10 Tips: Leverage is The Ability To Do More With Less.
Posted on January 31, 2010
When you read a book about productivity or management, or you talk to someone successful; there’s one thing they all have in common. They don’t talk about how much time they have but how much they can get out of their time.
You can have all the money in the world, but you can only have so much time. This means you have to leverage your time.
Leverage your time with these 10 tips.
Find a mentor: Someone to help you refine your ideas into practice. Some of your ideas will be able to put into practice easily, but others might need some fine-tuning. If you don’t know a ‘Guru’ or cannot get in contact with one; subscribe to a blog like Zen Habits. However, don’t fall into the trap of subscribing to more than one; you don’t want to read your feeds all day. Reading too many blogs works counterproductive. Select a good one and stick with that.
Invest your money: this especially goes for newbie entrepreneurs. If you’re just starting out, and you’re making your first dollars online, don’t waste them on booze. Don’t get me wrong; I love liquor as much as the next guy. But especially in the beginning of your online venture; invest in yourself and your business as much as you can.
Start with outsourcing your business: Outsourcing your business might very well be the most important tip in this list. You need to realize that you are the manager in your business, and you need to excel in this. If you don’t have the money to outsource everything, then start with the small things but start today!
Make use of your management talents or improve those that you lack in: I used to be a ‘though’ manager, I could be a real asshole. I already had this when I had a day job but now that I’m a business owner it’s even more important. I used to ask from the people that worked for me the same dedication and commitment as I have. This is of course impossible; it’s my business and not theirs. It wasn’t easy but I had to learn to be more easy going and to give them more space. Now that I stepped back (a bit) it seems that my team is more productive.
Are your skills outdated and they are not management or marketing related: Hire someone who will fill the gap! Find someone who is better than you.
Use the available online resources responsible: You have some great information sources but use them wisely. If you use twitter; don’t use it when you’re working. I already wrote about this in the first point; if you subscribe to a blog, no matter what kind of blog but don’t overdo it! If you really need to read a whole bunch of blogs; close your reader or Outlook. Only check your email and RSS twice a day.
Networking: Use social media to broaden your network (watch your time) and leverage existing ones that you meet throughout your life.
Make use of smart systems and tools: Not only tools like Skype and Roboform but use technology to assist you in achieving more. Especially online tools, the cloud computing world is exploding and that’s not for nothing. We use online time planners, online management systems and online CRM systems, and it works great! If you work on a project; assign your coworkers, they’ll be automatically notified, and you get a message when it’s finished and the time is automatically recorded. This is a must, especially when you run an online business or blog. Start with it today, even if you don’t have any employees. There’s no better time to start working with these systems. Learn it now, so you’ll be prepared when you have employees.
Make use of your knowledge: work with the things that work for you. Is there something making you money, is there something making you happy or is it making you more productive? Make use of it!
Realize what you’re doing: I use Rescue Time constantly to see what I’m doing. When I started using this service, I was blown away with the amount of hours that I spend on email. It’s a free service, and at the end of the week they’ll send you an email with a schedule with how much time you’ve spend on your sites, your apps and on your email. It’s a real productivity booster.
If you have any tips, be sure to leave them in the comments!
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