Managing Your Time

One of the biggest factors that determine how fast you reach your goals is time management. Manage it poorly and success takes longer than it should.

Manage it well and success comes fast. So…you need to bear down and get focused. Why wait longer for success than you have to?

If you are starting your cleaning business part-time you should have some definite hours set aside for working. If you work during the day like most at your “regular job”, then make a few hours available each night to work on your new business.

I would recommend at least two hours per evening during the week and more on the weekend if possible. Now the best part about the cleaning business is that you set the hours. You just have to remember to work hard at having a “set time” if at all possible, to get your tasks done.

For example, when you dedicate the hours of 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm to your business, you tend to get more accomplished than just “winging it” as you go. My point to you is be aware of the time you spend to make sure you are maximizing it to the best of your ability.

Now if you are jumping into the cleaning business full-time, managing your time gets more important. It’s rather easy to fill a two hour chunk of time each day with something relevant. Getting eight hours of production from yourself each day is a little more challenging. This is where you need to work hard planning your day. Generally this means planning your days work the night before.

Now many people don’t bother with this, and I understand fully. It’s boring and unexciting. A real pain in the butt to say the least. I mean really, it’s just more work, and it is so easy to put if off. But you can’t! You will get much more accomplished by planning your day ahead of time.

Now you can interpret this in different ways. Some break their day down into 15 minute increments (I personally know people who do this). To me that is total insanity (though I secretly admire someone that disciplined). My thought process goes more like this on time management:

1. Determine what needs to be done tomorrow today.
2. Write each task down on paper.
3. Prioritize each task in order of importance.
4. Place the list on your desk for when you wake up (or get home from work).
5. Complete one task at a time and check them off as you complete them.

Then each night you repeat the process. This way you always wake up to a plan. Sounds kinda boring but it’s necessary. Besides…the better you become at it the faster you reach your goals. Not to mention that if you ever start hiring employees, you are going to have to plan their day too! So get practicing now and fine tune your skills for down the road. Your success depends on it!