Join our Waitlist for Expert Advice!

Simple Time Management Tips When You're Overwhelmed In this special 'Ask Entrepreneur' feature, entrepreneur Jen Groover provides tips on how to prioritize your schedule and get tasks accomplished.

By Jen Groover

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Career Line

In this special feature of 'Ask Entrepreneur,' Facebook fan Louise Psarras from Carthage, N.Y., asks: As a one-person business, I feel overwhelmed, especially with three kids and pets. How can I make my time work more effectively?

I always find it easier to categorize and prioritize my tasks before I even start my day.

I create a list of things to do and then break them down into segments. I put "places to go, errands, meetings" in one segment, "phone calls, emails, texts" in another, and so on. I also put the tasks I'm most likely to procrastinate with at the top.

Your Chance to 'Ask Entrepreneur'

We enlisted our Facebook fans to ask their most pressing questions about starting and running a business. Over the next several weeks, our special panel of experts will offer their answers and discuss more in online chats. Mark your calendar and stay tuned for details on these future events:

Grant Cardone Dec. 5: Grant Cardone on Closing More Sales

Angela Jia Kim Dec. 19: Angela Jia Kim on Growing a Business

Focus on one thing at a time and get that task done before moving to the next. I think that is a great way to feel small accomplishments throughout your day, instead of working here and there on a variety of things and never feeling a sense of accomplishment.

You could also minimize the amount of menial tasks you do every day by hiring an intern or assistant. The extra help could allow you to focus on more important tasks.

I also recommend finding out if there are people with whom you can partner who have a certain level of expertise to do the things that you're not necessarily the best at or don't particularly enjoy. And in partnering with them, it enables you to focus on what you're good at.

When your focused at what you're good at, you're better able to grow your business more quickly and stay creative and in the zone. Then you create a nice synergy and you can get more done.

Sharing responsibility and handing over certain tasks can be a scary thing. But keep in mind how much farther you'll be able to grow. I always tell entrepreneurs, 100 percent of $100 is still only $100. But 20 percent of $100,000 is a heck of a lot more. So if you can find someone who has the strengths to your weaknesses and vice versa, you're going to have more to share.

Jen Groover is a serial entrepreneur who's gone from guest-hosting spots on QVC to inking deals with some of the industry’s biggest heavyweights. Her success began with the creation of the Butler Bag, the world’s first compartmentalized handbag, and has evolved into an entire lifestyle brand, which can now be found at several prominent retailers. She's also behind Leader Girlz, which teaches young girls the importance of empowerment through play, and her newest brand, Empowered by Jen Groover. Groover is also an author, speaker and media contributor.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business News

Doctors Are Using AI to Transcribe Conversations With Patients. But Researchers Say the Tool Is Hallucinating 'Entire' Sentences.

The tool malfunctioned 312 times in one study, leading to concerns about bias and misdiagnoses.

Operations & Logistics

The Port Strike Ended — Now What? Here's How Small Businesses Can Prepare for Future Disruptions.

The shutdown lasted only three days, and the ILA and the U.S. Maritime Alliance extended their contracts until January 15, 2025 — but if they can't reach an agreement in the new year, the dockworkers could go on strike again.

Business News

You Have One Month Left to Buy a House, According to Barbara Corcoran. Here's Why.

"If you are planning on waiting a year and seeing where interest rates go, you are out of your mind," Corcoran said.

Business News

A Wells Fargo Worker Was Discovered 4 Days After Dying at Her Desk. Her Cause of Death Was Just Revealed.

Medical examiners have released the cause of death of Denise Prudhomme, who was found dead at her desk in Wells Fargo's Tempe, Ariz. office.

Business News

Meta Fires Employee Making $400,000 Per Year Over a $25 Meal Voucher Issue

Other staff members were fired for the same reason, per a new report.