New Years. And when we reach that time where we cross over to a New Year, there are so many people saying New Year, New Me. Setting resolutions and promises to change and do new, positive things. Unfortunately, those well-meant promises aren’t easily kept. Changing habits or even making new ones takes a lot of willpower. But just because you don’t immediately accomplish every little thing within those first few weeks of the year doesn’t mean that you have failed and should stop trying. What we really do in January doesn’t mean that you won’t accomplish what you set out to do.

Money

Following the holiday’s everyone is scrambling trying to sort out their finances. So many people use their savings to pay for Christmas, and so when it comes to the New Year, their funds are low. Rather than trying to push those minimal finances to stretch to pay for all those new activities you wanted to get involved with, wait a month and give your savings account a chance to gain a little of what it has lost. Besides, most places put up their prices in January purely because so many people sign up this month. So when you get to the end of the month and realize that you haven’t started going to the gym, or haven’t had the money to start eating clean yet, don’t worry.

Normality

Throughout the holiday’s normality goes out of the window. Following Thanksgiving, the build-up to Christmas is a blur of shopping and visiting. Christmas day is all about eating rubbish from the moment you wake up, afternoon naps, and late bedtimes. Then you have the lead up to New Year’s Eve where no one really knows what day it is. So January is a shock to the system as you try and get back to normal. So when you look back at the month, if all you have achieved is getting your sleep pattern right and are eating at the proper times, then consider it an accomplishment.

Set Up

For many people, that first week of January is a ‘set up’ week. Where you call al the places, sign up to all the things, and buy in all the stuff you need to do the things. You come up with ideas and plan how to get them off the ground – if you want to read more on that, you can click here. And then it gets to the end of the month, and you realize you haven’t done much of anything. And that is because you are living through point number two with a budget of number one. Again, see this month as a stepping stone; you have accomplished part of what you have set out to do while getting back into a normal routine and trying not to overspend. That’s an accomplishment.

The New Years Resolution Alternative

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January is the perfect time to set New Year’s Resolutions only to see them fail by February.

The motivation to accomplish lofty goals at the start of the year disappears quickly.

It’s almost as if setting New Year’s Resolutions is a recipe for disaster.

Why is that?

The feeling you have after hearing a motivational speaker is the same as the beginning of a New Year. Inspiration is fickle.

Instead of setting New Year’s Resolutions, try creating new habits.

Habits are to goals as your journey is to the destination.

As an instant gratification-based society goals are sexier because you either achieve them or you don’t. But the downside of that is you’ll eventually fail. Once that happens the chances of you setting another goal decreases.

Habits are actually more controllable. They are based on effort, not results.

While goals depend on some variables you can’t control, habits are completely in your hands (take note Type A people!)

For example weight loss is a popular New Year’s Resolution (goal), but the equivalent habit is working out 3 – 5 times per week. People lose weight at different paces, but going to the gym multiple times a week is something you can track.

Most goal tracking apps for your smart phone are actually disguised as habit trackers. It makes complete sense because habits are much more manageable.

So this year instead of having New Year’s Resolutions figure out what habits will get your desired goals and set those instead!

How To Put The Boring Stuff on Auto-Pilot

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Life is short.  You don’t want to be bogged down by having to spend all your time paying bills, cleaning your house, managing your finances, and grocery shopping.  In this article you’ll discover five simple strategies to put the boring stuff on auto-pilot.

GROCERY SHOPPING

Grocery shopping is surprisingly time-intensive when you consider the time it takes to drive to the store, make your selections, pay at the checkout, pack your bags, unpack your bags, sit in traffic and so on.  A much more efficient solution is to order groceries online.  You can automate this process, by setting up a repeating list of regular items, which you can then add to at will.  This way, you know you have the boring basics taken care of but can still feel free to choose exciting treats for the week ahead.

BATCH COOK FOR THE WEEK AHEAD

Whilst food and cooking can be a passion for some, a lot of the time, particularly during the workweek, it is a laborious chore that isn’t about taste and creative expression – it’s about quickly putting something together as a result of being famished or time starved.  

A great solution, is to batch cook your meals in advance; as an example, you make a large portion of Spaghetti Bolognese at the weekend, that can then be stored in an airtight container such as a foodsaver bag that can be refrigerated or frozen – so, you can have a tasty and healthy meal ready in minutes.  This is a much healthier and cost effective option than to use ready meals, or rely on take-aways.  It may feel restrictive at first, but you can supplement the meals with tasty recipes such as this simple avocado toast.

CLEANING

Okay, not everyone can afford a cleaner but when you consider how many hours it can take to actually clean a house, it really isn’t many – the time intensity can be found more in organizing and sorting.  Therefore, it’s possible that you could pay a cleaner for just two hours each week and know the basic household chores will be taken care of.

AUTOMATE YOUR FINANCES

It can be very simple to systematize your finances.  A good idea is to set up your bill payments so they all leave your account on the date you get your first paycheck of the month (e.g. the first of the month).  Similarly, it would be a good idea to set up an automatic saving plan that also comes out on the first of the month – you could even divide this into specific sub-savings accounts.  This way, you know that your core financial priorities are taken care of, and whatever is left from your paycheck, is free to consume as you wish.  Not only will this save time but it will also save a significant amount of stress.

AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS

If you are a business owner, then you can use automated tools like Mailchimp, Buffer, and ThePaystubs.com to automate common tasks like email follow up, social media postings, and pay slip processing.  You may wish to consider taking advantage of the trend in outsourcing, where a lot of the more mundane tasks are outsourced to a virtual assistant, or even hire a more specialist virtual assistant, to help with more complex (yet boring) tasks such as accounting.

Outsourcing 101: Everything You Need to Know

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An increasing number of businesses are choosing to outsource today. As businesses grow, owners delegate certain tasks to external professionals to help them get ahead. If you are at this stage at your business, you may be searching for a bit more information about the outsourcing process and what to outsource. This post reveals everything you need to know.

What is outsourcing?

Outsourcing is a rather broad term. In general, it means assigning a task that would typically be performed in-house to a firm or individual outside your own office. Outsourcing can take many different forms, including the following:

  • Using online services for one-off tasks
  • Using work-from-home contractors and virtual assistants
  • Working with an agency to help you locate the best outsource contractors
  • Contracting with outsourcing firms that provide a wide selection of services
  • Hiring speciality independent contractors to perform tasks that your current staff do not cover

There are no restrictions regarding the tasks that can be outsourced. Everything from social media marketing and technical support to human resources (HR) and accounting can be outsourced.

What are the benefits of outsourcing?

There are many benefits associated with outsourcing, so long as you go about it in the correct manner. This includes the following:

  • Cost savings – One of the main reasons why a lot of business owners outsource is to save money. This is because you pay for what you need when outsourcing, which can sometimes be cheaper than the cost of taking on new staff or training your existing employees.
  • A specialist service – You can take advantage of expert knowledge to ensure a task is carried out to the highest standard. If you run a pet store, for example, it makes sense to outsource your marketing to a firm or individual that has the specialist skills to give your pet store greater visibility and attract more customers.
  • Develop internal staff – Rather than your staff focusing on tasks that do not fall within their specialism, they can focus on skills that will benefit your business and your bottom line.
  • Risk management – Inconsistency and uncertainty can occur when there are periods of high employee turnover. Outsourcing can help to bring a level of continuity to your business while reducing the risk that would occur due to a substandard level of operation.
  • Staffing flexibility – You can easily adapt to cyclical or seasonal demands thanks to outsourcing, as you can bring in added resources as and when you need them.
  • Focus on core activities – Focus on what your business does best! By outsourcing important business activities that are not your main area of specialism, your team can re-focus without sacrificing service or quality in the back-office.

How do you decide what to outsource?

The key question… should you outsource that or is it better to continue handling it in-house? There are a number of key questions you can ask yourself to determine whether you should outsource something.

  • Will you save money by outsourcing? The first thing you need to do is spend a bit of time working out your finances. You need to determine what is the most cost-efficient route to go down. It is important to consider costs as a whole; don’t merely look at the startup costs. Outsourcing can often be a bit more costly to begin with, yet it is usually cheaper in the long run. This is why it is a good idea to calculate the costs over a period of a year when comparing the two so that you can get a good understanding of the true cost of both options.
  • Is it distracting your employees? Are your employees spending more time on the task in question that they should be? If you find that your core activities are suffering because your employees’ attention is elsewhere, it is time to start thinking about outsourcing. This will enable your staff to focus on doing what they do best.
  • Do you need a one-off service or will it be on going? This is one of the important questions you need to ask yourself. Does this part of your business require constant attention? Is it a one-off task? Or will you only require people during certain months of the year? This will help you to determine whether outsourcing is right for you. If it is a one-off task you are dealing with, outsourcing is often best. For example, if you require legal services for a case that has been made against your business, this isn’t something that happens every day, and so it is certainly better to enlist the help of professionals. This site explains more about seeking outside expertise for such incidents. On the other hand, if this is an on-going task, for example, bookkeeping or accounting, you may want to consider keeping it in-house. This is so long as it is not distracting your employees, as per the former point.
  • Does the task demand specialist skills? You need to discover whether specialist skills are required for the task. For instance, if you are going to start a marketing campaign, and your team does not have any training or experience in this area, you may want to consider outsourcing. After all, the success of your service or product will heavily rely on how it is marketed, and so it is important to get it right. You don’t want to risk your product being a flop because of an amateur marketing campaign.

