Tag: Time

How To Enjoy Your Off-Time As An Entrepreneur

Three focuses of my blog are Money/Financial Literacy, Business/Entrepreneurship and Health/Wellness. Being an entrepreneur can be as taxing as being and employee and in some instances more so. Thus it’s critical to understand how to create a proper balance. The following contributed post is entitled, How To Enjoy Your Off-Time As An Entrepreneur.

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The life of an entrepreneur is busy; you will often find yourself busy with one activity or the other. This is valid, as your goal is to ensure your business thrives and outshines your competitors while making good money. But the problem comes when you can’t take a break. Constantly staying busy without rest can affect your health, which is the last thing you want as a business owner. Moreover, you may not be in the right state of mind to make the best decisions for your company. This is why you must find time to recuperate and unwind. Here is how you can make the most out of your off-time.

1. Connect with nature by hiking

Hiking is a great way for anyone to destress and for good reasons. Making your way on that hiking trail can encourage your body to release high levels of endorphins, allowing you to expel the negative feelings that have been pent up for a long time. Moreover, they reduce cortisol, allowing your body to relax. If you seek peace of mind and clarity to assess your business performance clearly, then hiking is what you need. Undoubtedly, you will walk in areas with many trees and greenery, which helps your mind focus. Did you also know that you can learn entrepreneurial lessons from this activity?

For instance, you will eventually get to rough terrains that can strike fear in people. This is no different from the business landscape, where uncertainties can cause you to worry about your business’s success. But hikers have no room for fear; with carefully calculated steps, they move on until they hit their goals. Likewise, you keep pushing in your entrepreneurial endeavors, making strategic decisions to keep your business afloat. Here are other lessons you can learn as you go on your hiking adventure.

2. Feel the water on your body (swimming)

A few things beat the sensation of water on your body as you engage in some swimming laps. But you also don’t want to forget about the mental benefits this activity can offer you. For starters, with your mind focused on the water, its fluid movements, and relaxing sounds, you can take your mind off business matters that increase your stress and anxiety. This encourages your body to release pent-up tension, allowing your muscles to relax. Like hiking, you can also pick a lesson or two from swimming. For instance, you need to know your strengths and limitations so you don’t drown; the same is true for business. Knowing where your brand thrives can help you become an authority figure, and assessing your weaknesses can prevent you from taking steps that would sink your establishment. You can choose to swim in the pool, sea, river, or any body of water that tickles your fancy.

3. Embrace adventure through kayaking

You may have tried swimming and want an adventure. In this case, kayaking may be what you need. This activity is excellent for giving your brain a good workout; your hippocampus becomes active when paddling. This area is what allows you to learn, think, and memorize. Aside from this, blood flow to your brain is further enhanced, stimulating new cells. This is good news for you as an entrepreneur; you can become more innovative and think of new ideas that will propel your brand forward. You also don’t want to forget how good you feel after a good workout; the feel-good hormones can help you destress, so keep this in mind. Before going on your adventure, know what gear you need to enhance your safety and heighten the experience. For starters, choosing a sit in kayak can be a good decision if you are new to this activity. Not only does it offer protection from the water and sun, but it also provides enough control to prevent you from wobbling. While at it, get a flotation device, safety gear, spray skirt, and other safety items.

Be one with yourself by practicing yoga

Sometimes, you only need to sit down, meditate, and connect to yourself. And what better way to do this than by practicing yoga? The urge may be to hurry and do something, robbing you of relaxation. With yoga, you can build the discipline to know when to stop and relax. This way, you can escape burnout, so feel free to consider this.

Entrepreneurship can be exciting, but it can prevent you from making time for yourself. Therefore, you have to make a conscious effort to take some time off work. The activities discussed above can make your free period worthwhile.

Simple Ways To Spend Your Spare Time

Two focuses of my blog are Creating Ecosystems of Success and Health/Wellness. A key to life is understanding how to properly spend your spare time, as it can’t all be spent working. The following contributed post is entitled, Simple Ways To Spend Your Spare Time.

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Looking for a way to pass your spare time? You’re in luck. Of course, different people are going to have different interests and hobbies, so there’s unlimited scope for different types of activities to take up your time. But here are a few suggestions that could help to get the ball rolling. You’ll have plenty to occupy yourself with in next to no time!

