Eliminate Busyaholism

Do you spend your days putting out fires, searching for missing reports, and micromanaging minor tasks? At times we must respond to a fire in our midst: the computer has crashed, or a key employee is out—however, being reactive all the time eats away at our time and creates additional stress. It also doesn’t allow business owners to work on important, but maybe not urgent, tasks that will help grow the business. To eliminate busyaholism, start by managing your energy, not your time. Determine your biological clock and reserve high energy time for strategic thinking. Set aside blocks of uninterrupted time, typically three hours or more, a few times a week. During this peak performance period, focus on projects that move your business to the next level. It might be creating an annual marketing agenda, reviewing year-end numbers and setting new goals, or writing performance reviews for employees. The following four tips will help create undisturbed time and reduce time wasters.

1. Stop media intrusions

It’s easy to be enslaved by technology. Stem the flood of information and interruptions. Turn off the email pings, hide your BlackBerry, and switch on the voicemail. Getting pulled into cyberspace and trolling from site to site for hours is a trap. Instead, check for messages and email three times a day and move on to the important work you have planned. Set aside blocks of time in your calendar for email, social networking, blogs, and online research.

2.  Focus and complete what you start

Moving from project to project is inefficient,

and multitasking doesn’t work when concentration is required. While keeping track of all your tasks and projects will help, working from a huge daily to-do list guarantees frustration. Consider starting with the end in mind: envision what you want to accomplish by the end of the day. Then, take time to plan the day’s top priorities, no more than two or three, as well as a few quicker tasks. Put everything else on a master list then calendar those projects for a future date (which may be tomorrow, next week, or next month). Some people start the day by polishing off essential phone calls so they can feel accomplished. Others begin with the hardest task first to deter procrastination. Then, they dive into other projects with a clear mind. Whichever approach you take, setting objectives helps you to say no to wasting time on low-value demands.

3.  Prioritize and schedule

When starting larger projects, first break the project into small, sequential steps in order to prevent yourself from becoming overwhelmed. Separating a project into steps also allows you to easily schedule blocks of time into your calendar. And just as you would when planning a budget, you can have a contingency plan. A good rule of thumb is to double the time you estimate. When scheduling time to work on major projects for the week, slot them in during your high-energy, creative time, and schedule appointments in the remaining time when possible. Group similar activities together on your calendar, and eliminate any activity that doesn’t further one of your goals. One business owner’s strategy is to schedule indoor days for quiet work and outdoor days for client meetings, collaboration, networking, and errands, clustering appointments geographically. Others like to reserve mornings for creative work, and schedule less taxing projects or work outside the office later in the day. Biological clocks vary. In any case, use your most productive time for projects with the biggest payoff. Announce your commitments to others working on the project and build in your own deadlines.

4. Delegate, don’t defer

One critical challenge for business owners is transitioning from doing to managing. Ester Horowitz, founder of M2 Power Inc., business advisors to the medical industry, says, “All the time management tools in the world aren’t going to work unless the owner makes the emotional and perceptive shift from employee to ownership in a strategic way.” Rather than deferring essential but time consuming work, it’s rewarding to delegate or outsource administrative tasks and specialized projects, especially if another professional can execute them with greater expertise at a lower cost. A virtual assistant can update your database so you can focus on customer relationship management. A professional organizer can set up files to eliminate paper clutter, and an intern can maintain them. A trusted freelance bookkeeper can pay bills, create invoices, maintain financial software, and prepare taxes. As your company grows, this additional talent serves you well.

To master your time, master your mind. Fear, guilt, and worry are not productive emotions and produce brain drain. A mind crammed with racing thoughts can’t focus or make decisions. Get into the habit of quieting your mind with a meditation break, a weekly yoga class, or a 20 minute walk.

We all indulge in activities that provide instant gratification, letting time slip by. However, if we don’t consider time our most precious resource, we find ourselves battling the clock all day and burning the midnight oil far too often. Realize you can’t do everything, so it’s essential to make choices. As business owners, it is not about activity, it is about leading the company strategically and tactically. So don’t feel “guilty” about not doing “work.” Now, take a deep breath, close the door, and put up a sign that says, “Do not disturb. I’m finally doing something that matters.”