4 Painfully Simple Ways To Make More Time For Yourself As An Entrepreneur

As an entrepreneur — and especially as a solopreneur — time really does equal money. Unfortunately, running your own business can be super demanding, leaving you feeling like you’re getting pulled in a million directions all at once.

If you find yourself constantly burning the midnight oil but still feeling like you’re having a hard time getting everything done that you need to, it’s obvious that things need to change. Constantly feeling crunched for time is stressful enough to drive you to burnout.

Plus, it’s a sure sign you aren’t using your time effectively. Fortunately, by using a few simple hacks to make better use of your time, you’ll be able to get more done without feeling overwhelmed.

1. Improve Your Focus By Blocking Off Your Time

Many solopreneurs fall into the trap of trying to multitask to get ahead of their projects. In reality, this usually backfires. Multitasking actually causes you to lose focus as you switch from one activity to another and back again.

Splitting your attention can make you more likely to make costly mistakes. In the end, it will take you longer to finish your tasks, and you’ll probably do a worse job.

I’ve found that one of the best ways to avoid this pitfall is to block off my time, giving each task on my to-do list laser focus for a set amount of time. Set aside 25 to 30 minutes during which you’ll put all your focus on a single task — writing a client proposal, finishing a project, etc. During this time, you’re not going to check your email, social media or anything else.

Once the “block” is up, you can take a short break and then start a new “block.” Using this method to cut out distractions will help you make the most of each hour of the day.

2. Use More Technology

Chances are, as an entrepreneur, you already use a fair amount of technology. Heck, probably more than half of freelancers do their work entirely over the internet.

Of course, just because you’re using technology, doesn’t necessarily mean you’re using it in a way that helps you save time. But instead of using technology as a distraction (looking at you, social media), an ever-increasing array of tools makes it possible to automate a larger portion of your work than ever before.

From automating bill payments and invoicing to scheduling social media posts to managing calendar appointments and streamlining communication with clients and other contractors, there are digital tools and apps for just about everything.

I’m not saying you need to use every tool imaginable, but selecting the right automation tools will go a long way in helping you save time on routine, necessary tasks.

3. Learn To Love Outsourcing And Delegation

But what about those tasks that require a bit more care and attention than simply plugging in numbers? Well, this is where you as an entrepreneur need to let outsourcing and delegation become your friends.

This became especially clear during a recent conversation with Daniel Mitchell, founder and CEO of Alt-Tech. He explained, “There are certain areas, like managing IT systems, where the average entrepreneur simply doesn’t have the know-how to manage everything. Trying to do this yourself isn’t just stressful — it puts your business at risk. Outsourcing this and other tasks to experienced professionals who specialize in these areas reduces the burden so entrepreneurs can focus on their area of expertise.”

Whether you hire freelancers for occasional help on your projects or contract with another company to manage back office tasks for you, outsourcing and delegation will help you get the job done quickly and effectively. Even more importantly, you can have confidence that the job will get done right the first time.

4. Set Limits For ‘Time Thieves’

We love to talk about Facebook and Instagram as the big time-wasters in an entrepreneur’s day, but these can pale in comparison to unplanned business activities that consume your precious time. Last-minute requests for meetings, surprise phone calls and other work-related disruptions can mess with your focus and consume far too much of your day.

Left unchecked, you could find yourself spending more time in teleconferences than actually completing work for your clients.

To put a stop to this problem, make a plan for how you’ll avoid with these interruptions. When blocking off your time to focus on a task, consider shutting off your phone entirely and set other communication apps to “do not disturb.”

You can also set ground rules to further limit how much these time thieves impact your day. If you limit yourself to five to ten minutes per phone call, or only allow for one unexpected meeting per day, it’s going to be much easier to keep on track. Setting firm boundaries and remembering to say “no” when needed will keep you from losing precious hours.

Master Your Time, Master Your Career

You can’t always control how your day goes — but with some smart planning and use of the resources available to you, you can have confidence that you’ll ultimately have enough time to finish everything you need to do in any given week.

By using these tips to create more time for yourself, you’ll be able to work smarter and enjoy a healthier work-life balance, too!