Gaming

Gaming is one of the most commonly engaged with pastimes. It allows you to take a step back from the real world and immerse yourself in some escapism that allows you to explore different areas and skills. From family friendly games to puzzle games, shooter games, team games or the best gambling apps to win money, there’s a sea of different options out there. Only you can determine which options tick your boxes and which you might rather avoid. You can even get involved in gaming communities if you want to add a social element to your gaming ventures.

Instruments

Ever considered picking up an instrument? Why not try it out now? Sure, we may associate learning musical instruments with children and children’s hobbies or extracurricular activities, but there’s absolutely no reason you can’t pick this up as an adult. Sure, we might not have quite as much time to dedicate to practice, but you can definitely get on board with the basics and improve your skills over time in your spare time. The world is your oyster on this one. You can follow free online video tutorials and blog posts, which are abundant nowadays, or you could go all in and hire a tutor or teacher who can get you off to the best start possible. Choose someone with good reviews in your local area who is also available to match your time schedule. This can become a strong and lasting bond that sees you develop a truly unique new life skill and hobby!

Days Out

Many of us get roped into the same old routines, engaging with the same activities on an ongoing basis, over and over. Why not try heading out on a different day out to what you’re used to? This could stray outside of the realms of meals out and the cinema. Instead, why not consider visiting a local sight or cultural attraction. Museums, art galleries, science centres, castles, landmarks… the list goes on. Alternatively, an activity like water sports, winter sports or team sports can be fun too. Ice skating, archery, basketball, fencing. The world is your oyster. Try heading out alone, with friends or even on planned group excursions. If you have more time on your hands, you can even plan trips, such as vacations, holidays, camping, road trips and more. These require more planning, but tend to create truly lasting experiences and memories.

Niche Hobbies

Have you been wanting to pick up a hobby for a while? Now is the time to explore it. Look into local groups, pick up any equipment you need and carve out time in your schedule to accommodate it. Whether that’s night time, outdoor activities with a pvs 14, pottery classes at a college or community centre or joining hiking groups with people in the local area. Whatever has been interesting you, take some time to explore it!

Relaxation

We all need some time for some rest and relaxation. So, make sure to create time for it in your busy schedule. Different people relax in different ways, so this one will be entirely subjective, but take some time to think and determine what you like to do when letting your hair down. This could be a spa day, a relaxing bath, a film on the sofa, a walk in the countryside or anything else that brings a smile to your face.

Freelancing

Got spare time and want to generate some extra money? Why not consider building and developing a freelance skill? This can not only be something you enjoy, but something you’re financially rewarded for too. Now, there are measures you need to take before diving into the deep end with this. First and foremost, you’ll need to register yourself as self employed. This will see you receive a UTR number which will allow you to file a self assessment at the end of the tax year, ensuring you pay your taxes correctly and that the government can track your income. Next, you need to determine what skill you’re going to cash in on. Good examples include copywriting, graphic design, accounting and so much more. Next, you need to find some clients. This means getting your name out there. Look for advertisements on job boards or professional social media platforms like LinkedIn. Create yourself a website with a portfolio if you have more money to put into the venture.

There really is a lot to do besides sitting at home feeling bored. So, why not try out some of the options highlighted above, or use these as a springboard to start researching alternative activities you can get involved in.

Business Marketing Tips in Challenging Times

Three focuses of my blog are Current Events, Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship. Covid-19 has changed the way business is conducted in many instances. Those businesses that have been able to survive will need to think about how to adapt and survive in this new environment. The following contributed post is entitled, Business Marketing Tips in Challenging Times.

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This year has been a rollercoaster year for most businesses. With many businesses forced to limit hours and cut staff because of Covid-19 closures, many must evaluate what’s next? Maybe the way you used to do business won’t be viable moving forward. When your customers’ needs shift, your business must do too. Challenging times mean tweaking your marketing techniques as well.

Communicate with Your Customers

The number one rule in business is keeping the communication going. Your sales funnel may be a process of months for some products or even years for others. A normal newsletter and social media updates are great ways to keep your business in front of your customers. Everybody loves a good story. So, make your customer outreach like storytime: what’s new, what’s aligned with pop culture, and what’s funny. You can find memorable, free images online that connect with popular hashtags like #MotivationalMonday, #ThankfulThursday, and #FridayFeeling. Marketing doesn’t have to be salesy. The new buzz phrase is content marketing. These are some marketing do’s and don’ts during a pandemic. Don’t just stick with social media, though – you can make the most of the number of time people spend on their mobile phones. Put your data to good use, start sending more regular newsletters, chat groups and use a mass texting service to stay engaged.

