Tips on Time Management

Write That Shit Down – Making a list is always key, but also make sure that list is visible. In the past I have used my phone calendar or a pocket planner but I find that if I don’t have my list in front of me, I don’t check it enough. We have a chalkboard in our kitchen that I write big “to-dos” on, and I also keep my handy dandy “don’t forget” notepad on my desk to remind me of smaller, more detailed tasks I need to accomplish.

Set Specific Deadlines – Rather than saying, “I need to get this done ASAP,” set an exact date or time. It gives better perspective on the time available to complete a task. 

Use Phone Reminders – Setting alerts and reminders on your phone is an easy way to remember to transition from one task to another. Maybe you want to give yourself two hours to process orders before spending some time promoting. Set an alert on your phone for when it’s time to stop doing orders for the day, otherwise it’s easy to spend more than the time allotted on one task.

Get into a Routine – Getting familiar with a set schedule can help productivity a lot. For example, every day after waking up I’ll do orders till about noon. Well, sometimes longer if I get super wrapped up in it (maybe you should set your phone reminder Jules..). Then it’s a post office run. Then it’s designing, or blogging, or folding. I don’t really have to think about when I should do what because I know the routine that works for me.

Multi-Tasking – If there is a task you need to do that doesn’t have to be overlooked constantly, then try to incorporate that with an additional task. I do this all the time when it comes to printing wholesale orders. They take up a lot of my printer’s time so I make sure to do something else (whether it’s work-related, cleaning, errands, whatever) while the large order is printing. Multi-tasking can be done in the littlest, simplest way and still be effective. For example, printing a shipping label. In the amount of time it takes to print a label, do something else. (Write a thank you note, tie a string, stamp your logo on the packaging, etc…).

Limit Distractions – With sites like Facebook and Twitter just a click away, limiting these distractions is a tough one. I fail at this all the time. For business owners, I think it’s hard because we also use FB and Twitter for promotional purposes. I can go on there to share a new item and find myself scrolling down, down, down, reading everyone’s posts. I 100% recommend using these sites, and most importantly, interacting with other people on them. But do your best to recognize when you’re being productive and when you’re getting sucked into distractions.  

Schedule Social Media Updates – This is something I don’t really do, but thought it was worth mentioning. You can use programs like Hootesuite to schedule social media updates. Facebook also gives you the option to schedule your status update for a specific time as well (here’s how.) I have done this before but honestly, I didn’t find that it saved me much time. However, I do recommend using Hootesuite to schedule updates when you’re on vacation and don’t have internet access.

Schedule Breaks – This is important, yet easily over-looked. When you have a lot to do, it’s hard to step away. However, even the shortest break can make you feel a little less stress and a lot more motivated. Step outside, walk the dog, exercise….I promise it will help the chaos that is going on inside your head. I’m not saying take the next plane to Maui (oh wait…) but you have to make time for yourself. If you have a hard time doing this, set your phone alarm! “Break time!” I have my alarm set for 3:00 every day to remind me to work out. Now, I’m not saying that this works every time….but hey, it’s an effort and it helps!


What strategy do you use to manage your time? I would love to hear your tips!

Also, if you have a business topic you’d like to discuss, you can ask it here.

xo JA