Running a small business requires a lot of skills. However, to do this successfully, you must first get organized. Avoid procrastination: read the following and take action.

Successful small business owners take care of themselves first.

Exercise regularly, eat healthy, and be around positive people. Feed your mind by attending personal development courses. Read self-help and motivational books, listen to tapes. Stress management levels will be much more effective when you take care of yourself.

Do the right thing for yourself and you will have tons of energy, you will be motivated, you will have more balance in your life, which in turn will help you to be more productive and successful.

Successful small business owners clean up clutter regularly

You’ll save a lot of time, energy and money if you clean up your work and home environment… paperwork, books, old equipment, etc. You will be able to find things, save money because you won’t have to buy what you already have hidden somewhere, plus you will be less stressed. Organize your office and small business premises regularly…keep the clutter out. Eliminating clutter will help you avoid procrastination. It’s all too easy to avoid getting things done if you’re overwhelmed with clutter.

Successful small business owners use the right tools

It’s no good having the latest state-of-the-art computer when the desk you’re sitting at is too small to accommodate you, or the chair has poor back support, or the lighting is dim and causes eyestrain. All of these factors greatly influence the way you work. Invest in a decent desk, buy a desk lamp, or change your globe lights.

Don’t avoid the warning signs your body gives you. Take action now before you have eye, back or neck problems.

Successful small business owners use a journal or digital organizer

With so much to organize in your small business, you need to record your appointments and to-dos and goals somewhere. In a paper agenda or digital organizer that you can take everywhere. This is the most effective way of doing things, planning your work and life. Balance is extremely important. The best achievers are great at managing time (even if they have to pay someone else to organize them).

Successful small business owners learn to say “no”

To dramatically improve your productivity and get more of the things you want done, you need to be assertive with others and let them know if you can’t, won’t, or aren’t available to fulfill their requests. If you constantly say “yes” to the requests of others, you will never have time to do what you really want.

Sign up for a self-affirmation course to learn these skills if you feel you need to.

Successful small business owners do what they do best and delegate the rest.

See which tasks you can delegate tasks that suit someone else’s talents. Many small business owners spend a lot of time on routine secretarial tasks that would take a person trained in that area a quarter of the time. Stress management is an important part of running your small business. Reduce stress by delegating or outsourcing where you can.

Use a bookkeeper, personal assistant, or virtual assistant. Always ask yourself, who else can I get to do this? Use your time management to focus on what you do best.

Successful small business owners only have meetings if they have to.

Make sure the meetings you host in your small business are relevant and run effectively. Avoid procrastination: always make sure that there is a result and that all actions are carried out.

The last word

By following these simple yet highly effective time management tips for small business owners, you’ll gain more control over your work and life. You will have more balance, you will experience less stress and you will be more proactive.

Avoid procrastination… take action today!