8 Tips on How To Find Time To Start a Business Even When You’re Busy
Are you struggling to find time to start your own business? You're not alone. Many people feel like they don't have enough hours in the day to get everything done. However, it is possible to do that even when you're busy.
In this blog post, I'll share my top 8 tips on how to find time to start a business even when you're busy, which will help you get started!
DISCLOSURE: Some of the links that I share in this article ARE my affiliate links. This means I may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. In fact, sometimes you'll get a discount or free credits just FOR using my link. 🙂
1. Having the right mindset
Before anything else, I will start with having the right mindset as the first tip. You may be wondering what mindset has to do with this. Well, it has everything to do with how you approach your time.
You need to take your business seriously, just like your work, and not just as a side hustle. When you work, you make time to complete the tasks assigned to you within the deadline given. You need to do that with your business as well.
Dedicate certain hours each week to work on your business, and stick to them. Make sure that you don’t make any excuses or let yourself off easily, thinking that you can always do it some other time or next time. This will help you find the time needed to start a business.
How to find time to start a business tip 2. Know Your Why
The second tip is to know your why. Ask yourself: Why do you want to start your business? Then, delve deeper using the “5 whys” method by asking yourself why again five times.
Knowing your why will not only help you stay motivated to work on it, but will also help you figure out how to make time for it.
This is important because there will be times when you don't want to work on it because it's difficult or because it feels like a sacrifice when others are having fun, but you need to work on your business. If you know deep down in your heart that you are doing something you love for your future, you will get down to doing it.
3. Develop a routine
This is especially important for those of us who started our entrepreneurship journey after being employees for years. As an employee, you were used to a certain routine; you had specific hours when you worked on the tasks given to you.
To find time for your business, it is important that you develop a similar routine.
Though this might seem difficult in the beginning, with practice, it will eventually become second nature. For example, you could decide that you will work on your business from 8 to 9 p.m. each evening or that you will write one blog post every Tuesday.
By dedicating specific hours in the week for working on your business, it will become easier to manage and find time for it.
I have shared my morning routine in the following blog posts: The 5AM Club – My New Secret to a Productive Day and My Morning Routine 2022 Update to the 5AM Club. You can check them out if you want to learn more.
4. Track how you spend your time
If you want to find time to work on your business, you'll need to figure out how you're spending your time right now.
This could mean tracking every single thing you do throughout the day. Or, it could mean writing everything down in a journal. Either way, once you've got a good idea of how you spend your time, you can start thinking about ways to cut out some of those activities and how you can make better use of it.
For example, do you watch TV for hours each day? Can you reduce that time to give yourself an extra hour or two to work on your business?
You don't necessarily need to eliminate everything you do. Instead, think about what you can live without. For example, maybe you can stop watching TV during certain times of the day.
Maybe you can take a break from social media. Maybe you can just focus on one task at a time. Whatever works best for you, remember that you're trying to free up time to work on your startup. So, whatever you decide to do, make sure it doesn't cost you anything else.
The good thing about tracking this way is that it also helps to solve the problem of inaccurate estimation of the time and effort needed for certain tasks. By tracking, you will be able to accurately estimate how long different tasks take. This will help you manage your time more efficiently.
5. Plan for your time
One thing I noticed that people are not doing enough of is planning. Most people will simply make a to-do list of the thousand and one things they need to do and then cross them off one by one as they are completed.
However, this is not ideal, as there is no synergy between tasks. Before you put tasks on a to-do list, you should plan what you should be doing in relation to your goals and fill in the dependencies between them. This is to give yourself the benefit of having the big picture in mind.
When you plan how you will spend your time and how long each task takes, it is easier to manage. To do this, break down all the tasks involved in starting a business into small chunks, estimate how long each of them will take, and then schedule them into your daily or weekly routine. This way, you are able to build momentum and stay on track with your goals.
It may seem time-consuming to plan; however, it will save you in the long run as you are not wasting time on tasks that could have been done more efficiently.
6. Work smart and not working hard
Another way to find time to start a business is to work smart, not hard. Instead of working longer hours and burning yourself out, try to identify how you can be more productive in the same amount of time.
This means finding the most efficient way to complete a task. This could mean learning from others who have experience doing the things you want to do or even outsourcing certain tasks.
For example, if you need to create content for your startup but don't have time to write everything yourself, then consider hiring a writer or using automated tools that can help you generate content efficiently.
Fiverr is a good resource for this purpose, as you can find many different talents from all over the world to help you with various tasks.
The same approach applies to other tasks as well. Whenever possible, look for ways to optimize how you spend your time so that you can complete tasks with the least amount of effort.
By working smarter, not harder, you will free up more time to work on other aspects of your business. This way, you are able to get more done in less time and focus more on growing your startup.
7. Be Flexible and Resourceful
I learned this when I was a teacher last time. If I have one week to cover a certain topic, I could design many activities to enhance students' understanding. But if I am left with only one day, then I need to be strategic about how I spend it and cover the essentials so that my students can still learn.
The same thing goes for finding time to start a business. Once you track your time, as in tip number 4, you will have a good idea of where your pockets of time are likely to come from and how much time you can realistically have every day or each week.
Once you have identified how much time you can dedicate to your business, be flexible and resourceful with how you use it. Instead of trying to do everything yourself, look for ways to outsource or delegate tasks so that you can focus on the important things.
By being flexible and resourceful with how you spend your time, you can make the most of it and get more done in a shorter period of time.
8. The chosen method needs to be sustainable
Last but not least, whatever method you use to manage your time and start a business needs to be sustainable. What it means is that it has to be something you can live with. So when you do your planning, don't forget to plan for your break time or time with the family.
Don't just plan to work on your business with 100% of the free time you could find, as it's not sustainable in the long run.
Instead, come up with a system that will help you work on starting your business and achieving growth without compromising other important aspects of your life.
By taking care of yourself and allowing yourself some time off from working on your business, you are more likely to stay motivated and focused in the long run. This way, you can keep growing your business without burning out.
Conclusion on how to find time to start a business
With these 8 tips, you now know how to find time to start a business even when you're busy. All it takes is a bit of focus and discipline, but if you commit yourself to following these steps, you will be able to get your business started and even take it to the next level. So what are you waiting for? Get started today!
If you would like to learn more about time management, you can check out the following article: Time Management for Mom Entrepreneurs And Solo Entrepreneurs
