Better Time Management With Lists

There is so much to do every day when you are an online shop owner. Sometimes it can just seem overwhelming. By setting small goals and routines your time can be much more productive. If you just said to yourself "I AM productive with my time" perhaps you can do better. For some it is really east to get distracted. Creating a list of things to do and sticking to it no matter what will give you more freedom in the long run.

For me, time management is always a struggle. I have an Etsy Shop, an Artfire Studio, a Facebook fan page, a Twitter account and a blog. And all of that is just for Tangled Metal. I also have personal Facebook, twitter, blog, website and more. I actually have to have a schedule to make it all happen.

Start with a simple list of everything you need to do:
Facebook
Twitter
Blog
Etsy Teams
Artfire Forum

Next lists tasks and assign an amount of time that you need to spend on each:
Facebook: Post pics to new album daily, comment on 5 posts not on your own wall, comment on all your wall posts. 15 minutes twice a day
Twitter: retweet 5 people, post 5 non business tweets, engage 5 people in a non business way, make one business post. 5 minutes 3 times a day
Blog: Write a blog post on M-W-F or more if you have the time. 30 minutes a day.
Etsy Teams: Post on 5 threads, try to answer or ask a question. 15 minutes twice a day.
Artfire Forum: Same as Etsy Team.

I used myself as an example in the above list. As you can see, the amount of time adds up pretty quickly. Your list may include the million other things you do in during the day. If you need to go to the post office, be sure to add a spot for it. Prioritize your list. Stick to your list.

If you can write up a routine and stick to it you can be more productive overall. Sometimes I will write several blog posts in one day and schedule them to post. I take the extra time used and spread it out over my schedule for the next few days when I do that.

Everyone is different. I had to set my alarm an extra hour earlier so that I could fit everything into the day. I would like to hear what tips or tricks you use to be more productive. Add a comment and share with everyone.