FL 184 – Our TOP 7 Time management tips that actually work for busy entrepreneurs

A couple of weeks ago on the podcast, we had a big discussion about time management and how important it was to kind of shift your mindset away from, "I don't have time," to, "I will find the time and I'm going to do whatever it takes to be successful." We're going to revisit that topic today and learn even more time management strategies. It gets much more practical with our 7 best time management tips. These are the time management tips that helped us build and grow a successful online business, allowed us to quit our jobs, and gave us the freedom that we have now to spend more time with each other and with our kids. In our experience, it doesn't matter where you are in your online business journey, everyone needs time management help. We all have the exact same amount of time, and almost everyone we know struggles at some point with time management. How you're managing your time is something you've got to reevaluate every now and then. One of the things that led to this series on time management in our podcast is because Jocelyn and I had kind of gotten off the path a little bit. We stopped using our calendar quite as much. We weren't getting into our normal routines. Things were getting a little hectic with the kids in school, and life just tends to knock you off of your time management plan and it's really up to you to go redirect your course. You've got to get back on the path and ask, "What are the fundamentals?  What are the basics?  What are the practical things that I can actually do to manage my time and make sure I'm getting everything done?" That's what we're going to talk about today. Tip #1: Stop letting other people kill your time. Set boundaries to protect your time from distractions and disruptions. We all have a set amount of time every day, so we have to be careful of who and what we spend our time on. Here are some of the things we did (that you can TOTALLY do too!) to take control of our time: Cancel voicemail Checking your voicemail a few minutes a day distracts you from more productive activities. Sure, you'd say, "But it's only a few minutes!" or "I really need to know who left that message." Ask yourself... Do I really NEED to check these voice messages? Why do I need this when there are better ways to communicate? Always find ways to do things and invest time better. Listening to voicemail is definitely not one of them. Take control of your inbox The people in your inbox should be helping you make progress in your life. Get rid of emails that are constantly vying for your time that aren't important, or aren't giving you the answers / resources you need to move forward. Unsubscribe. Delete. Empty your inbox. Do what you've got to do to get started on the right track. Worried about emergencies and urgent emails? If that's even the case, the people / company that sent that to you will stay in touch to get that message across. If you think you'll clean that up later… chances are you wont. So, do it now and do it fast. Shut off unnecessary phone notifications Your time is valuable. We know this. YOU KNOW THIS. So, why aren't you doing anything to eliminate time wasters? You don't need to be on your phone for every single notification that makes that sweet buzzing sound (or whatever sound it's supposed to make). Will knowing someone liked your photo make you money? NO. Will a game alert on Facebook grow your business? NO. So stop getting distracted with things that aren't making you successful. Invest your time and effort only on things that create abundance, freedom and success for you and your family. Get caller ID to filter important calls from unimportant calls Getting caller ID helps you identify calls you absolutely must take, from those you can call back later or even those you can ignore all together. Word to the wise,