Are you busy with your business, making some money, but not as much as you want? We can all get mired in busywork that sucks too much time out of our days. We’re busy with wheel spinning and slogging ahead, not focusing on intentional networking and business planning to grow our relationships and expand our bottom line. 

You can fill your day with meetings, phone and Zoom calls, business card exchanges, and not-working events. Content marketing requires a constant stream of new blogs, LinkedIn articles, and social media posts. Connecting to others on LinkedIn involves time and effort, but there are hit or miss results.

It is also easy to get distracted. People fall victim to thinking immediate news and information all day, every day is a good thing. In my mind, it’s a granted form of theft. We allow that shiny object or bit of information to steal our gifted minutes. It’s nothing but a distraction.

If you lack a strategy and busyness isn’t bringing anything to your bottom line, you need to focus on building meaningful connections that bring opportunity directly into your business. How do you find the time and energy to do that?

Time is Money

The key is to create as much time as possible for business development, then use that time to generate business most effectively and efficiently – by creating and cultivating connections and your Board of Directors (BOD). You must get the most money out of your time. It’s limited and has value. Think of every minute as a dollar. What would be the best way to spend it?

Many of us, business owners and others, are simply distracted and unfocused. We surf the internet. We post on social media. Maybe you’re a big fan of air fryers, Kenny Chesney, Ford trucks, or the Eagles. We can’t get enough of online debates and the latest news.

You need to put your hands up and step away from your smartphone. This distraction is doing nothing to improve your business or your life. It may be hard to imagine, but for thousands of years, humans existed without Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and internet-connected phones.

Document How You Spend Your Time So You Can Do It Wisely

For a week, write down what you’re doing for your business and how much time it’s taking. Organize your notes, add up all the time you spent, then consider what return, if any, you’ve gotten. Look for patterns.

• Are there things you’re consistently doing that, despite your hopes, aren’t giving you back what you need?
• What may not get immediate results, but the odds are good business will come soon?

Think about the essential tasks of your business.

• How many must you do? Can any be delegated to others?
• If you spend a lot of time on your business’s operations, what are problems that repeatedly come up? What are the causes? Is there a way to address these problems so you won’t spend so much time on them? Do your employees need better training or equipment?
• Can anyone else handle these problems instead of you? How feasible is it to hire someone else to do this work? Might a digital assistant whose services you outsource be a solution?
• Is there a way to automate these tasks or use technology so you can do them more efficiently?

The Road to Unprofitability is Paved With Bad Intentions

To spend more time developing clients, creating business relationships, and getting the most of your BOD, use your time efficiently. If that’s not happening, document how you spend your time, analyze the data you found, and take actions to use your time better and more effectively.

Schedule your time so you’re making good use of it and stick to your schedule. Commit to being organized. Right now, organization may be something you know you should do, but you won’t take the plunge and get it done. Now’s the time. Make it happen.

Help Others Help You

If you want to learn more about how to leverage your relationships and grow your business, call me at (856)905-7040 or fill out my contact form, and attend one of my online seminars. Let’s start the conversation about how we can help ourselves and others.