Focus Your Strategy on Solutions to Current Challenges

Whatever you are doing, whether email marketing, print marketing, or social media marketing, present solutions to current challenges. You may need to unschedule previously planned campaigns to shift to the “new” normal. Just a few topics that may resonate with your customers this year are how to work from home without losing your job, how to design the best interior layout for home-schooling, or how to make homemade masks easily and with things you have around the house. In particular, topics that help with the boredom of staying at home are ideal, including new technology, virtual activities, and online courses. Remind your customers that can help them overcome the obstacles of 2020.

One method that can help you to identify the unique needs of your customers is to use an AI advertising company. AI advertising uses machine learning tools to identify complicated patterns in data. These patterns can point to all kinds of conclusions, including the current challenges of your customer base. It can also be used to predict and build advertising strategies that are far more likely to succeed in the current market, as well as to provide the solutions that your customers are looking for.

Find Niche Experts for Your Industry

Although you know your business niche well, how well do you know how to reach your customers. There are specialists in marketing to very niche industries such as HVAC marketing as well as in healthcare and childcare service marketing. Well-targeted design, marketing copy, and even tight slogans can make all the difference. It is important to find niche experts for your industry so that you can get the most bang for your marketing buck and stand out from your competition.

2020 is winding down, but that doesn’t mean your business marketing does. In fact, the end of the year is where you need to finish strong. It is a great time to outreach to share your thanks, spread holiday cheer, and offer limited-time offers before the holidays or New Year. Maybe it is time to add a small business Saturday sale to your roster. Perhaps a virtual Q&A or roundtable to answer the most common questions of your customers could be added to your marketing calendar. By continuing to tell your business’ story with fun and helpful tips, tricks, and tools pays off. Sometimes you need a bit of encouragement, so reach out to the business marketing experts for niche advice as well as some fresh marketing trends to try.

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4 Ways to Make the Most of Time at Home this Winter

Two focuses of my blog are Creating Ecosystems of Success and Health/Wellness. With Covid-19, this may be an especially long winter. Similar to most of the year, using the time wisely will be of the utmost importance even if just for your personal health. The following contributed post is entitled, 4 Ways to Make the Most of Time at Home this Winter.

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Over the past year, you have likely spent more time at home than ever before due to the pandemic. As the weather starts to grow colder and the winter arrives, you may be starting to spend more time at home once again. If you are worried that you will struggle to stay occupied at home over the winter, then it may help to plan some ideas to fill your time. Now is the perfect opportunity to acquire new interests and to rediscover past hobbies. If you are looking for ideas to keep you entertained at home, why not give some of these a try?

1. Learn a Language

Learning a language is an excellent way to spend time and could be extremely useful. If you love traveling, why not learn the language of your favorite vacation destination? Alternatively, why not master a language that will further your career? Bi-lingual employees are always in high demand. You could even make a complete career change based on your new language skills, such as teaching English as a foreign language or working as an interpreter.

2. Discover Fascinating Facts

Everyone loves to learn fascinating facts, so why not do some research and discover new information to impress your friends with? You are sure to be the most popular member of your quiz team when armed with all these facts! With a little research, you can find out everything from who chrese evans is, to which country consumes the most chocolate. There is a whole world of information out there just waiting to be discovered.

3. Acquire a New Skill

If you want to use your time at home wisely, then learning a new skill is a great idea. Now is the perfect time to learn that skill that you have always wanted to master, but never had the time. If you have always wanted to learn to cook like a pro or to play the guitar like a rock star, then now could be your perfect chance to do it! Why not seize this window of opportunity and give it a go!

If you live with your family, why not see if they would be interested in learning something new? Developing a new skill can be so much more fun when you are learning alongside someone else and sharing the learning journey.

