Wednesday Wisdom
- Stuart Ashley
- Aug 27
- 2 min read
3 Simple Ways to Save Time When You’re Starting a Business
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Introduction: Starting a business often feels like time slips through your fingers. Between researching ideas, replying to messages, building social pages, and finding your first customers, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. The truth is, you’ll never have enough time to do everything, but you don’t need a complicated system to take control of the hours you do have. Small, intentional changes to how you work can make a big difference in your progress.
1. The “Focus Hour”
Choose one hour each day for your most important task.
Turn off phone and email notifications.
Focus deeply on one activity (writing content, setting up shop, contacting customers).
Why it works: Multitasking feels productive but actually scatters your energy. One solid hour of real focus can achieve more than four distracted hours spent bouncing between tasks. Over time, this consistent block of focus becomes a habit that compounds, giving you real progress each week, even when the rest of your day feels chaotic.
2. Check Emails Twice, Not 20 Times
Schedule two check-ins: late morning and late afternoon.
Quick replies (under 2 minutes) can be done immediately; longer ones go on your to-do list.
Why it works: Constantly refreshing your inbox gives the illusion of working, but it actually drains focus. By batching your emails into two sessions, you stay in control rather than letting other people’s requests dictate your day. This simple change frees up headspace for creative thinking and big-picture planning, the things that actually move your business forward.
3. Keep Calls Short and Sweet
Limit calls to 20–30 minutes.
Have a clear agenda.
End with one agreed-upon next step.
Why it works: Calls and meetings can easily stretch longer than they need to. By setting boundaries upfront, you show respect for both your time and the other person’s. A short, focused call not only saves you hours each week but also ensures the conversation ends with clarity and action, rather than vague promises.
Conclusion: Time is one of your most valuable resources when starting a business and how you use it will shape your growth. By introducing just these three small changes, a daily focus hour, batching your emails, and keeping calls tight you’ll reclaim hours each week that can be invested back into building momentum. The best part? None of these strategies are complicated. They’re small shifts you can implement today, and the impact will only grow as your business does.
✅ Quick Action Checklist
Block out 1 “focus hour” in your calendar every day
Turn off notifications during that hour
Check emails only twice a day (late morning + late afternoon)
Reply to quick emails immediately, add longer ones to your to-do list
Keep business calls to 20–30 minutes
Always set a clear agenda and finish with a next step
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