Time Management :: Liz Kazeck

December snuck up on me. While I've been anticipating the end of the semester, multiple deadlines, and numerous projects, certain things have still managed to slip through the cracks (like this post coming a couple of days late). As a student, my deadlines are set by professors, group decisions, and the university. Because of these expressed goals, I feel compelled to get things done by a certain date. Social entrepreneurs working to start up organizations single-handedly, though, have little or no pressure from external forces to get things done.

So how do these organizations get off the ground when they are usually started by individuals who hold other jobs, have families to take care of, and have other responsibilities? Time management.

Lifeorganizers.com has identified a few key points to help social entrepreneurs manage their time (http://www.lifeorganizers.com/Time-Management/The-Organized-Entrepreneur/Solo-Entrepreneurs-Tips.html)

Here are a few highlights:

1. Write to-do lists. This will improve the likelihood you'll complete tasks by 90%!

2. Be realistic about the amount of time it will take to get something done. Then block out the appropriate amount of time in your planner.

3. Don't multitask. Focus on one thing at a time and get it done.

4. If you work at home... work there during the hours you set aside to get things done. Don't let other things distract you (laundry, dishes, etc.).

5. End your day by preparing for the next. Write down the next day's to-do list, prioritize it, and clean up your work space.

These tools and others can help social entrepreneurs organize the big and little pictures that exist in their minds for their causes.