4. Reconnect with Friends

During the first stay at home order, many people found that they felt lonely and isolated. To avoid this, it is crucial to try and nurture your wellbeing as much as possible. While you may not be out and about during the lockdown and unable to meet up with people in-person, it is essential to connect with others during this time. With extra time spent at home, you may find that you have the opportunity to get back in touch with family members and friends that you don’t usually have the time to speak with.

Reconnecting with loved ones and learning new things will certainly keep you busy while at home.

4 Key Steps To Streamline Your Business and Save Time

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Your most valuable asset is your time and thus as a business owner, you have to think about how to optimize your operations so they can be as efficient as possible. The following contributed post is entitled, 4 Key Steps To Streamline Your Business and Save Time.

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Time is money in business and every penny saved is a penny earned. Being able to streamline your business and cut down on wasted time helps massively in your quest for business success. However, if you are new to running or owning a business it can be a bit confusing, or even overwhelming, wondering what areas of your business that you can save time in or even eliminate altogether. Here are 4 key steps you can take to better streamline your business and maximize your time.

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Standard Operating Procedures

Standard operating procedures, or SOPs for some, are a method of operating that lays out clear guidelines and procedures for performing certain tasks. They should be clearly written down and accessible, especially if you plan on bringing new hires into the company. What these procedures do is help you set up new hires and existing staff with the tools they need to complete tasks quickly and efficiently. By ensuring that all parts of any given task are laid out clearly and with attention to detail, there should be no excuses when it comes to performing tasks correctly and with speed.

Outsourcing

Outsourcing is a great way to take some of the stress of running a business away from yourself, so that you may focus on other more important areas, such as customer acquisition and actual work. Anything can be outsourced these days, including your HR, payroll, and general administration. Finding a company that provides all of these services in one place is a huge benefit as you don’t then have to deal with multiple agencies who provide your services. For time and cost-saving, it is worth looking into what companies are out there and how they can help, such as the company at the next link (https://employeradvantage.com/payroll-service-management-and-the-latest-software-solutions/)

Automation

Automating certain parts of your business allows you to save time on smaller tasks that would normally take up your day. You can automate most things from email responses to invoice generation. Remember though that just because you can automate something doesn’t mean you should. Some tasks still require a human touch so if you are going to set up automation make sure that you can keep an eye on it. Some software can be found for free or some can be paid for so If you do end up paying, make sure you are considering how much you are paying to how much time you are saving. Make sure it’s worth it.

Reduce Paper Usage

Reducing your paper waste is a great way to streamline your operations. By removing paper usage you can remove the time that it takes to process and digitize. Doing this will save a number of hours in the long run which will again save you money as well. However, there are some documents that just cannot be eliminated no matter how hard you try. For these documents, it is recommended that you implement a solid and function paper filing and documenting system. It isn’t enough to just put them in a folder and hide them in a drawer somewhere. You must be able to access them as and when you need them, and to be able to do so quickly and efficiently.

3 Tips for Being More Respectful of Your Time

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and a key focus is Health/Wellness. A key problem many people have is not respecting their own time. Unfortunately time management is not something that is taught across the board. The following contributed post is entitled, 3 Tips for Being More Respectful of Your Time.

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In life, there are all sorts of resources of various types that you might have plenty of – or very little of – depending on a broad variety of circumstances.

One thing that everyone has equal access to, however, is the time available in a given day. No matter whether you are the most quick-witted and enterprising business guru in the land, or someone much more ordinary, you will never have more than 24 hours in a day to spend attending to your chores, chasing your dreams, and all the rest.

Very often, we end up convincing ourselves that the reason why we don’t do the sorts of things we would ideally want to do in life, is because we just “don’t have enough time.”

While time constraints are obviously real, it’s also true that we frequently sabotage ourselves and develop a distorted sense of what is and isn’t possible, due to the fact that we aren’t as respectful and thoughtful of our time as we should be.

In her book “168 Hours,” the writer Laura Vanderkam details many examples of successful people in a variety of fields who have nonetheless managed to juggle their hobbies and personal lives alongside fruitful careers. The secret? They always found a way to squeeze in a bit of time on a regular basis for the things they were really passionate about, even in spite of all the odds.

Vanderkam shares one particularly telling anecdote in the book, where she describes having read a publication where various members of the public waxed lyrical about the brilliant things they would do if they only had an extra 20 minutes or so a day to spend. Predictably, there were a lot of people who were apparently going to live out their dreams and pursue their hobbies if only that extra sliver of time would materialise.

