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PRIORITIZING INCREASES EFFICIENCY

prioritizing tasks

Every day brings with it new tasks, situations, and a to-do list that may get overwhelming. Thinking of the day ahead and the things that need to get done can be stressful and frustration may take over. One proven solution to stay in control is to apply prioritizing techniques.

Prioritizing what must get done in a day is a skill that anyone can acquire with a little bit of organization and discipline. However, learning to stay focused and focused on goals requires determination and persistence.

Each day, one gets to do planned activities and unplanned activities.  It is easy to prioritize planned activities. Applying a few prioritizing techniques will increase efficiency on a normal day.  As for the unplanned activities that unexpectedly come up, the best way to handle them is by making decisions that are focused on business goals.

Techniques that may help in the prioritizing process:

  1. Create a To-Do list the night before. Just work on a list without even thinking of what should get done first or last.
  2. First thing in the morning, get the To-Do list and read it carefully. Based on business goals for the day take out the tasks that may not seem important for that day.
  3. Number the remaining items on the To-Do list based on importance to the set goals for the day.
  4. Deal with unplanned activities that may unexpectedly arise, by making decisions that are based on daily goals.

During the prioritizing process, learning to say “No” may seem a difficult practice at first. However, it is a practice that needs to get done in order to stay focused on the prime tasks assigned for each day.

PROMOTIONAL SOLUTIONS TO GROW A BUSINESS

news magazines

Most small businesses create their marketing strategies without considering the many online marketing tools available for them to use as they promote and create visibility for their business.  Here are three promotional tools that will help grow a small business.

Speaking at events

Becoming a speaker at events may require some effort to attend the different events that take place in a business area.  Joining business networking groups and becoming active members there may open up opportunities for increased visibility for a small business. In some groups, speaking at events may be offered as a benefit to members only.

Podcasting

Position your business as a leader in its business industry, and create podcasts that educate, inform or maybe create awareness about a product or service. Podcasting is a growing trend that will increase visibility for your business, and they make good content to post and circulate on social media platforms.

Advertise in a community newspaper

Community magazines are usually widely distributed and read by the public.  Find the community magazine that is most viewed by your business target audience and run an ad there for a few months in a row.  Ads are most effective when seen by the viewer repetitively.

Some beneficial promotional resources that are worth exploring are:

  • Bizbites (bizbites.ca) – a pool for business podcasts
  • Canadian SME – the #1 small business magazine in Canada.

More tools are available out there, explore opportunities and search for what works best to position your business as a leader in its own industry.