As a small business owner/solopreneur, you welcome the opportunity to collaborate with other professionals. However, sometimes you might be overwhelmed by project deliverables. The more you take on, the more time seems to escape you. Proper planning and time management will help alleviate a lot of that stress. Here are a few tips to gain control of your projects – and your time.
1. Look at the project in its entirety. Plan your timeline from the end date to the beginning. What materials and information will you need? When will you need it? What resources do you need?
2. Calendar everything. What do you need to do and when? Add tasks to your calendar reminding you to get the materials, information, and resources you need for the project. Don’t get caught saying “I forgot to get/do that.”
3. Allow people enough time to provide you what you need. Don’t catch someone at the last minute with an urgent request.
4. Allow for the “25% rule.” If you think it will take you an hour to write something or compile data, allow 1 hour and 15 minutes on your calendar.
5. Excel is a great tool to keep a project on task. You can create a nice Gantt chart in Excel. Alternatively, you can outsource it to a Virtual Assistant!
As administrative experts, we can get things done quickly and efficiently – allowing you to focus on your clients on a level that will amaze and delight them. Are you ready to “wow” your clients?