Considering the fact, however, that the average person spends several hours a day watching television – this can’t help but ring a bit hollow.

Here are a few tips for being more respectful of your time in general, so that you can live your life in line with your true values, hopes, and principles.

Consider auditing your time for a while to see just where it’s actually going

In “168 Hours,” Vanderkam proposes a great exercise for raising time-awareness – that is, keeping daily “timesheets,” detailing how you spend all your time for at least a week or two at a stretch.

This isn’t necessarily meant to be a permanently ongoing exercise. The key point is that it will shine a light on just what’s actually happening with your time, so that you are no longer likely to be so inclined to feel as though the minutes and hours have just swept by in a blur.

After doing this exercise for a few days, you might be shocked to find just how much of your “working hours” were actually spent on browsing the web. Or how many of your evening leisure and relaxation hours were not actually spent on entertainment, time with friends and family, or relaxation, but were rather dedicated to checking work emails after hours.

There is a famous old saying that “what gets measured, gets improved.” By the same token, if you never actually track how you’re spending your time, you will inevitably have a very limited scope for mastering it and treating it with more respect.

Realise that outsourcing certain things is often a great way of freeing up more time

Generally speaking, it’s quite common for people to be reluctant to spend money outsourcing things that they could – if pushed – do by themselves.

Of course, it’s good to be self-reliant and not to spend money gratuitously, but both in your working life and your personal life, it will often be the case that “outsourcing” various tasks, projects, and chores, is one of the best and most reliable ways of freeing up more time that you can then spend more fruitfully.

If you are an entrepreneur, for example, there is quite a good chance that you will naturally be predisposed to try to micromanage your business as much as possible. But everyone has limited time, a limited range of skill sets, and a limited amount of energy to spend on a given day.

Bringing a third party network management company on board, for example, might therefore not only mean that this dimension of your business gets handled more effectively, but that you also suddenly find you have far more time and energy available in your day to spend on other things.

Use the power of your environment to keep you focused and on point

There is a popular idea in productivity-focused circles that suggests that willpower is the end-all-be-all when it comes to things like proper time management.

While willpower is certainly important, however, it is not a resource you can draw on endlessly in order to try and structure and arrange every aspect of your daily existence. According to the psychologist Kelly McGonigal, author of “The Willpower Instinct,” research suggests that willpower is actually a finite and expendable resource. If you try to rely on it too heavily for too many things, you’re setting yourself up for burnout and failure.

In order to be more respectful of your own time, and to manage your time more effectively, one of the most powerful things you could do would be to use the power of your environment to keep you focused and on point.

What exactly does this mean?

Well, essentially it means that as human beings we are all inclined to follow the path of least resistance, by default. The way you structure your environment can therefore serve to nudge you down more or less fruitful and intentional paths, requiring varying degrees of willpower.

When it comes to being more respectful of your time, a good environmental shift might be something like installing a web blocker on your computer to keep distracting sites at bay during certain hours. Or, surrounding yourself with people who will keep an eye on you and keep you accountable if you’re supposed to be meeting a certain deadline by a certain time.

Reduce Business Downtime to Save Time and Money

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. A key to any business operation is increasing productivity and efficiencies. Doing so will increase the likelihood of staying viable and outlasting your competitors. The following contributed post is entitled, Reduce Business Downtime to Save Time and Money.

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Downtime for your business can cause all sorts of problems. Your business can waste time and money while you’re trying to get back to normal, and it can even damage your reputation if you’re not available to your customers. When you’re experiencing a lot of downtime, it can have a significant effect on your business, and it won’t be a positive one. By reducing the amount of downtime your business experiences, you can improve productivity, save time and money, and boost your business reputation with your customers too. Here are some of the ways you can start reducing downtime so your business can run more smoothly.

Get the Right IT Support

In any modern business, experiencing IT problems will often mean that the whole company comes to a halt. Severe disruptions can occur if certain things aren’t working as they should, interrupting the systems that the business relies on. One of the smartest ways to deal with this problem is to ensure you have the right IT support. For many businesses, especially smaller ones that can’t afford large IT departments, managed IT services are an excellent choice. If you visit the fidelis website at fidelisnw.com, you can see how one company can provide managed services that keep your business going. With managed IT support, you can concentrate on other areas of your business.

