A healthy business owner knows that managing their time is one of the most important things they should know how to do.

Managing your time will alleviate unnecessary stress and "Freaking Out".

Step One: Task Management
All tasks take a certain amount of time to do. Estimate your tasks according to the work. If if takes you 3 days to do an article, set aside some time to focus just on that article. If it takes you 30 minutes to make 50 phone calls, set aside a certain time of day to do this task.

Step Two: Establish hours and minutes for doing your work.
If you take 3 minutes to type a letter and 1 minute to stuff, fold and put a stamp on it. Mark your time accordingly. Establishing how long it takes you to do tasks will help in managing your time.

Step Three: Do not take on more than you can do.
It is not helpful to yourself or your client to take on work you know you do not have time to do.

Step Four: Work according to a time management plan.
Here is a sample of what I do daily:
8:00am-9:00am Breakfast, read articles and visit VAF
9:01am-9:30am Talk to potential clients
9:31am-9:59am Mentor
10:00am-12:00pm Client Work
12:01pm-1:00pm Lunch, read articles and visit VAF
1:00pm-3:00pm Client Work
3:00pm-3:30pm Networking & Social Media
3:31pm-4:30pm Work on TVE Magazine
5:00pm-5:30pm Do my bookkeeping
5:31pm-6:30pm Work on my course material.
6:31pm-7:45pm Adjust my schedule, if needed, for the next day.

Working according to a time management plan will help you breath easier and keep your stress level down.

Please also view 10 Tips to help with Business Stress - VBS On Demand Blog to learn more secrets to managing your time and lesson your stress.

Most Sincerely,
Andrea Jackson

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Action Jackson Virtual Assistant|

Andrea thank you for writing and sharing this article. My family and friends always joke with me about my habit in putting everything into a list, but without it there is no way I could get everything done. Plus, it is nice at the end of the day to see how much you have accomplished!

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LaTosha Johnson
http://www.targetstars.com

Great article! I really need to work on my time management skills. I still work my full time job and my schedule is irregular and all over the place! Which makes it really hard to set a daily schedule and stick to it.

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Jocelyn Y. Wilson

Thanks Andrea! Great read I am certain beginning to managed my time better!

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Cathryn Branch, MPA 'We will either find a way, or make one.' Hannibal

Hi Andrea,

Thanks for that inspirational article. Working according to a plan makes all the difference.

Roslyn

Andrea,

Great plan you have there. I am just starting to do that since I need to know where my time is going.

Thanks for sharing!

Mimi

Hi Andrea, thanks for sharing. I will keep this article in mind--I'm sure it will be helpful to me, since I am new to the VA business.

Miriam