10 Time-Wasting Habits Small Business Owners Need to Overcome.

Time is a precious commodity for small business owners.

The never-ending to-do list and the myriad of responsibilities can make it feel like there are never enough hours in the day.

One area where time is often squandered is in marketing efforts.

In this blog post, we'll identify some common time-wasting activities and habits that hinder marketing for small business owners and provide practical solutions to avoid or mitigate these challenges.

Challenge: It's easy to fall down the rabbit hole of endless scrolling on social media platforms, which can consume valuable working hours.

Solution: Set specific, dedicated time blocks for social media engagement and content creation. Use scheduling tools to plan and automate posts, reducing the need for constant monitoring.

Challenge: Constantly checking and responding to emails can be a significant time drain, diverting your focus from critical marketing activities.

Solution: Implement the two-minute rule – if an email can be dealt with in two minutes or less, address immediately. For longer emails, allocate specific blocks of time for email management during the day. Best practice is you only clear your inbox three times a day - at the start, around lunch and end-of-the-day.

Challenge: Multitasking may seem like a time-saving strategy, but it often leads to decreased productivity and focus. There are plenty of studies that show multitasking just doesn’t work, it makes you less productive.

Solution: Prioritise tasks and use time blocking to focus on one task at a time. Concentrated effort on a single task is more efficient than dividing your attention.

Challenge: Without a clear marketing plan, it's easy to jump from one task to another without a sense of direction.

Solution: Create a comprehensive marketing plan that outlines your goals, strategies, and tactics. Refer to your plan often!

Challenge: Ineffective and unproductive meetings can be a significant time-waster for small business owners.

Solution: Schedule meetings with clear agendas and objectives. Use them as a platform for decision-making and problem-solving rather than just status updates.

Challenge: Many small business owners hesitate to delegate tasks, leading to an overwhelming workload.

Solution: Identify tasks that can be delegated to team members or outsourced to experts, allowing you to focus on high-priority activities.

Challenge: Striving for perfection in every marketing piece can lead to excessive time spent on minor details.

Solution: Recognise that perfection is often the enemy of progress. Set reasonable standards for quality, and aim for progress rather than perfection in your marketing efforts.

Challenge: Constantly chasing the latest marketing trends can divert your focus from your core strategies.

Solution: Evaluate new opportunities carefully and prioritise those that align with your overall marketing plan. Avoid pursuing every new trend that comes along.

Challenge: Manual and repetitive tasks can consume substantial time that could be better spent on strategic marketing efforts.

Solution: Invest in marketing automation tools that can streamline tasks like email marketing, social media scheduling, and customer segmentation.

Challenge: Procrastination is a common time-wasting habit that can hinder progress.

Solution: Use time management techniques like the Pomodoro Technique (do some Deep work for 25 minutes, get up and have a 5 minute break, do anohter 25 minutes and so on) to break tasks into focused intervals with built-in breaks. This helps combat procrastination and maintains productivity.

If you’re not ready to take the next step in your small business growth, join the free weekly leadership email by Troy Trewin, Founder of Grow A Small Business.