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Perform Preventative Maintenance

The most significant disruptions to your business can be caused by sudden problems resulting from equipment that stops working. Whether it’s office equipment or manufacturing equipment, you don’t want your business operations to stop suddenly because essential equipment isn’t available. If you want to avoid this type of thing happening, preventative maintenance is the best option. You need to ensure regular maintenance of key equipment so that any problems can be taken care of long before they can cause disruption to your business.

Have a Solid Continuity Plan

Any company should have a continuity plan. Your business continuity plan will set out what happens if something goes wrong, and your business experiences downtime. It might outline some of the things that are expected to happen automatically, like a backup power generator kicking in, as well as what your staff members are expected to do. Your business continuity plan will cover different areas of the business and provide a step-by-step action plan for how to deal with any periods of downtime. The aim is to get your business back up and running as quickly as possible.

Prepare Your Staff

Part of developing a continuity plan for your business can be ensuring your staff knows what they need to do when something goes wrong. Walking them through their roles and how everything should happen if there’s a problem will make everything run more smoothly when the time comes. It can also help to identify any flaws or difficulties in your continuity plan so that it can be optimized before it needs to be put into action.

Reduce downtime for your business, and you will be able to save both time and money. You can improve productivity and preserve your reputation by being prepared.

Dealing with Tough Times as a Small Business

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Many businesses face tough times at one point or another. If and when it happens, it’s important to understand how to adjust. The following contributed post is entitled, Dealing with Tough Times as a Small Business.

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Every business owner that has been around for a while knows: you have great years, and you have lean years. The success you might be experiencing right now is not a guarantee for the future. Having a buffer in the finances helps most medium to large companies deal with trialing times, while they either wait or get organized for better fortunes.

Photo by Tim van der Kuip on Unsplash

For smaller businesses, these types of financial buffers are usually non-existent. If the cash flow dries up, there are serious risks to not being able to pay suppliers on time or, even worse, the payroll. Companies do well to have a contingency plan ready to deal with meagre times and, as the saying goes: mend the roof when the sun is shining, perhaps already incorporate into your business to become more agile and responsive. Here are some areas to look into.

Switch Up Your Marketing

There will be no new business without significant marketing in place. That doesn’t mean climbing in the phone to the next media buying agency to get yourself a costly TV campaign. It means, especially in this digital times, to go smarter with the market budget and try to reach audiences you haven’t reached before. Think direct to consumer marketing campaigns, social media campaigns, or pay-per-lead type marketing activity. In the new age, going small for just a leads/new business campaign is possible, but do consider that eventually, you will need brand saliency for real growth. Going full digital marketing and lead/sale based only will work in the short term is no real replacement for the longer term. Also, don’t fall in the trap of only focusing on short term marketing, you will always need a vision in place how your proposition will evolve over time.

Investigate Your Cash Flow

Thinking about cash flow issues, especially in regards to being able to pay suppliers is another challenge business owners will have to get their head around. In some cases, the solution is as simple as coming to an agreement with your suppliers. One the one hand they have no interest in one of their customers going under, on the other hand, they will have to pay their own suppliers and employees as well.

In some cases, there is a good middle that can be reached to alleviate the pressures of paying a full invoice but also respects the relationship you have with your suppliers. Running payroll is more challenging as it will be a large chunk of the finances. Of course, you can try negotiating, but don’t be surprised if employees walk away quite quickly. Ask yourself “what is factoring” for a solution in this area.

Keep Improving

Ensuring a stream of jobs and managing your cash flow are the main life-line for companies in difficult times, but it doesn’t end there. What might seem to be a luxury, thinking about the future 3-5 years down the line, as you are fighting for survival, might seem daft, but it’s precisely what you will need to do. As a business owner, you need to be continuously navigating the challenging waters of threats and opportunities to come out of it stronger, more robust, and on a path of healthy growth.

How To Use Your Time Wisely As A Boss

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success, and a key focus is Career Discussions. As a boss as opposed to being an employee, you have a lot of responsibility. As such, you must become a master of using your time wisely. Doing so will give both you and your staff the best chances to succeed in your mission. The following contributed post is entitled, How To Use Your Time Wisely As A Boss.

