𝐄𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡

I’ve been writing a lot about time management and prioritization because it’s a top concern for startup founders at all stages of growth.

Let's not waste time.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁

𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. It’s easier to 'prioritize everything' than focus on a few because ideation is more fun than implementation.

❝𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒌𝒆𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒛𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒍𝒆, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒍𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔.❞ — Stephen Covey

I’d much rather accomplish three audacious goals than list ten unfinished ones. Forcing fewer goals results in accomplishing more.

𝘛𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘉𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨: Founders should develop a culture fostering proactive engagement and collaborative problem-solving.

Start with hiring. Resist the temptation to over-index on narrow industry experience and skills since your needs will change quickly.

Instead, hire people who are smart, flexible, and motivated. These traits will allow them to identify and address various opportunities and crises.

𝘙𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. Customer engagement leads to higher profitability (compared to new customers), upsell opportunities, and potential referrals.

Team retention has benefits in time and resources. Build strong onboarding and review processes and align personal development with business growth.

𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀

These are considerations to best concentrate and activate your priorities.

𝘌𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘹: Categorize every task by urgency and importance to decide how to act: immediately, later, delegate, or eliminate.

I utilize my calendar as a to-do list. So, if anything new arises, I must immediately commit to one and postpone the other.

𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨. Allocate specific blocks of time for different tasks, such as deep work, coaching teams, or reviewing metrics to measure progress.

Learn to say "No" to non-essential requests.*

𝘗𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘰𝘳𝘰 𝘛𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦. Use timed intervals of work followed by short breaks to increase concentration and prevent burnout.
 
Some people use a timer to avoid being distracted by emails or social media.
 
𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴: Hold weekly planning sessions with trusted advisors and by yourself to review the most critical tasks for growth.
 
Once a quarter, reconcile how you want to focus your time versus how you actually spend it. Adjust as needed.

𝘈𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘛𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘴: Apply tools for repetitive tasks like data entry and social media posts to free time for strategic work.

Two previous posts linked below cover a range of tips around automation.**
 
 
Recognize what will most impact your growth and reinforce those priorities. Regularly review if your actual efforts align with your priorities.
 
________________________________________

* Post on “Learn to Say No”: https://www.webuildscalegrow.com/post/sometimes-you-must-say-no

** For Productivity Tips and Techniques visit https://www.webuildscalegrow.com/case-studies and more Tips from Others: https://www.webuildscalegrow.com/post/make_your_year_better

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