Before you get started…

Before you get started, make sure you carry out the following steps…

  • Make sure you put together thorough mock-ups – People are going to be fives times more likely to respond to you if you are clear about your requirements. Of course, your requirements may change over time, and this is completely fine. However, you do need to be clear about what is necessary so that you and the professionals you are conversing with are on the same page.
  • Know your budget – The next thing you need to do is determine how much you can afford. You will be able to narrow down your search more effectively if you know your budget.
  • When do you want to start – In most cases, the answer to this question will be ‘yesterday!’ However, it is important to have a good think about when you do really need to start the project. Service providers will often pitch to you depending on the availability of talent within their teams.
  • Deadline – It is also important to determine when the tasks need to be completed by. Do not enforce a strict deadline for the sake of it, as you could end up alienating some of the best candidates. However, if you do have a strict deadline and you cannot budge, make sure you are upfront from the very beginning.
  • Your necessities – You should make a list of any of the necessities you have, i.e. those qualities that you simply won’t budge on. For instance, you may require specific experience or you may want a service provider that is local.
  • Understand your priorities – Last but not least, you need to understand your priorities. Figure out what is important to you, be it scalability, security, budget, timeline or something else.

Hopefully, you now have a better understanding regarding the process that is entailed when outsourcing, as well as how to decide what areas of your business to outsource. You can now start looking for the best service providers for the tasks you have ready to be completed.

The Ultimate Work Productivity Hack

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There’s no substitute for hard work, but what if I told you there’s a hack to it?

Similar to athletes you and I want to “get in the zone” at work, but believe it’s not controllable.

It is.

Productivity is traced back to mental capacity and energy, but there’s a biological trigger for that: exercise.

Specifically: morning workouts.

Before complaining you’re not a morning person, listen to this: moderate to high workouts release endorphins which not only make you feel good, but boost your mood and energy for up to 12 hours after.

That’s why you’re in a better mood after it’s over and why working out at night before sleeping is counterintuitive (unless you want to stay up late).

Working out first thing in the morning (before breakfast) not only gets your body, but your mind right. Unless you slept less than 5 hours, worked out for the past 3 days in a row or are recovering from an injury disregard how unmotivated you feel. Get up and go to the gym (focus on how you’ll feel after).

Once you’ve completed it, take a shower and eat breakfast. Now your window for optimal work is open.

Take for instance my weekly workout schedule:

Morning workouts: Sunday, Monday and Thursday 7:30 – 8:30 AM

Basketball: Tuesday and Friday 6:30 – 7:30 AM

Rest days: Wednesday and Saturday

This gets me showered, eaten breakfast and working by 9 AM.

What morning workouts also unlock is your optimal working hours: when you’re the most alert and productive.

Since early morning exercise triggers it mine is: 9 AM – 3 PM.

Take it a step further: I do my best (alone) work 9 AM – 12 PM, so 12 – 3 PM is normally reserved for meetings, phone calls, video chats, etc.

I can get stuff done before 9 AM if I run ahead of schedule, but normally after 3 PM my focus drops considerably (use this time after for less-brainpower tasks such as: checking emails, planning your next day, etc).

Factor in I want to go home to see my family, but still this was true ever since sticking to a consistent workout schedule. The actual times will vary based on your lifestyle, yet the important point is to recognize the catalyst: morning workouts.

You and I tend to separate physical, emotional and mental states, but they are deeply connected. If you have time, read Harvard Business Reviews’s The Making of a Corporate Athlete. It completely changed my outlook on work.

Finding your optimal work productivity is simple: workout first thing in the morning and reap the benefits immediately after.

How to Diversify Your Career (Like Your Portfolio)

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Financial advisors will tell you never put all your eggs into one basket.

Brilliant advice, but why does it need to stop there?

Having one source of income is risky.

If you’re working corporate and get laid off/fired you’re in trouble.

If you’re an entrepreneur/freelancer and lack predicable paychecks you’re screwed.

You and I have been told to choose something for your career then focus all your time and energy there, but what if that isn’t great advice?

What if I told you can have both? (have your cake and eat it too!)

There are pros and cons to choosing working for someone else vs. working for yourself, but if you manage your time right and stay organized there’s no reason you can’t sustain two or more options.

You may be hesitant to monetize your passion, which is fine, but is there another side project you can earn money from?

If working a salaried position within a company, “full-time” needs to be defined up front (ask in the interview process). The scary part is once you’re on salary you’re not being paid for the hours worked, but essentially based on the needs of the company (translation: overtime is not optional or compensated for).

Remember full-time is technically 30 hours and if you’re dealing with a startup you can negotiate this ahead of time. In fact it’s refreshing that most people working in startups actually encourage you to have side hustles.

Google made “side projects” cool by promoting 20% time. Employees get 20% of their work time to spend collaborating with others trying to create new products/services. Now everyone doesn’t work for Google or a company of that stature, but we all have the same amount of time in week to use accordingly.

For instance if you’re working a 9-6 job plus have a family, set aside a few hours a week after putting the kids down to draft out and test your ideas. If you’re single or dating, you really have no excuses.

Maybe you’re waiting for permission or inspiration, but like most things in life consistent practice brings results. Ask most successful entrepreneurs how many times they failed and the number is far greater than those who haven’t tried.

In the gig economy your “job” will change more frequently so if you’re not learning new skills or polishing your current ones, you’ll be left behind.

My point is don’t rely on one source of income to sustain you. In a fast-paced, changing world it’s better to have options in case something doesn’t pan out the way you anticipated it to. Life comes at you fast. Be ready.

Diversify your career. You have a better chance of succeeding that way.