An entrepreneur’s daily checklist

The life of an entrepreneur is demanding. It means facing risks, meeting challenges head-on, taking responsibility for lives reliant on you, and dedicating yourself to bring the business forward towards your goals. If you take a look at it, it is not an easy role, but the emotional, financial and social gains of its success are tremendous.

While you keep your eye on the vision, which may be a long-term one, you need to break down your goals into tasks to make them achievable. To do so, a good form of discipline, order and commitment can help you get through your day-to-day undertakings and obligations. Successful entrepreneurs have daily checklists and routines that enable them to manage the tasks on hand while not losing sight of the result.

Here are some of the things that effective business owners do. Of course, you have to tailor-fit your checklist towards your needs and priorities. More importantly, you have to be flexible. You can always adjust your checklist depending on something that suddenly props up or on its relevance to your over-arching goals. But they can be overwhelming sometimes and you may want to get some ideas on what to do daily.

Plan your schedule at least a day ahead

You wake up with a fresh mind if you already have an idea of how to go about your day. The best option is to plan. As they say, “take care of your tomorrow today.” Managing a team or a business effectively starts with managing yourself, which includes your schedules and activities. Visualise how your day will unfold and consider the things which you can control and those you can’t. See if you have any pending or unaccomplished tasks that you have to carry over the next day so that you will be able to tick it off your checklist of to-dos.

Think of what you want to achieve on this day and work around it

What are your top priorities? What do you need to achieve for the day? Is it meeting a sales target, approving new product designs or mentoring your understudy? Whatever big or medium goals you want to accomplish, break them down into doable tasks for the day, such as calling a prospective client or visiting a supplier’s workshop. And think also beyond work. Include your personal goals and those for your family and community.

Reflect and meditate

Always allocate time for reflection or meditation. It may be starting your day with prayer or simply breathing in and out while driving to work. Do something that you find therapeutic. And while you’re at it, reflect about your inner self, on what makes you happy and contented, and of what you want to achieve. 

Nourish yourself and take care of your body

Take good care of yourself so that you can take care of others. As a business owner, you have a team to supervise and lead. Many entrepreneurs are also parents, so they also have to oversee their household’s needs and make sure their family is okay. Be sure that you are physically, mentally and emotionally able. Eat breakfast and don’t skip meals. Exercise or do activities to keep your body fit and healthy. De-stress when you fell burdened or burnt out. Get enough sleep and rest when your body shows signs of tiredness.

Talk to important people in your life

Whether it’s a morning conversation with your loved one, bedtime storytelling with your kids, brief updates from your managers, meeting with your client or one-on-one forum with a fellow EO member, make sure that you allow time to talk with important persons in your lives. They may be family members, colleagues, team members, fellow entrepreneurs, customers or friends who can provide you with valuable insights, inspire you to keep going or encourage you to be the best that you can be.

Clear your inbox

In this digital age, it is also important to keep your gadgets and devices free from clutter. Delete unnecessary files. Make it a habit to clear your inbox regularly. You can either allot a schedule when you can check your emails or set your account to only notify you of urgent messages or from important people.

Clean and arrange your desk

Having a clean environment has a positive effect on one’s mood and mental state. Some people find order amidst the clutter, but it’s still best to have some system and arrangement in place even when your desk may be full of papers and other things. Separate things that need your immediate attention and put them in an area that can easily be seen. During the day, take a few minutes arranging your stuff and throw what needs to be in the wastebasket.

Develop yourself

Listen to a TED talk podcast or read a book. You can enrol yourself in a short class and allot an hour or two for practice or study. Indulge in your hobby or do a creative activity. Always include an item in your to-do list that can contribute to your personal or professional growth and development. It may not be too big or noble. It can be a simple thing that will add value to yourself.

Inspire others

Do something where you can inspire or help others. It may be a simple smile to a person you meet on the street, a tap on your team member’s shoulder, doing a podcast, writing a short sweet note to your life partner or family member, or a pep talk to a community of entrepreneurs. Each one of us can uplift somebody else. Include that in your daily checklist and see how it can do wonders to your day.

There may be days when you may not be able to accomplish a lot of things in your checklist. That is fine. Don’t be too hard on yourself. But if it keeps dragging on, see what causes the slump. Review your list if they are still relevant or if they are truly attainable. And if you need help from people around you, do not hesitate to let them know about it.

Time management for entrepreneurs

Juggling different tasks in business, roles in your personal life, positions in your various associations and commitments in other interests can be tiresome. “Time is gold” rings true to every entrepreneur, which is why there is a need to manage it well. Otherwise, you’ll end up doing too many mundane things that may take up a lot of your time and energy.

The best way to approach the rigorous demands of running a business is to put a system in place that will allow you to organise your schedule and thoughts while reaping positive results. You may hear a lot of suggestions and advice on how to deal with effective time management, but we narrowed down five important tips that can help you structure your work with your other responsibilities.

Break down your goals into small tasks

Huge goals can be overwhelming at times. If you have several projects to finish, it is better to break them down into small tasks that you can check every day. Make these tasks very specific and time-bound so you can easily monitor their progress. Designate a few minutes to go over your checklist at the beginning and the end of the day.

Categorise tasks according to their urgency

Not everything is urgent. Organise your tasks according to priority so you can easily spot the things that you need to focus on and set aside other things at the bottom of your to-do list. Review your tasks and distinguish which ones that need your immediate attention and those that may be delegated to others or at another time. Use applications or software that can make your task and schedule easier to manage. Allow a few hours each day for emergency cases, but learn to sift through your appointments or undertakings to avoid getting your day swamped with too much work.

Set aside time for each role

In your business, you can allocate time for your different responsibilities, roles and departments. When you are home, centre your attention to your family and loved ones. Make a timetable for your other commitments as well. If you are involved in business groups like EO, have a day specially dedicated for this interest. What you’re trying to avoid here is overlooking obligations outside of work that you end up neglecting your other accountabilities.

Delegate to your team

You don’t have to do all the things by yourself. Learn to entrust tasks to your team members. Invest in skills training and professional development of your staff so that they can also exercise leadership capabilities. Schedule a regular meeting with them for them to know your directions and business style, which they can imbibe in their work.

Give yourself a break

As an entrepreneur, what sets you apart from office workers is your culpability over the many lives that depend on you. You cannot take care of your people if you do not take good care of yourself. Don’t overwork yourself. Instead, allow yourself some short breaks to relieve your mind and body from stress. Stretch your muscles, do small exercises, have a nap, walk to the pantry or nearest café for a cup of coffee, watch the scene outside your window or breathe in some fresh air. These breaks will give you an opportunity to recharge and re-organise yourself, especially when there are too many fires to put out or decisions to make.

Most of all, listen to your mind and body. When you’re tired, take a rest. Remember that there are only 24 hours in a day and seven days a week. Know your limitations. Go after quality over quantity of things done. If you need to let out stress, find like-minded individuals or mentors who can listen to you and help you sort things out. Once you’ve mastered your day and the tasks you need to do, you can get through the challenges with more confidence and determination.