Sometimes it feels like there just aren’t enough hours in the day to get all your work done. Read below to find out how members of the Young Entrepreneur Council answered the following:
What is one approach entrepreneurs can use when looking for creative ways to find more hours during a work day?
1. Cut Out Unnecessary Tasks
One of the best ways to “add” more hours to the day is by analyzing your daily routine and cutting out unnecessary tasks. For example, when I started my business I would spend at least two hours a day combing through our analytics data. This task was taking up eight hours a week and forcing me to work overtime. I now check my analytics monthly so I can see the big picture and save time. – John Turner, SeedProd LLC
2. Do Menial Tasks Over Lunch
If you’re having a really busy day, try saving your menial tasks like checking your inbox and replying to emails for your lunch break. Doing this will allow you to make more time for your most important tasks during your work day and you can still get your smaller tasks done as well. – Thomas Griffin, OptinMonster
3. Prep Meals Ahead of Time
If you’re someone who shops and cooks several times a week or even every day, then meal prep can help you find more hours. Instead of making single meals for each day, you can use the weekend to batch cook food for the entire week. Then all you have to do is heat up the dish for the day and to carry it to work. You’ll find more time to focus on your business. – Syed Balkhi, WPBeginner
4. Use a Voice Assistant
Businesses like Amazon and Microsoft have come up with speech recognition technology that helps work activities. You can use devices like Amazon Echo, Google Home and others and work with their enterprise features. Such devices and technology can help you book a conference room or join an online meeting with a voice command. You can also use speech recognition tech to write and send emails. – Blair Williams, MemberPress
5. Limit Your Email Use
We spend so much time going through our emails that if we were to add it all up, we’d probably be surprised. It’s easy to get lost in menial tasks, which is why it’s important to limit the time you spend in your inbox. – Stephanie Wells, Formidable Forms
6. Automate What You Can
Automation reduces the amount of time you spend moving data about and on other mundane admin tasks. Monitor your daily workflow, and if you find yourself occupied with repeatable tasks — filling in spreadsheets, emailing data, building reports and so on — there may be opportunities to automate. You don’t have to be a developer; tools like IFFFT and Keyboard Maestro can automate tasks without code. – Chris Madden, Matchnode
7. Prioritize Your Tasks
To find more time during the day, focus on the tasks you need to complete right away versus what can get done later in the week or in the month. Separating your tasks this way helps you manage them in small bites instead of all at once, making it easier to feel productive and motivated. – Jared Atchison, WPForms
8. Delegate
If you have a tendency to be a control freak, it’s likely that you’re spending way too much time handling tasks that could easily be managed by other people in your business. If you can ease off the reins a little and delegate less-important tasks to your employees, you’d be surprised at how much time you can free up in your daily schedule. – Bryce Welker, Accounting Institute of Success
9. Follow the Pomodoro Technique
I use the Pomodoro technique when I need to be in turbo mode. It consists of 25-minute sprints with zero distractions. Everyone knows what distracts them, so just turn it all off for 25 minutes minimum. If followed properly you take five-minute breaks after 25 minutes and repeat. But who really wants to stop if they’re flowing? Use your judgment on this. Sometimes you just keep on running! – Christopher Seshadri, PhotoSesh
10. Take Action Instantly
When it comes to reading through emails or making plans with friends and family, address them right then and there. Don’t fall into the trap of reading something and deciding to come back to it later with a response. Unless it’s something major that needs dedicated critical thinking, handle it right away. – Jared Weitz, United Capital Source Inc.
11. Block Out Your Time
Schedule time frames for everything you do. If you have phone calls to make, set aside one hour for that, or whatever makes sense. Set aside two or three 10-minute blocks of time for checking email, and so on. When you know you have a time limit, you’re generally more proficient with your time. – Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance
12. Find Your ‘Peak’ Hour
Everyone’s biological clock is set to a different time. Pay attention to your energy levels throughout the day to identify when you feel most alert and wakeful. For many of us, that’s usually mid-morning or late in the evening. Once you’ve found your “peak” hour, capitalize on the opportunity by dedicating it to your business’s most critical tasks. Watch as your distractions derail. – Amine Rahal, Little Dragon Media
13. Send Voice Clips Instead Of Written Communication
When I need to delegate, I rarely send an email or text. I send voice clips: They are clearer and easier to understand in detail, plus they can hear my tone of voice, too. – Daisy Jing, Banish
14. Outsource Time-Consuming Tasks
While it’s not always practical to hire additional employees, outsourcing lets you get particular tasks completed as necessary. You can find reliable specialists through various agencies or through personal recommendations. This is the approach recommended in Tim Ferriss’s “The 4-Hour Workweek.” Identify time-consuming tasks and projects you can outsource and you’ll have quite a bit more time. – Kalin Kassabov, ProTexting
15. Say ‘No’
I believe that the best way to find more hours during a work day is to say “no” to more things. It’s scary at first, but will end up being totally freeing. Focus on what’s important and be highly selective with yeses. – Ryan D Matzner, Fueled