Finding the time to run a company and get everything else done is tough. If the statement, “I didn’t have the time” is starting to become something you say three times per day, at least, you have to start shuffling things around. The truth is that you do have the time to get more done. You just have to find it. Here’s how.
Clock CC Photo Courtesy of Rachael Towne1. Cut out those things that are wasting your time. If you spend two hours a night, or more, watching television or playing games, chop those things out of your life at least four nights per week. Suddenly, you will have eight or more hours added to your work to get other stuff done – but don’t cram work into your free time, you need those hours to unwind too.
2. Shut your phone off on the weekend – like, all the way off. Instead of spending time answering emails and chatting with friends, disconnect completely. Spend that time refreshing your mind, or doing something like reading an actual book.
3. Learn to outsource. There are some work tasks that you can easily outsource, and you’ll save yourself time in the process. If you can send out some remedial work, do it.
4. Tame your email inbox. With the dawn of the smartphone, it’s easy to check your email more than thirty times per day. Get into the habit of only checking your phone once or twice per day – any emails that you miss can certainly wait.
5. Learn to do something while you wait. If you have a doctor’s appointment or any other meeting that will require you to spend some time waiting, don’t waste that time. Either spend this time calling people, reading a book, or doing something else that is much more productive than just sitting and waiting.
6. Make a daily list of priorities. Always put the tougher tasks first, so that you can get over those and move onto the easier stuff. You should make a list every day, and check things off as you go along.
7. Avoid people that can suck your time and all of your energy. We all have these people in our lives. You might not be able to avoid those people completely, but you can learn to spend a lot more time away from those that completely zap you of any energy.
8. Stop with the social media. How many times per day do you check your Facebook or LinkedIn page? You can use a time-tracking program to find out how many minutes you are really spending on social sites – trust me, you’ll be surprised to see this number.
9. Don’t leave everything for the weekend. Weekends are really meant to give you the time to recharge and unwind, so don’t leave things like doing home repairs for Saturday. Pick a day during the week, like Thursday, to get those things done instead.
10. Track your time. For two weeks, write down what you do and when you do it. You’ll quickly see where your time is wasted!
Preparing for an Upcoming Show
If you are about to attend a trade show of any kind, you probably have more than two handfuls of tasks to get through. The tips above will help you navigate your time and find more hours in your day, but having a crew that can put up, take down, and troubleshoot any trade show booth issues or problems is also part of time saving.
At Blazer Exhibits, we create and build custom trade show booths, but we also offer a full range of services including the expert setup and take down of a trade show booth or display booths that are intricate or specialized. Call us today for rates, details, and information about our additional services for display booths.