Do you know when to stop when workload gets too heavy? You need to understand the importance of time. After all, this is critical to your success. You have to be able to maximize every second of your day and complete all tasks in a timely fashion. If you just have too many things to do, don’t hesitate to ask for help. Hire an extra set of hands if you must so you can free up your time and concentrate on the other aspects.

Especially in business, you have to turn your focus on tasks that create revenue. These are things that go with the core of the business, the foundation from which the company stands on. If it doesn’t make money, delegate it. If you are a business owner, try not to get yourself into non-revenue generating activities. Your focus should be on marketing the business so you will have one to speak of.

Business owners, in particular, are mostly very busy. The size and nature of their company is irrelevant because when you are really starting something from scratch, you need to invest a lot of your time and money. As soon as you’ve set up the roles of the people involved and have purchased the materials, you now need to turn your attention to getting your business out there. So yes, you really will have to complete what would feel like a million tasks before you can finally see where everything should be. On the bright side, you are your own boss. So, if you need to stop and rest, you can do so without anyone questioning your actions.

If you are continually on the move, stress will definitely catch up with you. You will eventually feel harassed and annoyed. It might even get to the point where something has to give way. See the entire scenario as a balloon. If you keep filling it up with air, it will eventually burst. Going through busy periods is okay. However, you also need time to relax and recharge. Otherwise, you will be like a machine running low on batteries: completing a task just takes longer.

You need to know when to say stop, when to turn down a responsibility. The fate of the world does not rest on your shoulders, so when you have to step back, do so and do it without feeling guilty. No matter how noble your intentions are, you cannot be everything all at one time. I someone asks you to do something, weigh things first.

If it’s just not possible, learn to say no in a nice way. The most tactful method would be to tell them that you’ll consider their request once your work is complete. This tells the other person that your work is important and help would be nice.

Saying no actually helps other people to grow. You are also teaching them to fend for themselves. Now, if you still have too much on your plate, learn to delegate. Delegation is the art of a true leader. The secret to successful delegation is to build the task’s importance to the person you are passing the work to. Thank them graciously and tick one off from your list of responsibilities. At the end of the day, review your list to see how much you have achieved. This will help drive you forward. The point is, you don’t have to be ridiculously busy to get things done. Change your perspective and look at it as being busy achieving what you want.

Let’s face it. The Internet, with its extensive amounts of information, lightening fast speeds, and varied content, has become a necessary tool for any small business owner. However, that same information and interesting content is responsible for untold amounts of time wasting each day.

It is easy to fall prey to its charms. You log on to verify a shipment or research a new possible product line and it happens… you see a blurb about the hottest new vacation spot and off you go. Hours later you have read the latest international news, checked your investments, booked your next vacation and bought a pair of house shoes. Unfortunately, however, you haven’t gotten a bit of work done.

So, with all the temptation and the necessary information to contend with, what is an entrepreneur supposed to do? The answer is simple; you need to find a balance that focuses your efforts more successfully.

Start by reviewing your activity tracking worksheet again. This time, however, only scrutinize the entries that are related to Internet use. Pay close attention to the amount of time you spent surfing compared to the amount of actual work you completed. Once you can see the problem in black and white, you can actively see the need to do something about it.

Next, make an online “to do” list. While the heading “Internet” can be a daily entry on your regular “to do” list, you need to make a separate, more detailed list for your online activities each day. Include everything related to the Internet on this list including reading emails, ordering supplies, booking your vacation, even shopping for your mother’s birthday present.

Once your list is complete, reorder the entries according to priority. Next you should jot down an estimate of time next to each entry. For example, agree to let yourself spend ten minutes searching for and booking your hotel accommodations. Adjust the time allotment according to importance and degree of difficulty. Of course using one of the time tracker tools referenced in a previous chapter that tracks what program you’re using and for how long, does away with making notes about your time spent on line.

Once you have your list completed and your time boundaries in place, vow to adhere to the list. Also, select a dedicated time period of each day to concentrate on your online “To Do” list. This will keep you from hopping on and off the Internet at many different times throughout the day and running the risk of varying from your online “To Do” list.

So, now that you have your Internet time organized, how do you fight the temptation to wander off task? One good way is to take advantage of bookmarks. It is very easy to happen upon an interesting, and potentially important website while conducting a work related search. But, instead of ruining your well laid time management plans, bookmark the site and add exploring that site to a future “to do” list.

All browsers have a “Bookmark” or “Favorites” options that allows you to save web pages to a folder for later viewing. Take advantage of this time management tool by creating folders based on topic and interest and delegating all newly discovered sites to the appropriate folder for future viewing put them in a place where you can plan on time to review them instead of them costing you time and causing you frustration when you had not alloted time for “Favorites Site Review”.

Does your workspace look like a tornado hit it? Reports are on one corner of your desk; current work is spread across the keyboard; you know you have an appointment coming up, but you can’t find your calendar under the mess.

It seems you may need to learn how to organize your workspace!

Having an organized workspace can do more for you than make your desktop look better. Being organized can help you be more productive and reduce the amount of stress you feel when you get to work, during the day, and when you leave for home.

Organizing your desk may take more time than you have available during your workday. Ask your boss if you can come in on your own time to clear and organize your desk. They’ll appreciate your desire. After all, organizing your workspace benefits them as well as you.

These steps will help you organize your workspace:

1. Remove everything from the top of your desk and out of the drawers. Of course, you can leave large items such as your computer or printer where they are. Everything else should be put into boxes.


2. Wipe down the entire surface of your desk and inside each drawer.


3. Sort through the items you removed from your desk and drawers. Group items together such as office supplies, filing materials, items to be filed, reference materials, and desk accessories.


4. Get rid of paperwork you no longer need. Do you have unnecessary duplicates of reports or files? Recycle them. Are there items you still need? Keep those items and set them aside until later.


5. Make a plan for where you’ll put things back. You’ll want items you use frequently to remain within reach, so those items will take precedence on your desk.


6. Create an area where you can keep current papers handy. Paper trays are often used. Vertical files are another option if you have quite a bit of paperwork.

* Establish a tickler file for various activities you perform regularly – To Read, To File, To Pay, To Do, and others.


7. Put items back into place after you’ve gone through them and purged what isn’t needed. Only the items you need at your desk should be put back.

Maintaining Your Organized Workspace

The old saying goes “a place for everything and everything in its place.” Decide where each item goes and then leave it there unless you’re actively using it.

* If you’re in the middle of a big project and it’s taking up much needed space, don’t be afraid to remove an item and then put it right back when you’re finished with the project.

Remember that your goal is to have an organized desk. This doesn’t mean it has to be totally cleared off, but you do want to have space so you can function.

If you’ve noticed something that will help you become more organized, don’t be afraid to ask your boss to pay for it. In the long run, your increased productivity will more than pay for the item.

After you have your desk organized, do what you can to keep it clean. Decide what you’re going to do with each item as it’s placed on your desk. Use the tickler file if you have paper, or write important dates on your calendar instead of setting things aside to deal with later.

It can be so easy to keep your desk clear once you’ve learned how to organize your workspace and put things back in their home when you’re done with them. Take the last five minutes of your day to straighten your desk and it will hopefully stay that way from here on out.