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When you’re managing a company, there are many things that you have to do. In fact, it feels like there is a never ending stream of emails coming into your inbox, and that you’ve got people knocking on the door morning, noon and night, asking for your advice and assistance. This is before you even think about all of the other responsibilities that you have to take care of.

It’s no wonder, then, that you may be worried about the best ways for you to utilize your time. After all, you only have 24 hours in the day just like everybody else, right? Here’s how you can use your time wisely.

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Work out what you’re good at

One of the best things that you can do as a boss is to work out what you’re actually good at. Sure, we all like to think that we’re really good at all elements of running a business, but when it comes down to it, there are some things that we’re slow at, or just not great at completing.

When you work out what these tasks are, you can get to work on giving them to other people, rather than doing them yourself. Using your strengths as a way to center your time is a good idea if you feel like it’s getting away from you!

See what you can outsource

There are very few businesses out there now that don’t use outsourcing in some way. Whether it’s having a virtual reception desk, managed IT services, or a part time CFO dealing with your finances, there are plenty of jobs that you can get done by people who don’t even need to be in the office.

This gets rid of all of the little tasks that you have, that may be consuming your time. If you feel like you’re always on the phone and you don’t necessarily need to be, then this is something that somebody else can do, and you don’t need to fork out a full-time wage.

Have regular breaks

OK, this one may seem like it doesn’t actually save you any time, but there is certainly something to be said for having regular breaks as a boss. Not only does it allow you to take a step back and think about your next course of action, but it also allows you to come back into the office ready to deal with the task at hand.

Throwing yourself into your work non-stop will only be detrimental for your time management, so don’t underestimate the simple effectiveness of a 10 minute walk, just to get you out of the office and to clear your head a little.

So…

If you want to use your time wisely as a boss, then try out some of these things. Ultimately, it’s not about working harder; it’s about working smarter, and making sure that you’re utilizing all of the hours that you have in the office day. Once you work out how to do it, your productivity will be through the roof!

The Ultimate Guide To Making The Most Of Your Spare Time

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of success. A major key to success is the smart use of your time. Many people waster their valuable spare time. Others use to build and propel them forward. The following contributed post is entitled, The Ultimate Guide To Making The Most Of Your Spare Time.

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If you are finding that your days are full of work, followed by watching mind numbing TV, eating the same old meals, and sleeping, the chances are that you aren’t making the most of your spare time. Sure, you might be working for eight hours a day five days a week, but that still leaves a lot of free time that you can fill with worthwhile activities. Switching off in front of the big screen once in a while is great to unwind, but you shouldn’t be filling your evenings by being a couch potato. It’s time to utilize your evenings and weekends for more worthwhile pursuits. Take a look at how you can make the most of your spare time.

Volunteer

The thought of giving up your free time to help others will either make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, or fill you with dread. The key to making the most out of any volunteering experience is to do something that you have a genuine interest in. If you hate the thought of global deforestation and you like the idea of spending your time outdoors, you could volunteer with a local conservation project. If you are keen on playing guitar in your spare time, why not volunteer a Saturday morning to give some free lessons to the kids in your local community who can’t afford music tuition. By doing something that you love and combining it with volunteering you can help others, brush up your resume, and do something worthwhile all at the same time.

Learn Something New

Lifelong learning is something that many people aspire to achieve but most fail. Take baby steps into the world of learning by doing something new that you’ve always wanted to experience. If you want to learn Japanese, book a free taster session. If you want to try archery, enrol on a beginners course. Or if you fancy trying bowling for the first time, head down to your local bowling alley. Doing something new can give you something to look forward to when it’s raining outside or your boss is becoming unreasonable.

Alternatively, you could choose to upskill in a more formal way. People like Philip McTigue combine their careers with masters degrees or other qualifications to enhance their skill set and become more employable. If you’re hunting for a promotion, this might be worth your while.

Get Active

Rather than watching another episode of Judge Judy, whip on your sneakers and head outdoors. You might fancy taking a brisk walk to the local park, trying your hand at jogging again, or simply popping into the back garden to start a barbeque. Invite friends over, become more sociable and relearn that life is more than a Facebook feed or TV screen. By being willing to take a bit of a technology detox, you can enjoy real life once again.

Your spare time is precious so don’t squander it playing video games all hours God sends. Make a change and do something worthwhile with your free time.