Social Media 101: Tactics and Tips to DevelopYour Business Online

Chapter 83. How to Do More with Less Time

You need better time management. You're looking for time-saving tips. Whether you're in a huge organization, a team of 30, or a solo practitioner, it's fairly guaranteed that you have more work to do than you have time to complete it. Further, the effort it takes to keep up with people in social media and do it like a human being takes some time. In this chapter, I'll talk about how to do more with less time. Part of this will be about the philosophy behind it, and the next part will be about the tools.

MORE WITH LESS

I'm finding that there are two keys: (1) Have a simple system, and (2) automate everything you can. In both cases, this allows for more time to do the work that matters to you. Remember, a good chunk of our day is spent doing things that don't really pay us back (in any sense of the word). Part of this comes with a philosophical perspective to consider, and the other is pure business reasoning. Let's talk about the mind-set behind a simple system first.

HAVE A SIMPLE SYSTEM

I'm a lifelong fan of Dr. Stephen R. Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and also his later book, The 8th Habit. To that end, I work hard to begin with an end in mind. That helps me center on what I should be doing. For those of you who haven't read it, the point is essentially this: The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.

Sounds simple, but it's not. If you have big things to do and little things to do, focus on the bigger ones. If ...