Time Management for One-Person Businesses

If I read one more time management book that spends five chapters telling me how to delegate projects, I'm going to scream.

I am a sole proprietor. I have no employees, no spouse or partner, and no children. My cats are not amenable to doing paperwork or housework.

That means delegation is not an option for me. So, how does one handle being the only person in a business? Here are some of my ideas.

1. Use the 30-Second Rule

If you can take care of something in 30 seconds or less (okay, I cheat and give myself two minutes), just do it. Then you can dismiss the item from your mind, your desk, and your "to do" list. The 30-second rule keeps me sane on days when I feel like I'm being overwhelmed with minor requests.

2. Kill Two Birds with One Stone

Set aside one day a week and run all of your errands on the designated day. Keep a list of office supplies and groceries and buy them all at once. Or better yet, order them and have them delivered to your door. Get 90-day supplies of medication instead of 30. Keep a list of birthdays and special events coming up and buy presents and cards once every three months. The more similar tasks you can bundle together, the more efficient you will be.

3. Schedule Routine Tasks

Set aside an hour or so a week to pay bills, write letters or cards, prepare meals for the next week, send invoices, neaten your office space, or do any other tasks that always seem to be getting in your way. It's amazing how quickly they come under control once you've blocked out a certain time to take care of them.

4. Prioritize!

Right now, my living room carpet looks as if it hasn't been vacuumed in a month. There's a really good reason for that: it hasn't. I've had a lot of clients requesting quick turnaround projects as well as a lot of other assignments. Those have been my priorities. Frankly, my living room rug is pretty low on the list. It's okay to let non-essential tasks slide while you see to your business.

5. Consider Hiring Assistance

Sometimes, it actually makes more sense to hire help than to do a task yourself. For instance, I'm terrible at figuring out my taxes. It takes hours of my time, and no matter how careful I think I'm being, I usually screw them up, anyway and end up owing the IRS interest as well as my original taxes. It makes more sense for me to hire a bookkeeper who knows what she is doing than to try to figure it out for myself.

One of my friends who hates cleaning justified hiring a cleaning service in much the same way. His going rate is $75 per hour, and it takes him about three hours to get his home clean. A local housecleaning service costs $65 per cleaning and can usually do the work in less than an hour. This means hiring a housekeeper saves him $160 to have his home cleaned and focus his attention on his writing.

Do you delegate? If so, to whom? 

 

Comments

[backgammon]

decent post, a debt of gratitude is in order regarding the idea..keep it like a pro

[Mary Agnes Antonopoulos]

OMG. Finally a person who gets it. Me too. If ONE more person tells me to hire a team, I will lose my mind. I do not WANT to delegate my work out. I love my work. But it is not easy to manage it. One of my favorite tools has been a simple time tracker. I promise learning to use it will fit into your 2 minute rule (believe it or not). You can get a 21-day trial at http://officetime.net

Just a tip from one solopreneur to another. Oh soloooo meeeeoooooo (that's not MEOW, Debra.... )

Peace, Mary Agnes Antonopoulos
Just Another Freelance Writer

[Cindy Vine]

Very useful tips here, I struggle to hold down a full-time job in management, be a parent, write and do my own marketing!

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Thanks for the great info, its really a nice info about Time Management

[actiemarketing]

Time management is one of the essential values that every businessman should learn to have. We usually see them busy on their work and because of this they do need to wisely manage their time to avoid conflicts with their works.

[Andrei Honteveros]

At home even I am not at the office I try to keep myself productive. It is with the help of managing time effectively when working on chores. Before I start I list my entire tasks on a piece of paper so that I will know what chores I need to do. I also set an estimated amount of time when working on each chore with the use of a stopwatch. This also helps me limit wasted time and improve productivity. At work I do the same thing but I automate it with the help of a time management tool ( http://www.timedoctor.com/blog/2010/07/25/how-is-time-doctor-different-than-rescue-time ). Using this tool it tracks time accurately when working on different tasks. This tool is also what I use to set an estimated amount of time. At the end of the day I feel the fulfillment at work every time I see finished task. The key that I can follow tasks and finish it on time is with discipline.

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I do not WANT to delegate my work out. I love my work. But it is not easy to manage it.

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