Time management is one of the most difficult things that small business owners deal with.  When you own and operate your own company, your time is filled with daily tasks.  If you are like a lot of people, your work duties might easily spill over into the evenings and weekends.

If you work in a profession where you bill for your time, you are already in the habit of tracking how you spend your hours.  However, the technique, “block-and-clock,” is something that will not be familiar to you.

Block-and-clock refers to blocking time and working to the clock.  That means that you determine in advance how many hours you will spend doing a task.  Your to-do list will look more like a script, as each task will have a set beginning and ending time.

With this method, you are basically pre-planning every minute of your day. For example, you might allocate two hours for a particular project.  If you are not done with the project after those two hours, you stop. You then move to the next task.

Why does this technique work? You don’t have any room to waste time.  You have already put thought into your schedule and know how you need to spend your day.  While it might seem restricting to have to stick to a schedule, it will actually have the opposite effect.  You will know for certain that you can meet your family for dinner or attend your child’s soccer match.  Going back to the office that night won’t be a consideration.

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