Time Management for Entrepreneurs
We entrepreneurs lead busy lives, and we have lots of things to keep track of and do. Time management is important when weâre running a business!
In this list, I have some tools to help you manage your time, as well as some books that can help teach you different ways to maintain your productivity.
Full disclosure: I do receive a small commission for each item purchased through the links below. That said, I absolutely believe in the value these items will bring to you and your loved ones, and I hope youâll find them as fun and useful as I do!
Weâre all familiar with planners! This one is really great because itâs small enough that you can carry it with you wherever you go, which means youâll be able to add things as they come up. Itâs also undated, so you can start it on whatever day youâd like, and there are enough pages for a full year. But the best part? In addition to the usual weekly and monthly planning pages, there are spaces for things like weekly goals, habit tracking, monthly reviews, and more! I canât recommend this planner enough.
One of my favorite techniques is the Pomodoro Method, a time management tool developed by Francesco Cirillo. The idea is that you pick a task that you need to get done, set a timer for 25 minutes, spend focused time on that task, and then rest for 5 minutes. Every 4-5 Pomodoros, take a longer break (roughly 15 – 30 minutes). Doing work in this way allows your brain to remain focused and actually get things done, and it also gives your brain the rest it needs instead of trying to push through. All that said, this timer will help you maintain the Pomodoro method! I like to have one specifically for my office so I can stay focused in my work space.
When I write things down, I like to have them in different colors so I can easily tell whatâs coming up on my to-do list. These markers are great for doing that, especially if you use whiteboards like I do. Plus, because theyâre fine tip and smaller, youâll be able to fit more in each space as you need to. And who doesnât love having a colorful calendar to look at?
4. Free Time: Lose the Busywork, Love Your Business
You know that old saying, âTime is money.â Well, not according to Jenny Blake, the author of this book. She says time is life force, and if youâre spending most of your time in your business, doing busy work, then youâre wasting your most precious asset. In this book, she shows you how to create what she calls a âlife-givingâ business, a business that gives back to everyone involved in it, from the owner to the community. Youâll learn how to do this by freeing up your time, your mind, and your team so that you all can do your best work.
As I said earlier, weâre all familiar with planners, but this one is a little bit different. Itâs a timeboxing planner, and if youâve never heard of timeboxing before, itâs a time management method where you allocate a certain amount of time to each activity you need to do. And then, much like the Pomodoro Method, you use only this time to complete the thing you need to get done. The time slots are represented by boxes, hence âtimeboxing.â For this particular planner, youâre given 30 minute time boxes, along with a prioritized to-do list, a brain dump area, and other useful tools! Itâs an incredibly handy method for managing your time.
This planner, designed for those with ADHD and Neurodivergent minds, is an incredibly helpful time management tool, even for those who are Neurotypical. It breaks everything you need to down into manageable chunks, including your morning/night routines, habits you want to develop, your mood, how you want to prioritize your day, and so on. I love having things broken down into manageable chunks like this because it keeps my mind from feeling completely overwhelmed, which allows me to actually get work done and feel accomplished.
7. THE EISENHOWER MATRIX: Time and Task Management Planner: Urgent, Important Notebook
Another time management technique! This one is super simple. Using a boxâcalled a âmatrixââyouâll divide your tasks into four different categories: Important, Not Important, Urgent, and Not Urgent. When theyâre broken up into these categories using this matrix, youâll be able to see what you need to get done first, what you can delegate, and what you can do later (or get rid of altogether). Itâs a great way to prioritize what you need to get done, and this book makes it easy for you to do! Each page is divided into the matrix, and the book shows you how to fill it out, so you can get started on your to-do list right away.
8. Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time
If youâve ever heard someone say, âEat that frog,â this book is where they got it from. Written by Bryan Tracy, a productivity and time management coach, it details the best way to deal with your procrastination: The first thing you do in the morning? Eat a live frog. Okay, not a real frog, but his main point is that you should do your most challenging task first. Oftentimes, we have the habit of procrastinating and putting off the thing we want to do the least, and Tracy says we should do the exact opposite because once we do it, itâs done! We can move onto the other things we need to get done for the day. The book has other methods and tools for time management, as well, so itâs a fantastic read if youâre struggling with procrastination.
9. 80/20 Your Life! How To Get More Done With Less Effort And Change Your Life In The Process!
If youâve been feeling overwhelmed, like youâre constantly spinning on a hamster wheel that you canât get off of, and you feel like youâre not accomplishing the goals you want to, then this book is for you. Author Damon Zahariades offers a simple, but effective way to do less and accomplish more. He not only provides the kind of mindset you need to adopt in order to optimize your life, he also gives you practical tips and advice to do it. 80/20 Your Life! Is a phenomenal book thatâll help you learn how to advance your life and your business.Â
Hey Entrepreneur… Are you overworking and underliving?
It’s like you’re running a marathon on a hamster wheel each day, and the results you’re getting just feel…. meh.
I mean, they’re acceptable results. For all intents and purposes, you’re technically a successful entrepreneur.
The problem? You want exceptional results that allow you to work less and live more.
Welcome to The Reset: A Business Makeover. This FREE 5-day training will help you go from overworking and under living to a balanced schedule that allows you to actually LIVE (and enjoy!) the life youâve built for yourself!
Sign up now to get your access to this free training:
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