TIME MANAGEMENT FOR BUSY ENTREPRENEURS

TIME MANAGEMENT FOR BUSY ENTREPRENEURS

A little boy once overheard his father who was just returning from work around 8.oopm saying to someone on the phone, “Yes, you may put me down for membership. I already belong to a dozen professional organizations, so I might as well join one more” though I am just entering my house, but I will be with you in the next 30mins. After His father hung up, the boy asked innocently; “Daddy, but you are just coming home, do all those groups you belong to even know that you belong?”

This boy’s question started the Father thinking. He concluded that He was filtering away his energy trying to belong to every business group and professional associations that called on him. He was “BELONGING” too much but “ACCOMPLISHING” very little. So he dropped out of most of the organizations of which he was a “member”, then he put his whole heart into the few he considered most worthwhile. In these groups he soon became an outstanding figure and genuine contributor. Over time, he became well known in the business community not for his numerous memberships, but for the many good works his few memberships yielded. For his part, the man no longer had any question as to whether or not he belonged.

The very worse use of your time is to do so well that which need not be done at all. All you succeed doing is being busy doing nothing worthwhile. Peter Drucker said “Time is Basic; unless it is managed, nothing else can be managed”. If you study successful people, you will find out that they are well organized, getting more done in less time. They have clear goals and objectives, Specific plans and Priorities and a structured plan on how to achieve them.

To be productive and financially independent, you have to learn the simple law of Time Management. People who practice this law report their careers take off; their income increase and surprisingly, they still have enough time for themselves and to spend with their families and friends. Majority of us wake up daily without any plan for the day, we are like a ship without sail being tossed about by the wind taking us anywhere it might lead. Jokingly, we don’t feel bothered thinking that by tomorrow (which will never come) we will make amends. Hours run into days, days run into weeks, weeks into months and months into years, we end up having an unbalanced life full of unachieved Dreams.

To be able to manage your time successfully so as to manage the time of your life, I will recommend a few steps (which I have practiced and still practicing) that will help you in creating an organized life.

1. DECIDE EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT IN EVERY AREA OF YOUR LIFE

Deciding exactly what you want in every area of your life will not only keep you focused on a goal but it will also give you the spur needed for its achievement. According to John M. Goddard; “If you really know what you want in life, it’s amazing how opportunities will come to enable you carry them out”. Nothing ever happens in life until you create space for it” James Mackay remarked and by deciding exactly what you want in every area of your life, you bare invariably creating space for it’s achievement. Deciding exactly what you want in every area of your life helps you to decide what to pack for your Journey through life. Deciding what you want will also help you scan your friends, past actions that do not add value, old habits e.t.c and remove the extra luggage.

A study of 1953 graduates of a State University clearly demonstrates this point. The graduates were interviewed and asked if they have clear, specific, set and documented goals for life after school. Only 3 percent had such written goals. Twenty years later, the researchers went back and interviewed the surviving members of the 1953 graduating class. They discovered that the three percent with written specific goals were worth more in financial terms than the entire 97% put together who left their destiny to fate. However, the researchers also discovered that the less measurable or more subjective measures such as the level of happiness, fulfillment and joy that the graduates felt also seemed to be superior in the 3% with written goals.

2. WRITE OUT THOSE GOALS CLEARLY AND SET A REASONABLE DEADLINE FOR YOURSELF FOR ITS ACHIEVEMENT:

A goal is a dream with a deadline. The reason you have not being achieving those dreams is because you have not woken up to pen them down. Writing down your goals (whether daily, weekly, monthly or yearly) has a way of committing you to its achievement. It cements what is going on in your mind and brain and whenever you set your eyes on your written goals, it drives home the fact that it must be established. If it is a large goal, break it down into sub goals and write them down in the right order making sure you include a reasonable date or deadline. Make a list of everything you can think of that you are going to do in order to achieve your goal and add them to your priorities. If you break these goals down into a daily schedule, you will be amazed how easy it is to achieve the HERCULEAN task before you.

3. START FROM THE MOST IMPORTANT THING/TASK ON YOUR LIST AND START IMMEDIATELY.

Procrastination is a grave where lifetime opportunities are buried. John Mason remarks “The best time of the day is now”. The major problem with us is “PROCRASTINATION”. Having the “I will do it later” attitude towards things and this has caused more harm than good in the lives of many individuals. It came to a time that I wrote an inscription “DO IT NOW” and placed it somewhere close to my bed, in my office and in my library to be able to break free from postponing things and events. If you have to go to that length, please do’ your life is too precious to waste away hoping for a tomorrow that often eludes us.

Yesterday is a cancelled Cheque, Tomorrow is a promisory note,, but Today is the only Cash you have; let us spend it wisely. What you do with your time in its little packets of minutes, seconds and hours goes a long way to sharpen your life.

3. TAKE OUT TIME TO REST.

As an entrepreneur with an undying determination to succeed, you might be tempted to overwork yourself all in the bid to succeed. It is not bad, but let me give you a candid advice if you want to live long enough to enjoy the success you are preparing for. Take out time to rest if you don’t want to rest in peace. Even God who is omnipotent and all powerful had to rest on the seventh day of his work week. Like I used to tell my friends back then in school, don’t allow vision to kill you. Your family and loved ones need you alive. Most entrepreneurs give their staff leave periods while they themselves do not proceed on leave. If you use your car the way you are using your body without rest, your car would have packed up long ago. Take vacations, travel, eat good food and don’t eat always on the run. Visit your doctor regularly for medical check-up.

Nigerians have the habit of rushing to the hospital only when it is obvious that they will drop dead if they don’t. You need your body in a healthy state to enable you carry out your business transactions. If you break down, everything will break down with you.

4. LEAVE YOUR LAPTOP IN THE OFFICE.

Though funny as it may seem, this might be the only time management advice you will ever hear this New Year. Your office work should not follow you home. Your family is the most important asset you will ever have and the little time you have to connect with them should not be sabotaged for any form of business interruptions.

If you don’t cultivate a habit of spending time with your family at this stage of your business career, you will end up building a business empire at the expense of your family happiness. Yes you will make plenty of money, but you will not have any body to spend it with. You will raise children who do not know their father, except for one man who gives them school fees and pocket money whenever he is around. You will open up your wife and children to temptations and pressures you can never imagine. You will agree with me this is not the kind of success you are preparing for.

Come to think of it, if your business fails today, all your customers and numerous friends will evaporate, but your family will always be with you. At least your wife was with you even when you were far from success.

Till we meet again, find a need and meet it.

Basola Victor is the Principal Consultant/CEO of Business Skills Africa Limited, an Enterprise consulting firm based in Benin, Nigeria. He is the Author of “The Keys to Starting a Successful Business” and The HOST of RADIO BUSINESS SCHOOL on Radio Nigeria Bronze 101.5FM.