Manage Time and Technology Effectively in Your Small Business

As a small business owner, you’re used to trying to be all things to all people, but no matter how packed your schedule or how many tools you have running concurrently, it can still feel like there simply aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything.

In addition, technology can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Here’s how to manage them both effectively, and where to turn for help when you need it!

Set the Right Kind of Goals

It’s great to have goals in your business, but make sure they’re the type of goals that are both measurable and attainable. If you try to bite off too much, you’ll not only burn out quickly but the task will be done in such a haphazard way, the results won’t look good for you or your client.

Instead, break your goals down into individual pieces or tasks that you need to accomplish and work from there. Assess what you need in order to complete the work, collaborate and get it done. Rather than setting large, all-encompassing goals that are hard to measure, start big and break it down into manageable steps. Remember, every individual task you cross off is forward momentum you’re making!

Prioritize Your Projects

Another common problem that small business owners face is how to prioritize projects. It can seem like every client wants everything done yesterday, but it’s important to take a step back, look at the big picture, and realistically estimate how long the project will take you to finish, taking into account the importance and urgency of it.

Organize and Plan Ahead

Organizing and planning ahead sounds like it’s easier said than done, but the hours of time that you devote to a task, whether it’s prospecting for new clients or following up with current ones, means that you need to treat those blocks of time like the precious commodities they are. Set aside a set time to complete a task and if it starts to take longer, whether on account of technical issues or other things outside of your control, stay true to your self-imposed time limit.

Just like any practice worth doing, you might find that the hours get away from you at first but as you continue to do this, you’ll get better and better at it. And don’t forget to schedule in breaks too — no one expects you to be tethered to your PC all hours of the day or night. Sometimes getting up, getting a cup of tea or coffee, going for a light walk, or taking a few minutes to just sit still and breathe can improve your focus and clarity and make a tough job seem much simpler when looked at from the right perspective.

Don’t Get Caught Up in Shiny Objects

This is a big issue for small businesses trying to wrap their collective heads around the sheer amount of technology out there. There are just too many “shiny objects” that grab our attention, and we adopt them with the full intention to use them, but somehow that doesn’t happen (or not nearly to the extent that it needs to happen).

And as a result, before we know it, we’re on the hunt for yet another piece of software or technology that does certain things, without ever really having learned the previous one. The cycle continues, leading to a marketing technology stack that’s bloated, overlapping, ineffective, frustrating, and cumbersome.

To help alleviate this, it’s a good idea to have an outside agency (like Workdom!) take a look at your MarTech stack and how best you can optimize it while trimming the excess and helping you save money in the process. The end result may be that you have fewer tools to deal with but those that remain will be those that you’ll use more fully and thoroughly throughout your business.

Don’t Hesitate to Delegate

Last but certainly not least, one person can’t conceivably do it all. There’s nothing wrong with delegating your marketing tasks to qualified professionals! At Workdom, our on-demand, chat-based marketing support system is a lifeline for small business owners to get their marketing tasks done quickly, efficiently, and correctly.

From social media to web design to marketing technology optimization and everything in between, our knowledgeable, experienced team is ready to provide detailed and attentive service when and where you need it most. Contact us today to learn more!

Originally published at https://www.workdom.io on August 20, 2021.