Stop Wasting Your Time And Energy! Avoid These Mistakes
As an online entrepreneur, you must be wary of insidious traps that waste your time. These traps can rob you of your energy, focus, and time if you allow them. Instead, you need to know they exist, block them, and stay alert.
These are 10 insidious traps that waste online entrepreneurs’ time and how to deal with them.
Many online entrepreneurs waste a lot of time reading and responding to emails. You might be surprised that you spend about 2 hours daily on email.
It is advisable to limit the amount of time you spend on email. Set aside a few minutes to check your email and respond to your emails.
Web Surfing
Sometimes you search for essential things only to end up surfing the web. This is especially the case when you open your social media accounts.
Make sure you track your time online. You cannot know you have a problem unless you measure it. After learning the extent of online surfing, you should take steps to limit it.
Only surf the web when looking for important information. Avoid stopping by to check social media updates. Ensure your social media accounts are logged out always.
Meetings
Research has shown that online entrepreneurs spend most of their time on meetings. Therefore, some sessions are a must. However, you should ensure they are short.
Understand when a meeting is necessary and when it is time-wasting.
Although it is necessary to get status updates, getting them through email is better than scheduling a meeting. Schedule an appointment if only there is confusion.
When you call a meeting, send the agenda in advance. This ensures everyone knows what is required and all involved persons can prepare.
Perfectionism
The work looks good, but you can probably make it better? Why not change the font? This is what is called perfectionism. It would help if you avoided it at all costs.
The truth is that someone can improve nearly everything by doing some tweaks. If you believe your task is almost complete, you can set it aside and have a look after a day or later.
Not Delegating
Some online entrepreneurs like the DIY route. However, although you are your boss, it does not mean you should do everything. For instance, you want to be a writer, editor, designer, and SEO expert.
If you are not good at something, you must learn how to do it. Unfortunately, this will end up taking a lot of your time.
Learn to delegate some tasks. This will free up a lot of your time. Determine some of the functions that can be done by your employees and assign them with deadlines. Online systems, such as QuickBooks, can do some tasks like accounting.
Constantly Looking for New Processes and Vendors
Sometimes you feel you are not getting the best services and prices. It is a good idea to carry out a periodic audit to find vendors that can offer better terms. Also, you might need to consolidate services with a single provider. This will make it easier to manage your bills and relationships.
Unfortunately, new processes come with a learning curve. Thus, you should not just try something new because you need change.
Instead of wasting time looking for new processes and vendors, hire someone to do the legwork for you.
Being Disorganized
Very few people are natural organizers. Studies have shown that online entrepreneurs waste much time because they are not organized.
Most people have not learned organizational skills to help them deal with increasing demands and workloads.
Make sure you are always organized. This will reduce the amount of time you spend searching for missing documents.
Not Taking Breaks
It is a fact that you cannot concentrate for over 90 minutes without taking a break. Most online entrepreneurs are known to work for long hours without taking a break. Unfortunately, you will end up spending extra time on tasks.
For you to stay productive and focused, you should take routine breaks. This will ensure you are constantly refreshed and with renewed energy to tackle your tasks. Also, this will protect you against burnout.
Procrastinating
Procrastinating is a time sucker. When left unattended, it becomes a vicious cycle that can leave you unproductive and demotivated.
You can avoid procrastination by breaking your working time into small manageable chunks. For example, try to do your most unenjoyable tasks in the morning.
Multitasking
Doing multiple things at the same time is counterproductive. Studies have shown that multitasking makes you less productive. This is because you need to switch between tasks instead of focusing on one job simultaneously. Also, it can harm your brain.
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