Summary: Time may just be an entrepreneur’s most precious commodity. Time can’t be borrowed or obtained while making the most of it is absolutely vital in the journey to realise a dream. The famous author Dr. Seuss captures the busy entrepreneur’s daily dilemma succinctly in one statement, “How did it get so late so soon?” Here are tips to manage your time effectively.

To achieve all the goals that an entrepreneur has for themselves, it becomes imperative to make the most of their time. Managing that time becomes key in achieving success. While a select few make the task of achieving all their goals look easy, the secret is that they have mastered the art of time management.

The good thing is the principles of time management are simple. The difficulty lies in applying those principles and executing time management strategies in optimising your outcomes for the day or week. Here are a few tips to help you manage your time better and be in a better position to achieve your goals.

1. Plan - It is tempting to work on tasks indiscriminately as and when they spring up and make decisions on the fly about what is important. But there will never be a shortage of work in an entrepreneur’s life so sitting down and planning the day, or even the week can make a significant positive impact. Sitting down on a Sunday to plan for the week, or every morning on a weekday for the day, helps determine what tasks will be essential, what can wait, and this can direct work efforts in a way to advance the interests of your enterprise.

2. Create ‘work blocks’ - Devote set periods of times to specific tasks. For important tasks, devote your undivided attention. Not multi-tasking will ensure you make good progress and obtain a sense of accomplishment. Creating work blocks of say 30 minutes for tasks like answering e-mails or a block of 2 hours for a project that requires ideation and development will help focus your energies and ensure you hit the range of tasks that are necessary for the day in a way that makes you accomplish goals.

3. Plan for break times - Even within the course of the work day, setting aside 5 minutes after a working spree for a break can help rejuvenate the mind. This rejuvenation can empower the entrepreneur to work more productively right after. The break time could be for coffee, to read the news or whatever activity the entrepreneur finds is a leisure activity that they enjoy. Entrepreneurs often also work on a range of tasks as they run their business unlike specialised domain workers. A break can help the mind switch from one mindset, like ideation about product offerings, to another, like business development.

4. Take time to celebrate achievements and assess losses - As an entrepreneur running a company, there is little validation of your achievements as you are often your own boss. With the plethora of tasks that need to be done and the range of goals that need to be achieved, there will be hits and misses. It is important to take special time out to celebrate your wins, as you see them, and also take stock of ‘losses’ or events that did not go as well. Indulging in a favourite pastime like watching a movie, is a great way to reward yourself for a job well done and will motivate you to do better.

5. Take time out for your other priorities - Life as an entrepreneur can end up being a pursuit of work goals. Being an entrepreneur can be endlessly demanding. However, it is important to draw up a list of your other priorities and ensure that adequate time is devoted to those. This could include spending time with family and friends, working on fitness goals and making sure that a dream trip to a place that you may have always wanted to go is not ‘put off till a better time’ because of work.

The ancient Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu had said, “Time is a created thing. To say 'I don't have time,' is like saying, 'I don't want to.’ Time management can help an entrepreneur achieve all their work and life goals.