Sorry, that was a bit of a clickbait. We do all have the same 24 hours in a day, this is true, and you can’t create more time, BUT you can do more with the time you have. Below are four ways to find more time to do what’s important and take control of your day.

Step 1: Understand Your Time

Get an understanding of how you are REALLY utilizing your time. The best way to do that is through time tracking. We as humans are really bad at estimating, especially when it comes to time. Tracking your time will give you a great starting point to understand where your time is going if you do have “extra” time, and if you are spending your time on things that matter.

Here is a post on how to get started.

Step 2: Do You Have Time For That?

Never take on a new project/obligation without asking yourself, “what am I going to give up to make this happen?” No matter what when you are take on something new it is going to take time away from something else in your life. This may be something you plan for, or it’s a consequence of not planning.

Maybe you give up a few hours of tv, maybe that hour you read in the morning, or maybe you work Sunday afternoons now until you get the project done. Other times you find yourself in turmoil over not making time for the new thing, and you realize the consequence ends up being along the lines of you are no longer exercising, cleaning, cooking dinner, following your social media schedule or even missing deadlines.

Step 3: Speed Up Your Workflow

Speeding up your workflow can happen by focusing on the following:

Establishing systems and processes

While systems and processes can take time to establish they are worth the time savings in the long run. This can be as simple as establishing a checklist of actions each time you post a blog post or as complicated as implementing a CRM (customer relationship management) software program. Not having to remember each step to repetitive processes in your business and automating as much as you can is a huge timesaver. It also keeps you more consistent within your business. Get a peek at some of my processes here!

Developing your productivity formula (i.e., working more focused)

Develop your productivity formula. What’s your productivity formula? It’s figuring out ways to make yourself be as focused, motivated, and productive as possible day to day. Click here for few tips you can start implementing right away. Working on productivity takes effort, but it’s the best way to get the most out of your day.

Improving your efficiency at a skill you use every day

With any new skill/program/process we take on, there’s a learning curve. Let’s start with the computer programs you use every day. Are you as efficient with using that program as you should be? Just taking the time to get really familiar with a program you use can help save you time. Also if you are trying to learn a new skill that’s important to your business, you will learn faster if you set aside time to practice every day instead of here or there. Consistently practicing will help you get an edge on the learning curve.

Step 4: Buy More Time

Evaluate if you should be outsourcing certain tasks. Do this by determining if you could make more money in the time it is taking you do accomplish that task than it would be if you paid someone to do it. For example, if it is going to take you 12 hours to edit your videos for a course, but you could take on a new client for a higher rate than you would pay for editing, then pay for editing.

As entrepreneurs, we tend to think we can do it all and forget to look for help. Just because you CAN do it doesn’t mean you SHOULD do it yourself. It’s not always the smartest or most cost effective route to go.

Start focusing on the 4 above steps and you will be able to more efficiently and effectively use your time to grow your business.