Use time wisely – how will it benefit your business?
Using time wisely when business is slow, is key to maintaining your momentum and productivity. It also helps you to avoid doing time-wasting jobs and highlights which jobs you should outsource.
It may also be helpful for you to do a SWOT ( SWOT = for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) anaysis for your business. This will highlight its strengths and weaknesses.
Take the opportunity to focus, take stock and re-assess your
Tasks that will make the most of your time:
- Re-visit and re-assess your business plan.
- Plan ahead and look at your marketing strategy – if marketing is not in your list of priorities, it should be!.
- If you don’t have the time, resources or skills to do it in-house, outsource it.
- Have regular (weekly or at least monthly) meetings to discuss business progress.
- Plan your daily/weekly schedule carefully. When business picks up you may not have time to do tasks that are really important.
- Focus on tasks that you do well and outsource others.
- Consider new products or services that you could add to your business.
- Talk to colleagues and other business owners who you could potentially collaborate with. This may give you ideas of products or services that would compliment yours.
- If your website needs updating, upgrading, or new content added, do it sooner rather than later! A website that hasn’t been changed in months will drop in Google rankings and may no longer be on page one.
- Make a start on forthcoming newsletters. You can always save them as a draft.
- Write some blog posts, or simply make a list of blog ideas, ready for when you need them. Invite others to be Guest Bloggers or Guest Blog for another business. This is an ideal way to help increase your reach.
- If you’ve put tasks off, this is the time to get them done.
- Priotise tasks, so you don’t waste time in future.
- Sign up for networking events and business expos – these can be excellent opportunities to meet potential clients. It can be expensive to exhibit, but you can still go as a visitor, free. Put forthcoming events in your diary- Eventbrite is an excellent resource for all types of events.
- Schedule some time out yourself, particularly if it’s hard to take time off.
- Don’t take work on holiday with you. It may be tempting, but you won’t switch off. Setting up an automated email reply will help. Return from your holiday refreshed and ready to go!
Manage your time more effectively will help you to feel more confident that you can take time off when you want.
Article by Sue at SJE Marketing.
If you would like to be guest blogger, or you would like to me interview you, please email sue@sjemarketing.co.uk. Only business related articles accepted.
