It’s no secret that entrepreneurs are masters at multitasking. On any given day they handle a multitude of projects entailing market research, strategy building, interacting with investors, and much more. In addition, they are responsible for numerous important financial and business decisions that can have immense long and short-term impacts on their business. To put it simply, entrepreneurs work under tremendous pressure but can manage it through mastering the skills of time management, delegation, and effective communication. But, the use of these skills is not bound within the walls of business and in this article by HR4U, we explore how you can apply these skills to everyday tasks to improve your quality of life.
Follow the Getting Things Done (GTD) Method
As reported by Asian Efficiency, GTD is a popular task management system that helps you stay on top of personal and professional responsibilities in addition to creating a framework for completing tasks on time. As a result, you can easily manage stress and achieve greater productivity. Using GTD involves the following five steps:
- Capture: Include everything that comes to your mind, whether big or small which you want to achieve.
- Clarify: Create a set of clear and concrete steps to achieve the tasks you have captured.
- Organize: This involves prioritizing tasks, creating deadlines, delegating responsibilities, and having a clear idea of what needs to be achieved and by when.
- Review: Consistently review your lists and make changes as necessary.
- Engage: Trust your process and start working towards achieving your set goals
The fundamental idea of this method is that as you mention and organize things in writing it reduces the risk of you forgetting important tasks. Additionally, you do not need to waste time recalling important information and rather focus your time and energy towards achieving goals. Moreover, as you break down complex tasks into simpler subtasks it makes it easier to take action.
Be Open to Delegation
Once you have a clear plan of action, focus on delegating tasks to the appropriate individuals. Each business has various moving pieces that need to work in tandem for it to be successful. Small businesses may not have the finances to manage all these pieces internally, hence successful entrepreneurs delegate responsibility to external professionals such as:
SEO Specialists: Local SEO services are the go-to option for small businesses looking to increase their visibility on search engines, leading to higher website visits and increased revenue.
Human Resource Services: By using HR4U to handle tasks such as conducting interviews, negotiating offers, and mediating conflicts, entrepreneurs remove a big time constraint from their plate allowing them to focus on tasks of higher importance.
This same principle can be applied when tackling complex personal tasks. For example, hire a tax advisor to file your taxes or use a verified online platform. Similarly, when it comes to conducting repairs and maintenance around your house, call professionals who can complete it in a fraction of a time compared to you.
Develop Strong Communication Skills
Having clear and concise communication is essential to be a good leader, whether it’s in person or through digital mediums as it brings the following benefits to a business:
- Improve productivity as employees have a clear idea of how and when goals need to be achieved as reported by Ottawa University.
- The creation of rapport among employees and supervisors leads to a positive work environment and strong company culture.
- Reduction in missed deadlines and loss of resources as everyone across teams and functions has clear information on company objectives and budgets.
Just like in business, strong communication skills are required by individuals to excel in other areas. For example, the foundation of strong personal relationships is trust which comes from honest communication. Likewise, during social events, people respect those who can convey their thoughts in a confident, direct, and concise manner. One of the keys to success in business and personal endeavours is to hone our communication skills.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur or not, following the above-mentioned skills is bound to increase your productivity, improve confidence and provide you with a path for achieving your goals.
