How small business owners can manage their time effectively

As a small business owner, your time is one of your most valuable assets. How you manage it can make a significant difference to your productivity, stress levels, and overall success. With the demands of running a business constantly evolving, effective time management is more important than ever.

Time management techniques are designed to help you stay organised, focused, and ready to tackle your goals. We’ve pulled together some of the most popular time management techniques to help you remain focused on what’s important.

SMART Goals

The S.M.A.R.T. technique sets out a framework to map the future direction of your business. It’s been around since 1981 and ensures every goal you set is tested against five criteria:

• Specific: Define what success looks like. For instance, "I want to generate 10 qualified mortgage enquiries through LinkedIn by refining my content and outreach strategy."
• Measurable: Use metrics to track progress with tools like Google Analytics and CRM dashboards.
• Achievable: Assess resource availability and team capacity before committing to your goal. For brokers, this might include ensuring you have time for personalised follow-ups with leads generated.
• Relevant: Ensure goals align with current business priorities and overall vision. For example, focusing on first-time buyers if that’s a growing part of your market.
• Time-bound: Set deadlines and incorporate automated reminders to stay on track, such as using your CRM to notify you when it’s time to follow up on LinkedIn leads.

SMART goals provide clarity and focus, helping you ensure the time spent on tasks aligns with your broader objectives. For example, the finalised SMART goal for the LinkedIn strategy above might be:

“Generate 10 qualified mortgage enquiries via LinkedIn within three months by posting weekly content, engaging with key connections, and following up with leads.”

The Eisenhower Matrix

The Eisenhower Matrix is a simple yet effective tool for prioritising tasks by urgency and importance. Often used with task management platforms like Asana, Trello, or Microsoft To Do, it splits tasks into four categories:

• Urgent + Important: Immediate client meetings or time-sensitive deadlines.
• Not Urgent + Important: Long-term planning, networking, or professional development.
• Urgent + Not Important: Administrative tasks that can be delegated.
• Not Urgent + Not Important: Unnecessary distractions that can be eliminated.

This method helps you focus on what truly matters while delegating or eliminating less critical tasks.

The Bullet Journal Method

The Bullet Journal is a popular method of organising your daily output via a points system. Tracking events, tasks and other items using points allows you and others to create realistic scheduling that reflects the effort required to deliver a piece of work.

• Index: The backbone of the bullet journal that provides the organisation of what you add to your notebook.
• Collection: Every page is given a topic. These topics group and organise related ideas.
• Rapid-logging: This is the short-form notation throughout collections, otherwise known as bullets
• Signifiers: These provide further context to the bullets. E.g. ! = inspiration, * = priority.
• Migration: The centre piece of the journal. Migrate tasks from daily logs to monthly logs at the end of the month. Cross out irrelevant tasks. Schedule tasks and events for the future.

By regularly reviewing your journal—whether physical, digital, or a mix of both—you can track progress, adapt your approach and refine your time management practices. This ongoing process not only keeps you organised but also helps you stay aligned with your business goals.

The 80/20 Rule

The Pareto Principle, or the 80/20 rule, suggests that 80% of results come from 20% of your efforts. This principle is particularly useful for small businesses aiming to focus resources effectively.

Here’s how to identify and act on your “20% tasks”:

• Marketing: Focus on the channels that deliver the highest ROI.
• Sales: Prioritise top clients or products that generate the most revenue.
• Operations: Automate repetitive processes to free up time for strategic work.

Using this principle helps you cut through distractions and concentrate on high-impact activities.

The Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique is ideal for maintaining focus, especially when distractions or large tasks feel overwhelming. Its structured approach involves working in short, intense bursts with regular breaks.

Here’s how to implement it:

1. Select a task that requires deep focus.
2. Set a timer for 25 minutes and work uninterrupted.
3. Take a 5-minute break to recharge—step away from your desk, hydrate, or stretch.
4. Repeat the cycle, taking a longer 15-30 minute break after four rounds.

This technique breaks tasks into manageable chunks, helping you maintain productivity and avoid burnout.

Time management is an essential skill for small business owners, but it’s also one you can refine over time. By adopting these strategies, you can focus your efforts on what truly matters, boosting both productivity and business growth.

For more tips on productivity, strategy, and business development, explore the Growth Series Library. With the right tools and techniques, you can take control of your time and create a business that thrives.

Download the above infographic here.