We all know that becoming a successful entrepreneur needs hard work, dedication and commitment. From managing resources to strategize upcoming projects to learning new tools, there is not a lot of time in the day to make huge errors. That is why, entrepreneurs need to work smarter, not harder.
There are few amazing ways to help overwhelmed entrepreneurs to control their stress, manage tasks and sort through the endless tasks.
1. Prioritize Your Tasks
There will always be more tasks than your capacity and the time to complete them all but of course you can’t get everything done. You have to accept it. Tasks that are both urgent and important must be on the top of the to-do list.
Always remember, putting off tasks tends to take priority over the important tasks. Don’t let this happen. Make sure you focus on your task list.
2. Complete Your Tasks in a Limited Time
It is advised to complete your tasks quickly and move on to the next. Doing a particular task for more than an hour may be a nice effort but spending five hours doing the same task is nothing but the wastage of time. Make sure you set aside the limited amount of time for completing tasks to get more things completed and easily meet your deadlines.
3. Stay Up-to-Date
Keeping track of what you are getting done each day can help you measure how much time you really need for a given project or task.
This way you will not feel overwhelmed as knowing that will help you identify how much you can take on in the future.
4. Don’t Waste Your Time on Perfectionism
I’m not saying mediocrity is okay… but continuously working on the same task to make it perfect is not a good idea at all. Moreover, it kills your time, delaying your other tasks that must be completed on time. Keep in mind, great work is what you do for your clients. Perfectionism is something we do to satisfy ourselves.
5. Set Realistic Goals
Set the realistic, achievable deadlines, so that resources can stick to it. Don’t give your resources and colleagues unrealistic deadlines. You your job very know very well, so don’t expect other to get the task completed in unrealistic time frame. Manage your expectations, be realistic.
6. Share the Burden
The great thing about being part of a project is having other people to help out when other projects are taking priority and things are getting particularly tough. Talk to your boss to redistribute your workload so you can easily complete what’s on your plate. Find out what is most important to stay on your to-do list and what tasks can be pushed back or assigned to someone else. Sharing the workload with the rest of the team can really help you make your deadlines and prove it that you can handle it all.
7. Do One Task at a time
Do one task at a time is a great way to manage your task schedule and meeting your deadlines. As moving from one tasks to another can make things more enjoyable, bearable, especially when you are particularly tackling something difficult.
However, if you are contending with a heavy workload, work on task at a time is a worthwhile option for your peace of mind.
8. Stay Focused
It’s important not to get distracted and keep your focus on work. Try allocating five minutes to check your phone and emails. Turn your notifications off so you don’t get distracted every five minutes.
9. Take Short Breaks
Taking breaks when your workload is too much and tensions are mounting can relax your mind. This way you can maintain the quality of work which is likely to suffer if you don’t give yourself a break and energize your mind and body.
Give yourself some time to eat lunch or snacks so that you can restore your focus.
10. Keep Your Boss in the Loop
If you are working with different people on different projects, and all projects have contradictory deadlines, it is advised to discuss the challenges with your boss and find out which tasks need to be prioritized first. This way, you get to push back a little and involve your boss in the decision making process.
Following these simple and easy ways can help you tackle your overwhelmed workload and get back on track. Always keep yourself controlled, organized and honest about what you can actually deal with.
