Authored by Phil Cohen
Everybody knows that the life of a small business owner is a busy one. It can seem as if there is a never-ending “to do list” for ambitious entrepreneurs who are looking to expand their company and reach success. If you are finding that it is impossible to accomplish all of your daily goals, here are a few time-saving strategies that you may want to try!
Avoid the E-Books and Tablet
While they are convenient, IPads, Kindles, and other electronic reading devices have actually been proven to decrease the speed at which one reads (by as much as 10%). If you have a long document to read and sift through, it is much more time efficient to read physical, printed text. In the average workday, you read far more than you realize in order to conduct business. Make sure you are doing it as quickly as possible so you can focus your efforts on growth—not the screen of a tablet.
Google Calendar
Google has become omnipresent among tech-devices. You can use all of Google’s programs on your phone, tablet, computer… in fact, it is almost impossible to not have constant access to Google in today’s world. Use that to your advantage. Google has a very useful tool called Google Calendar which is, obviously, an online personal scheduling program. However it is much more useful than your typical internet planner. Google Calendar will remind you of your daily events by sending notifications to your phone, your computer and tablet, as well as sending you emails as a reminder. It is difficult not to be reminded of an event if you properly take advantage of the Google Calendar system. For ambitious owners, it really is the best way to organize your plans. It is always with you and it can always find a way to keep you on schedule.
Have a “Check Email” Schedule
Emailing is fast, emailing is efficient—but, like social media, it is also a great way to get distracted and waste time. There is simply no need to check your email every fifteen minutes. Designate four or five specific times throughout your workday to check and respond to emails, and stay away from answering personal mail or sifting through junk mail.
Keep a Clean Desk
It is far more difficult to get distracted if you do not have a bunch of unnecessary objects (magazines, newspapers, etc.) sitting on your desk. When there is only your work in front of you, it is far easier to get it done.
Create Deadlines for Everything
It can sometimes make all of the difference in the world if you have set yourself a due date for all of your projects. Pick a time in the week by which you would like to have a project finished, add it to your Google Calendar schedule, and take your deadlines seriously. You will find that you are finishing your tasks much faster.
Factor!
If your attempts at expansion are continually stifled by a lack of working capital or you simply cannot feasibly finance with bank loans, it is time to look into small business invoice factoring. Factor Finders can help you get access to working capital very quickly so that you do not need to wait for your clients and customers to pay off outstanding accounts receivables. Stop waiting and start growing!