Full-Time Job and a Part-Time Business: How to Manage Your Time

If you want the opportunity to experience and enjoy other activities in life, getting your time under control is imperative.

It’s all about prioritizing, focusing, and being productive, rather than simply being busy.

These time management tips will help to guarantee that your time is spent wisely:

1. Focus on being productive. You can spend a lot of time actively working, yet accomplish relatively little. Being busy is about motion. Being productive is about results.

• Consider the results you are likely to see from the course of action you’re about to undertake. Are the expected results worth the time?
• Being busy all day and accomplishing nothing should be avoided by everyone, but it’s especially important for those with two jobs.

2. Drop the multi-tasking. The ability to multi-task has been lauded for decades, but recent research is showing that multi-tasking is a mistake. Some research has shown that focusing on one task at a time increases productivity and performance by 100%.

• This can be the difference maker between success and failure if you’re juggling a part-time business with a full-time job. Productivity is everything. Focus on one thing until it’s time to move on to something else.
• Consider using a timer to help you focus. If a task should take 25 minutes to complete, use a timer and try to beat the clock. A simple timer can really help you stay focused.

3. Have a new list of objectives and to-do list each day. Priorities and needs change from day to day. Start each day with a new list or priorities. Any items that are incomplete can be moved to tomorrow’s list, but only if they’re still priorities.

• If you find it helpful, have a list of things to do before lunch and after lunch. Breaking up the day like this can make things more manageable.
• Create the list the night before. You won’t waste time in the morning trying to plan your day. You might also find some elegant solutions to your challenges if you have the opportunity to sleep on them.

4. Make a real effort to eliminate distractions and interruptions. There’s always something else that needs your attention. However, you’ll get more done if you can stick to the important tasks before allowing other things to grab your attention.

• You might want to spend the first two hours of each morning working on the most important tasks of the day before opening your email or listening to your phone messages.

5. Make decisions with the time expenditure in mind. Working full-time and running a part-time business requires focusing on the time required by certain activities. Quick decision-making skills are vital.

• Many times, the second or third best solution is really the best solution if it saves time.
• Sometimes a good, quick solution is better than the best solution that is complicated and too time-consuming to implement.

6. Delegate whenever possible. Whether it’s at the job or the business, delegate as much as you can. Do you insist on doing too much? Attempt to release some control and get all the help you can.

Managing a full-time job and a part-time business is challenging, but many people are able to manage both successfully. Focus on the most important tasks, minimize the distractions around you, and let others help. You’ll get more done in less time with greater results!