As a busy serial entrepreneur in startup mode again, I know how challenging it can be to manage your time when you have a crushing schedule.
One of the most powerful and simple tools to do so is the time-tested planner. Yet not many use one consistently.
I could not run my businesses without one and it goes without saying that my planner of choice is The Goals, Grit & Greatness Planner!
In this post I summarize 7 ways why using a good planner can help you become a better entrepreneur. And they’re easy to adopt.
1. Prioritize and Manage Your Time More Effectively
Consistent use of a planner is one of the primary ways you can get a better handle on priorities and more effectively manage your time.
A critical ingredient to good time management is to a) plan ahead and set goals, b) review consistently and c) adjust as needed.
Good planners provide you space to establish your goals annually, quarterly, monthly, weekly and daily, easily review and then quickly revise.
Prioritize
It’s easy to become overwhelmed with the amount of work that needs to be done when running your business. By prioritizing your tasks, you can ensure that the most important and urgent items are taken care of first (hint: That should be clients, sales/marketing and revenue-generating activities which keeps the lights on for your company).
Use your planner to rank the tasks that you need to complete each day and week to help you to stay organized and focused.
Plan Ahead
Take some time to plan out your week or month, but be mindful that not everything can go as planned. Include important meetings, deadlines, and tasks in your planner to make sure that you stay on track.
Planning ahead will allow you to see what’s coming and anticipate what needs to be done. This will help you prioritize your work and avoid last-minute stress.
Stay on schedule
Maintaining effective schedules requires discipline and consistency. One way to do this is to create a daily routine that includes a set start and end time for work.
Make sure that you are sticking to your outlined schedule in your planner as closely as possible. Having a schedule allows you to allocate time for different tasks, allowing you to make more informed decisions about how to use your time most effectively.
Stick to this schedule as much as possible, and block out time for specific tasks and projects, prioritizing them based on importance and deadlines. Take regular breaks, but ensure you get back on track once the break is over.
Adjust as needed
It’s important to be flexible, and learn to adapt your schedule as unexpected events arise. Keep a positive attitude and celebrate your achievements.
Maintaining an effective schedule is not always easy, but with patience, practice and commitment, it can be achieved.
A well-maintained schedule can go a long way towards achieving success in both personal and professional endeavors.
2. Work On Your Business, Not Just In It
It’s also essential to schedule time to work on your business, rather than just in it, as it enables you to focus on long-term goals and strategy, rather than just day-to-day tasks.
Working in your business often involves carrying out daily operations such as marketing, production, customer service, and administration.
However, if you don’t set aside dedicated time to work on your business, you risk getting caught up in the routine tasks and not being able to move your business forward.
By scheduling time to work on your business, you can concentrate on tasks such as market analysis, research, and strategy formulation, which are essential for business growth and success.
This time allows you to reflect on your business’s progress, set new goals, and generate ideas for future expansion.
Ultimately, scheduling time in your planner to work on your business ensures that you’re giving attention to both the daily operations and the strategic direction of your organization, creating a well-rounded approach to business management.
3. Help Your Records Management
Using a planner can help with your records management by providing an effective way to track and organize important information.
By scheduling appointments, deadlines, and tasks in a planner, you can easily refer to it to ensure that everything is on track. This can help with compliance requirements, reduce the risk of missed deadlines and be highly effective in keeping your business organized and efficient.
With notes and reminders, you can keep track of important information relevant to your business or industry, making it easy to access when needed.
Furthermore, the planner can serve as a record of your business’s past activities, including past meetings, events, and projects that were completed.
By keeping these records organized in one place, it can aid in decision-making and goal-setting, as well as provide valuable insights into your business’s performance over time.
4. Enhance Your Productivity
Using a planner can enhance productivity by providing structure and organization to your day. By scheduling tasks and goals in advance, you can prioritize your work and ensure that it is completed on time.
By breaking down large tasks into smaller, more manageable steps, you can better manage your workload and reduce stress.
Additionally, using a planner can help you to stay on track throughout the day, reducing distractions and procrastination.
I find that the use of a planner helps me work more efficiently, stay focused on my goals, and maximizes my productivity to achieve better results in my personal and professional life.
5. Lower Your Stress and Gain Other Health Benefits
Using a planner can have significant health benefits, both physically and mentally. By organizing my day in advance, I reduce stress levels, which leads to a range of physical health benefits, including reduced blood pressure and improved sleep patterns.
Setting clear goals and prioritizing tasks gives me a greater sense of control and confidence, leading to improved mental well-being when I need to be “on game”.
One of the key benefits of using a planner is that it helps me identify periods of time when I can create downtime to work on other tasks or simply chill and refresh my mind.
The act of writing down tasks in a planner can help to improve memory and cognitive function, making it easier to recall important information later on.
I find the use of a planner helps me achieve a better work-life balance, which is important for my overall health and happiness. I therefore also use my planner to schedule time for activities with my daughter, family and friends. This way I make sure my business doesn’t get all the attention and I neglect the people I love.
6. Better Self-Care and Capture Inspiration
I often work long hours, as do most entrepreneurs. And it can often be hard to find time for personal activities such as exercise, reading, or spending time with family and friends.
Building these activities into my planner helps me make sure that I’m scheduling in some “me time”.
I find that using a planner also allows me to track my progress, and over time, refine my approach to business management. I use it to highlight items that I didn’t complete, and adjust my schedule accordingly.
Additionally, I find it crucial to review my successes and failures and make improvements where necessary.
Another important benefit for me is to make my planner a place for inspiration, whether it be for business visioning ideas or personal creativity such as journaling or whiteboarding new funnels and sequences.
7. Consider The Goals, Grit & Greatness Planner
Over the last ten years I have found that using a planner helps me become more organized, focused, and avoid unnecessary stress. Otherwise, it’s easy for me to experience burnout and be consumed by all the challenges and adversities expected from the business world.
As an entrepreneur, I’m confident that you too can benefit from better time management skills and increased business and personal productivity to ensure you’re on the right path towards achieving your business goals.
In fact I’m such a firm believer in the power of planners that I created one, the Goals, Grit and Greatness Planner. In it I’ve embodied the features referenced in this post and more. I encourage you to order a copy now and start benefiting day 1.
