7 tips to you save your business time (and money)

Outsource - If you have tasks that take you too long to undertake or are out of your skill set, why not outsource to someone who could do it for you in a shorter time-scale? It will be worth the money spent in order to save you time and energy. Examples of services you could outsource are: Accounts, Secretarial services, setting up your home office and cleaning. Delegating repetitive tasks help save you time enabling you to focus on the importance of growing your business. Consider a barter arrangement if money is tight.

Stay focused - Try and make a 'to do' list so that you know exactly what your priorities are for that day. Plan for tomorrow at the end of today's work day so you can start your day in an organised fashion. This will not only help keep you stay focused, but also boost your sense of achievement when you tick off your tasks one by one! Creating a day file for tasks to be done that day, is also an effective way of dealing with your workload (once dealt with, transfer to the filing tray ready to be filed). Hiring a Virtual Assistant on a pay-as-you-go basis could help. A good VA could deal with the secretarial and organisational side of your day which then enables you to focus on the important task of growing your business.

Bring Forward Folder (b/f) - Create a bring-forward system, label a pocketed file with the days in the month. You can then file your papers under the relevant date - For example, if you have meeting papers, forms or even bills needing action on particular dates then this can be a convenient way of filing them. Ensure you check your b/f system every day (put a reminder in your diary/calendar/phone as a back-up). Similarly, you could use your Outlook calendar or a smart phone as a b/f system if you are dealing with e-files. Just attach the relevant files/docs on to the appropriate date in your calendar and a reminder will pop up on that date.

Save time and money on travelling to meetings by setting up a Skype meeting whenever possible - a service which is free. Gotomeeting is a meeting space that allows users to conduct meetings virtually via a website. Gotomeeting also provides audio, video, file sharing/editing, conferencing, an interactive whiteboard, and more.

Scheduling chunks of time in your day to do various activities whenever possible. You could for example return all your phone calls together, check and deal with emails at set times in the day to avoid constantly having to chop and change activities. Equally, if you have any errands to run such as going to the Post Office, try and combine this with other errands at the same time.

Sort e-mail and incoming paper files - Set up a system to sort docs for action. Suggested headings could include: Do, Read, Awaiting Answer, Consider, Refer, Ideas. Sort your paperwork straight away. Similarly a good filing system will save time. Take the time to work out your file categories, don't over-complicate and try and file papers on a regular basis.

Spend some "creative" time just thinking and reading about ideas that could improve your business. You could do this on your own or brainstorm with members of your team. Even 15 minutes per day spent listening to motivational tapes in your car can result in some effective strategies.

Note: Remember that interruptions are inevitable so try to be a little flexible with your timings.. Don't let interruptions frustrate you - simply carry on where you left off.