 |
| Image Source: dutchbusinesspartners |
All export import business owners are incredibly busy,
and particularly being a sole trader, even bigger demands await your, as you
have to do all the things yourself.
You have to hit the sales target, render
customer service, do accounting, research on new products and services, do
marketing activities and deal with the IT problems; and that is quite
overwhelming.
‘Managing time efficiently is about
managing activities effectively.' Everyone is allowed the same amount of time,
yet how they do and what they do matters. So let’s take a look at some time
management tips to help you with your international business chores:
- Prioritizing
You are also advised to keep a prioritized
‘to-do list’ so each time you know what needs to be done first and what later.
The to-do list is never ending, and you will, in fact, keep adding schedules.
What is essential is that you don’t just go through from top to bottom, but you
prioritize each activity by time. There are mainly three categories, depending
on the urgency of a task to be done: this week, month or year. Draft it all in
an excel sheet and arrange it by time, then gradually start working on it.
2. You Need to Master
Planning
Most people feel overwhelmed when they are
not good at planning. They panic when things don't seem to be orderly working
and believe that they have left too much to perform in too little time. For
instance, they arrange a stall at a trade show but fail to spare enough time to
follow-up. In such a scenario they panic and gets overwhelmed with the work
left and end up not doing it at all. The faster you master the act of planning,
the more and better you will get things done.
3. Using a Journal
Once you get good at planning, this will
come naturally to you. A good journal keeping, here, ideally an electronic one
which is easily accessible, is recommended. Don’t depend on your mental memory,
as it tends to forget often and over-commit yourself. Instead, use your mobile
phone, a paper note or any cloud-based tech– whatever you feel best, and be
rigorous about it.
4. Turning Off Notifications
This can result in the biggest time saver:
switching off the notifications. Whether it is for emails, Facebook Messenger,
Twitter or whatever else you use. Ensure the control of checking this stuff is
with you and not the app.
People often mistake that they should
respond to emails immediately, but this is just not the case. When something
really needs attention, you will be contacted by phone. Rather, build a habit
of checking emails only thrice a day: morning, around lunch and afternoon. That
way, no email response will go unnoticed, and you will have it responded in a
few hours, and most importantly you can focus on important tasks without
unnecessary interruptions.
5. Learning to Say No
People think it's rude to say no or that it
will make them lose a customer. However, a ‘yes’ to everything, is like saying
‘no’ to other important things. You can’t do everything at once.
And if you find it really hard to say a
‘no,' then you can start by saying ‘I will have to check my diary’ before
saying a ‘yes.' This will grant you some time to think whether to do it or not
and also if it fits in with what you aim to achieve.
If you practice all the above tips, you
soon will find more time than you thought you could spare, and your business
will run efficiently, despite your absence. This will leave you with some
quality family-time or do something for yourself, which is equally critical.