At the Drop of a Hat

In a small business, we all wear a lot of hats. We pick up sodas for our colleagues while dropping off things at Fed Ex, we take out the trash, answer the phones and act as assistants to whoever needs assistance. We also produce magazines, organize conferences, hire and fire, maintain a website and online network, conduct thousands of dollars in sales and maintain the partnerships that keep our business—and our salaries—afloat and growing each and every day. From the CEO to the intern, we walk across a tight rope balancing our various duties, roles and time.

Time management is a key component in small business, or any business. Prioritizing what comes first and what to save for last can be a challenge when we need to order paper towels and office supplies (priority!) and pitch a billion dollar company a stellar program (priority!). So what’s a girl to do?

Here come the lists… in the true spirit of balance and time management, I find that lists are the only ways to get through it. And nothing feels quite as satisfying as striking that big black marker through a to-do list item (I go ahead and add basic stuff like ‘eat breakfast’ and ‘call Mom’ just so I feel like I’m getting somewhere.) Here are a few tips I read along the way to help squeeze things in, and value the work we are doing.

Figure out what’s really important. Not everything is going to illicit the same amount of attention to detail and energy. That’s not to say that the small tasks aren’t important, but if you feel like you’re wasting your time, you probably are. Managing our time allows us to create flexibility and spend time on what we value, thus creating stronger work.

Do the hardest when you’re at your prime, save the easy stuff for last. If you have a big article to work on or a huge presentation to put together, do it at that time of day when you’re freshest and most amped to take it on, whether it be morning, afternoon or evening. Save the auto-pilot stuff for when you don’t need tons of brain power. Same with a big project; start with the most difficult part of it first, and then ultimately the small stuff might not actually need to be done.

Turn Off Your Email. I can be mid-task when a message from someone pops up in my inbox causing me to pause and re-direct my entire attention to this new email. Maybe I have A.D.D., since I grew up watching MTV it’s more than likely. To help me focus on one project and give it my full and dire attention, then I need shut out the other distractions to finish. Being out of touch from email for an hour won’t kill us, there’s always the telephone.

Your time is your own. This might not always apply to work, but to the hours after work when we feel the need to be everything to everyone. Ultimately, my time is my own and nobody dictates how I spend it but me. Sometimes, as women, we have to learn to say no.