It is easy to get overwhelmed with the number of tasks we have to do as small business owners. We tend to feel like we are not going to finish them all before the deadline and this stress can lead to procrastination. As a result, our work suffers.
Seven Tips for Prioritising Tasks in Your Small Business
- Prioritising your tasks: You must start with your most important task and finish it first. If something isn't that urgent, then you can put those off until later on in the day or week.
- Defining the task and its importance: Deadlines, Recurring tasks, are they daily or weekly, are they crucial to you doing your business, or are they rainy days tasks?
- Grouping like tasks: For example, if you're sitting down at your computer, shoot those emails away, get that invoice paid and sign up for that thing you wanted to sign up for. They might not have the same priority, however, a task completed is always a good feeling.
- Follow the hierarchy importance: You set the importance, make sure that you get as many important ones out of the way, so they don’t become urgent.
- Work to your level of organisation: Your level of organisation needed will very much depend on you. If you're ultra organised, then you might want a pretty complex list. If you're just starting with lists, start light, work up to a larger list as you get comfortable ticking them off.
- Use an online tool or app to help: Managing a list is easiest when you have help. Check out Bunya, it's a lot more than a list. You can get everything from appointment booking, invoicing, reminders, expenses and lots more, all for free.
- Stay on top of your tasks: Allocate time in your daily schedule for these tasks. You know some tasks you will have to do every day/week. So set them and forget them, you would be reminded every day and get them done.
