Saving Time as an Entrepreneur: 10 Tips for Busy Solo Entrepreneurs

Do you sometimes feel that you are running out of time every day to do what you want to do in your company? Then read on. In this article, I share my tips for working more effectively and saving time. Tips that also save you time as an entrepreneur, so that you have more time for other things.

How to save time as an entrepreneur?

Are you often inclined to let your company take precedence so that sports, hobbies, or friends are lost? I don’t know about you, but I often want to do more than is possible in one day. I constantly have the feeling that there are too few hours in a day. You quickly think ‘just do this one job’ and then you are an hour further.

As a solo entrepreneur, you have quite a few tasks on your plate. You are your own boss and your own employee. That is why I always try to find ways to work more productively so that I have more time to exercise, ride a horse, or for other fun things. Below I share my tips. Maybe it will help you so that you also use your time  smarter and get more done in one day.

# 1 Make a to-do list and stick to it

Every morning I make a to-do list. I make a cup of tea and then write down all the big and small tasks I want to do. And I’m not going to stop until I’ve done all of these. It’s such a nice feeling when you can cross things off your list 😉 Be realistic about what you can do in a day. Determine 3 to 5 important tasks in a day. Instead of putting ‘project XYZ on your list, you divide such a project into smaller tasks. So write down specific tasks for this project. And stick to your to-do list too!

So if you want to create a Facebook ad, divide it into tasks like create ad texts, search for images or record videos, create ads, etc. By dividing a large project into smaller tasks, you are not only more productive, but the chance is also much smaller than you postpone it. Because you are not overwhelmed by a huge project.

So make a to-do list and write down your tasks. You can simply do this on a piece of paper, in a paper calendar, a Google calendar, or use one of these handy tools.

• Todoist
• Wunderlist
• Trello
• Asana

# 2 Deal with the quick tasks right away

When you’re done with your to-do list, split it into 2 parts. You can just mark this. See which tasks you can complete in minutes. And which tasks take more time. So divide your tasks into:

• Tasks that take less than 5 minutes to complete.
• Important tasks that take longer to complete.

Start with the quick tasks that don’t take too much time. Deal with it immediately. Send that email quickly or make that phone call. It feels good to be able to cross these tasks off your list. Concentrate and complete these tasks one by one. Then you immediately have the feeling that you have already done a lot!

Then you determine what the most important tasks are of the other tasks (which therefore take more time). Place these in order of priority. You can also mark this or add a number. Start with your most important task, even if you don’t like it. What is the most important task and absolutely must be done today? You are likely to postpone the things you don’t like quickly. But those things also just have to happen.

# 3 Focus on a task

Whatever you do, don’t let other things disturb you. That is the biggest secret to saving time as an entrepreneur. This allows you to work much faster and with a better result. So don’t multi-task!

Focus your full attention on that one task you are working on. A handy tool is to apply the ‘Pomodoro technique. This prevents procrastination and makes you less distracted. How does the Pomodoro technique work?

• With this, you divide all your tasks into sub-tasks that take 25 minutes.
• Then you set the timer for 25 minutes and focus on a task.
• Then check off the task and take a 5-minute break before starting the next task.
• When you have 4 Pomodoro ready, take a longer break of 15 to 25 minutes.

By using this Pomodoro technique, you will train your brain to concentrate in blocks of 25 minutes. Do you suddenly remember something like that phone call you still have to make or the message you still have to get for dinner? Make a note of this and immediately focus on your one task again. So work in blocks of 25 minutes, no shorter or longer. Do you have tasks that are shorter? Then combine 2 similar tasks in one Pomodoro block.

# 4 Only check your email at a fixed time

How often do you check your email? Probably more often than you think. I know it’s important to answer customers as quickly as possible, but checking your email every half hour can be very distracting. So turn off your email notifications.

I found myself checking my email regularly in between to answer customer questions. I myself noticed that I lost my focus because of this. After that, I often stopped the task I was doing and started something else again. At the end of the day, I was a little frustrated because I felt that I had done way too little.

Put your cell phone out of reach and set it to do not disturb. Because all those beeps are distracting. If a notification comes from Facebook or Whatsapp, it makes you curious again. Now I deliberately put my phone out of sight and I try to check my email only at fixed times.

• At the start of my workday.
• Just after lunch.
• At the end of my working day.

Of course, customers want a quick answer, but they really are not waiting for you to answer. They also continue with their activities. If it is really urgent, they will call or send a Whatsapp message.

# 5 Create a FAQ page

Another way to save a lot of time as an entrepreneur is to create an FAQ page. If you spend a lot of time answering emails that keep asking the same questions, post an FAQ page on your website where you answer these questions. With such an FAQ page on your blog or website, customers can already find the answers on your website that they wanted to send you by email. You can also email the link to that page to new customers.

# 6 Plan your blogs

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I just don’t feel like writing a blog. Fortunately, there are also plenty of days when I am overflowing with inspiration and completely in the flow. My advice is to make sure you plan your blog content in advance. Anyway, it’s good to batch and plan ahead of your content and make sure you stock up for emergencies.

• Schedule your log content for a year, in less than an hour.
• Batch content to work more efficiently.

# 7 Schedule your social media posts

Every Monday morning I schedule my social media posts for the whole week. Then I already prepare a number of tweets and Facebook messages so that I no longer have to worry about them. Of course, I can always post spontaneously and respond to people during the day.
But this helps to keep focus and not hang out on social media for hours while working on a blog. There are plenty of tools to schedule your social media posts.

• Hootsuite: allows you to schedule messages for Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, and Instagram.
• Tailwind: is perfect for scheduling your Pinterest posts.
• Later: do you want to schedule your Instagram posts from your laptop instead of your phone? Both are possible with this app.

Do you need help planning your social media posts? Not sure what kind of content is best to post on social media? Then my social media content calendar can help.

Social media content calendar.

# 8 Tidy up your workplace

If your working environment is tidy, it also brings peace of mind. This makes you more productive. Make sure your workplace is tidy and that you organize files neatly on your laptop. This is sometimes a challenge for me 😉 It saves a lot of time time as an entrepreneur if you don’t have to spend hours looking for a specific file on your laptop. And you can better focus on your work if you don’t have to worry about where that notebook is now.

# 9 Have a routine

It is good to make a schedule or schedule for your work, but also plan enough time for relaxation. That works wonders to stay productive and creative. Do what you have to do every day and try to make it a routine as much as possible. Also for your hobbies. Schedule time for exercise or hobbies.

Scheduling these good habits can really boost your energy levels. That makes you a lot more productive. I also like to sleep in from time to time (I’m really not a morning person) but I achieve the most if I really stick to my schedule. This way I get more done and I can cross things off my to-do list faster.

# 10 Say no more often

By simply saying no, you can save tons of time as an entrepreneur. Always ask yourself critically whether the things you do actually contribute to the goals you want to achieve and whether they fit into your schedule. And otherwise, just say ‘no’. Be very clear about this, that will prevent irritation.

Nobody thinks it strange if you say ‘no’ once or indicate that you always work on your blog on Monday and therefore do not want to schedule appointments. You are your own boss and therefore also the boss of your own time as an entrepreneur. And if you say ‘yes’ to something, it automatically means that you say ‘no’ to something else …

Also Read: 5 Pillars for Fastest Growing Companies