3 Tips on How to Take Control of Your Time

I try to write blog posts about things that I am personally struggling with. I feel like I can’t be the only one that is having trouble with these things. I try to find solutions to my own problems and hope that sharing them can help some other small business owner.

Now that summer is over, my schedule has seemed to explode with meetings and events. I was definitely getting used to the more leisurely pace of summer, but now it is time to get into the hustle and bustle of Fall.

As my schedule gets fuller, I want to make sure I am setting myself up for success. There has to be a balance between meetings and actually being at my desk, getting work done. I have never really had “rules” when it comes to my schedule, but to preserve my sanity and make sure I am getting the work done that people are paying me for, I am implementing a few things:

Schedule meetings for one day a week.  

This is something I’m starting to try this week. I want to make sure that I have 3-4 solid days at my computer each week to only work on client projects. Thus, I have decided to try to schedule all of my meetings on one day. This way I can plan ahead for that day out and about.

Meetings take a lot of time. There is obviously the meeting itself, but then there is the transportation time. A one-hour meeting can end up taking 2 hours. Not to mention, when I come back from meetings, I always have a hard time finding my concentration again, especially at the end of the day.

Scheduling all of my meetings on one day should really help to ensure that I get all of my work done.

Don’t be afraid to get down to business.

This is something I really struggle with. When I meet with people, I want to catch up with them. You should spend some time on small talk, but it is okay to direct the conversation to what you are meeting to achieve. Obviously be polite about it, but steering the conversation back to the objective isn’t a bad thing. It is an important way to make sure the meetings don’t take up your whole day.

Be specific about how much time you have.

When you are setting up a meeting you can say, I can meet from 1-2 PM on Thursday. By putting an end time, it keeps you accountable but also lets the other person know that you will be leaving after an hour. Also, if you are setting up calendar invites for your meetings, make sure that you put an end time. This will make it clearer about how long you have to meet and get everything done.

If you come to the end of your allotted time, it should be okay to excuse yourself. If there are still things that need to get done, suggest jumping on a call to get the rest finished.

The truth is there are only so my hours in the day to get stuff done. We all of a lot on our plate, so it is important to be in control of your calendar. I know at times it came be awkward to be assertive, but it will really help you from feeling super stressed out.