Keeping track of the activities of a company seems impossible. You feel disorganized every day but you arenโt really sure how to change that. Many entrepreneurs are unaware of the available tools to manage this issue. I was sitting next to an entrepreneur who was keeping track of her many to-dos in a notebook. I asked her how long that took each day and she said about an hour. She was completely unaware of the numerous new tools, applications, and software designs that automate your to-do list and track agendas in an economy of time. These tools are mostly free and are designed for both larger companies and the one-woman show.
“If you want to turn your vision into a successful business, then you must operate in all tenses.”ย
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One of the reasons that entrepreneurs often feel overwhelmed is simply the raw amount of activity that is going on at any one time. Although you may feel the same way about tracking as you did about process- that itโs a waste of time- tracking, planning, and structure reduce significantly more time in the long run than the brief and immediate satisfaction of moving from task to task. Eventually, that โlong runโ is another in the future. It can be busier and more stressful than the one youโre facing today, or it can be a hell of a lot easier.
Entrepreneurs often get stuck in the present tense- after all, this is where creativity and innovation live- but if you want to turn your vision into a successful business, then you must operate in all tenses. Track past work, communication, and goals and maintain priorities. Balance your time in the present and establish ongoing procedures to ensure accurate and efficient communication. Without simple management tools, organizing information and tasks will continue to feel like herding cats all day, every day.
Whether it is a lack of knowledge and access to these tools, or a failure to appreciate their benefits, dismissing these tools and the end goal they are designed to help you achieve is a perspective that needs a critical shift. Making that shift will yield big results and the daily relief you need as an overextended entrepreneur.
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This is helpful, but honestly, even though I know there are a lot of good tools out there, my challenge is that I don’t have the time to go through an evaluation process to pick one. Is there a way to get recommendations from small businesses for time tracking and task management tools?
Our pleasure. Try Wunderlist for task management and Timecamp for time tracking. Hope that helps. In our Community we have over 50 vendor reviews of the top tools. You might want to check it out.