3 June Our Top 5 Time Management Tips June 3, 2019 By NPI Marketing Team Business Tips, Inspection Tips business growth, small business, time management 0 OUR TOP 5 TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS June 3, 2019 | Business Tips, Inspection Tips | small business, time management, business growth By Stepha Vesper When you’re out inspecting a home or business for clients, your time is practically managed for you. You have your set routine in place for inspecting and reporting and it usually takes a fairly predictable amount of time to complete. But what about time outside your day-to-day inspection schedule? Or weekdays when you may not have an inspection at all? Time management is among the top challenges small business owners face. There’s always so much to do, and you probably feel the pressure to do it all . . . and more! While it’s up to you what tasks you prioritize, we’re here to help you buckle down and get those tasks done. Follow these tips to make the most of your time and have more left over for summer fun with family and friends. 1. Actually decide what your priorities are. Keeping yourself busy is easy as a small business owner. Prioritizing is a different story. With a full plate, it can be challenging to determine the tasks that matter most. Start easy: which tasks on your list will have the most direct impact on your bottom line? Which will help you advance toward your goals that much quicker? Those types of tasks should get attention every day. Other to-do list items only need a little time each week, while others may not be worth your time at all. Figure out a list of must-dos and go from there. 2. Know when and where you work best. We all operate on our own wavelength. Some of us are night owls, some early risers. Some of us feel most productive at our home office, while others of us would rather grab a table at a coffee shop or our local library. Whatever your preference is, honor it. You’ll likely be working primarily with the traditional 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. timeframe for inspections, but the rest of the time is yours to experiment with and make your own. As mentioned above, make sure you have a workspace that suits you. If that place happens to be a room in your home, be sure your family is on the same page. For example, when the door to the office is closed or you’re at the kitchen table on your laptop, you’re working and will need quiet time to focus. 3. Map out the amount of time you’d like to spend on each task. It’s tough to get a good grasp on your time when you’re not sure how you’re spending it. When you concentrate on a particular task with no distractions, how long does it take you to get it accomplished? Map out your time the best you can to determine how much you absolutely need. (We’ll pencil in some time for flexibility later.) 4. Utilize an interactive calendar. If you’re tired of having a long, vertical list that never seems to stop growing, try a new approach. There are several excellent options available for digital calendars, but you can never go wrong with Google’s free option. Google calendars allow you to block out time using an easy-to-read color-coding system. This means you can schedule in inspections, report writing, appointments and marketing all in one place, and get a quick and easy snapshot of your day any time you glance at your calendar. 5. Schedule in “wild card” work time. Remember, you’re not a machine. So in order to make the most of the energy that you do have, it’s crucial to schedule in some time for drifting off. We call this “wild card” work time. It’s 30 minutes or so at the end of a task session that allows for you to simply do what you want. Whether that involves continuing to work on what you’re doing, grabbing a cup of coffee or researching a new project, your “wild card” time is your own. Aim to schedule in a few of these “wild card” sessions a week. It’s part of being your own boss—and a good boss allows for well-deserved breaks! Interested in starting your own property inspection franchise? Give us a call! A National Property Inspections, we have the tools inspectors need to succeed. Give Julie a call today at 402-333-9807 ext. 24 for more information. About the Author Stepha Vesper, Marketing Communications Specialist Stepha has more than five years’ experience in marketing, content creation, SEO and copywriting. Her favorite part of her job is assisting franchisees with their digital marketing strategies so they reach their goals that much faster. When she isn’t at work, Stepha is going on adventures with her basset hound, Frank, and husband, Zach, perusing used bookstores, reading or writing. Comments are closed.