Managing your own business is not much different than managing a multi-megabuck conglomerate. No matter how hard you work at the task, you and your staff (if you even have a staff) are always working at the last minute to get things done. You are under constant pressure to produce, and most things need to be done yesterday. Have you wondered if one of those super-duper time management courses taught by the latest guru could help you to become better organized?

Save your money. Oh, I don’t mean these courses don’t work, they do; and they can help the beginning manager to understand what’s involved in management. But once is enough! Here’s my analogy. I feel that a busy manager attending one more time management course can be likened to a dieter attending a weight loss class; they will hear the latest rephrasing of ideas they already know, make another resolve to change, try out a few of the ideas presented, then soon drift back into the same old way of doing things. The best managers already know what's important, and it's doubtful that the time wasters in your company will ever reform unless they have a compelling reason to do so. What you CAN do is keep in mind the following tips for managing time:

Set Goals
Where are you headed? What is your three-year goal, your one-year goal, and your one-week goal? How about today? The most obvious starting place to get a handle on management is to make a list of tasks that need to be accomplished, and tag each with a date. List everything needing attention in the next year, quarter, month, week, and day. Prioritize your tasks. Keep the list in front of you at all times and update it regularly. Your ability to identify and solve problems is one of the main reasons you are a manager, and you cannot effectively solve problems if you have no goals or deadlines.

Delegate
Get this concept clear in your mind: “Don't do anything that can be done by someone else.” A manager’s job is to manage the tasks and the people who perform the tasks. It’s certainly not to actually perform the tasks! If you find yourself in this trap, review your task list with the idea of assigning most of the work to someone else. Give them the due dates, help them find the resources, pencil a series of review dates in advance of the project due date for follow-up, and turn them loose. Your job as a manager is to see that jobs get done, not to actually do the jobs.

Prioritize
When you have a job to do that you feel cannot be accomplished in the time allotted, test it against your goal list. You will discover you have but three alternatives: don’t do it, shuffle tasks delaying some and canceling others, or hire new staff. You’re not Wonder Woman or Superman, so don’t act as if you are.

If you are a sole proprietor and find yourself too busy, you’ve probably bitten off more than you can comfortably chew. If business is that great, it’s probably time to hire additional help. If business isn’t that great, you may have set too high a goal to be accomplished in the time you’ve allotted, so re-think and re-prioritize!

Technology Help
Buy a personal digital assistant (PDA) that beeps for important appointments, and use it! Make sure the one you select will interface with both your home and office computer for updates. (Keep the attachments to a minimum; you don’t need to drag a wagonload of junk around with you just to look good.) Use a separate portable cellular phone with a hands-free auto attachment to change commute time to productive time, but keep your conversations short and to the point. (Yea, I’ve heard the story about distractions, but daydreaming while driving is just as dangerous, and you’re going to do one or the other at least some of the time.) Carry and use a lightweight laptop computer for those times in waiting rooms and on airplanes. The key is to carry the minimum amount of junk necessary to do your job. Use fax or E-Mail to increase communication and reduce telephone chatter, but remember most of these are merely timewasters.

Finish Things
I don’t know which is worse, a manager who never seems to be able to get started or one who never seems to get finished. Put a closure on the work you perform. A perfect world doesn't exist, and neither does a perfect task completion. Do your absolute best, but don't drag out a completion date for, ". . . just one more piece of information." Get in the habit of finishing one task before your move on to the next.

Don’t Interrupt
Begin the concept of setting blocks of time to accomplish specific tasks. For example, from 8:00 to 9:00 you make and take phone calls, with a follow-up at 1:15 to 1:30. Don’t EVER interrupt these blocks, and you will discover you have all the time you need to accomplish even the most daunting of tasks.

Finally
If you have kids, you owe it to them to be a father or mother. If your job gets in the way of that obligation, remember: “You no longer ‘… owe your soul to the Company Store’. You always have the alternative of a few less bucks and a lot better life.

(NOTE TO EDITORS: PLEASE INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING.) Paul Tulenko is a Small Business Success Consultant based in New Mexico. Additional tips and suggestions are available at www.tulenko.com or call (toll-free) 1-866-TULENKO.