How do I get It All Done? Simple Time Management Strategies for Busy Women Entrepreneurs

Time. We all wish we had more time. I personally can never find enough hours in the day to do it all and yet folks are always asking me, how in the world do you do it all? (lol) Well alright, a few days ago I posed a question, “What would you ask me if we were on the phone right now?” A few of you responded, so I know yall are still listening (lol). I decided to answer your questions on the sistasense blog. Today I’m going talk about time….

Question #1 and #2 from my Facebook Circle:

HOw do you stay on top of everything?….(your “Brand” is all over the internet.) What do you do to stay on top of your industry/niche? -Gazania

What organizational system you use to keep all of your businesses and branches of those business together? -Sharonda

Ok folks! Here are a few of my not so-secret time management and organization tip:

• Like the Nike Commercial Says, I just do it! Seriously, when your business is your primary source of income AND you have little mouths to feed, you don’t have time to procrastinate, put off, give up, or neglect those things that are going to keep your bank account from going into overdraft (lol). When folks ask me this question, I like to hammer home this point because sometimes the issue isn’t time BUT you actually doing the things you say you are going to do.
• That being said what do I do first and how do I keep it in order? I do NOT use any crazy online tools or widgets. I have three things that keep my system right: my notebooks, my outlook, and my excel. I was originally going to upload a picture of my notebook for this post, but then I got the idea to put in a few personal pics of me. (You see me squeezing that guys butt? I’ve always been the short girl who likes them tall, what can I say). Anyhoo.. Everyday in my notebook I map out bullets of what needs to get done, so many of my notebooks are full of me saying the same thing hundreds of times, but they stay in my head and as I get them done I check them off.
• THEN I have my notepad on my computer, that simple text editor with no bells and whistles, every month I create a file like “todolist_may2010″… I’ve got files like this going back to about 2006. When things come up, I see sites I like or I come up with a great idea, I just cut and paste them into the pad. I get to what I can get to and I’m cool with letting the rest of the ideas pass away like many of my brain farts often do (lol).
• At the end of the day (or I should say beginning) top priority always goes to my paying clients first, then my personal projects, then my emails, then people’s questions. I always make sure the first thing people can say about me is that when they pay me, I am timely and professional, so customers come first. Remember I told you how to keep your customers happy.
• I’ve got over 30 websites right, but I’m NOT afraid to let some of them sit there and collect dust for awhile. If you listened to my audio (the 3 things blocking your business), you’ll remember I said one of the things that keeps your business blocked is being all over the place. While it seems like I have alot going on, most times I am focusing on one very specific project at a time. Last month my focus was on updating BBWO and putting together the BBWO50. This month my focus is on launching the SistaSense Circle. I give myself personal projects to focus on and then dig in. Remember my post, ‘Tweak Vs Twitter‘, most of the time I’m just making my current online ventures better, I’m not really doing anything new. Focus truly adds time onto your day and your business because you avoid wasting time doing anything else.
• If you had a chance to listen to the first 6 minutes of the sistasense circle, you would have heard me say that I focus on 5 Elements that I believe help me make the most of my time online and help me avoid getting distracted by all the new internet marketing trends or ideas. I don’t go through social media time warps where I spend hours tweeting or chatting it up on Facebook because I practice exactly what I preach; “my true objective online is to build my list, get new customers, and keep the old ones happy”. I avoid all things that DO NOT accomplish the goals in my true objective. (I know its sounds like army talk, but you gotta be militant about this kind of thing if you want to make that money).
• Yes, before I forget, I also mentioned that use both Outlook and Excel. With outlook when email interview requests come in or I have to schedule a consultation for a client, I use the reminder tool, which is like my virtual receptionist there to remind me when I have something to do. Excel helps me manage the books, from as far back as … I can’t even remember every month I do this thing where I simultaneously open my excel, my bank statement, and my paypal to assess how much money I’ve made last month, when to pay the bills, and how much I am saving. I know at some point I told you about my money marker system, right? If you want to stay organized and ensure that your business revenue increases you have to track your progress, keep your bills in order, save (so you can see what your working for) and set financial goals for the future.

Related Articles I’ve written on Time Management and Staying Organized

• Marketing Your Business When You Don’t have time to Market Your Business
• Time Management Tips for Busy Entrepreneurs and Work at Home Moms
• There is Still Time to Join the SistaSense Circle
• Time Management Tips for Bloggers: Scheduling Your Blog Posts
• Do I Really Sleep or am I Online ALL the Time

Those are my time management strategies and I’m sticking too them! Good luck to you with yours.