In honor of Labor Day, I would like to take a break from writing about franchising and write this blog about how we work. We have all heard people say there just isn't enough time in the day. The good news is that each of us has 24 hours every day to get things done. You have the same amount of time to run your business every day as President Obama has to fix this country. It's how you use your day that helps you be productive or not.

So what can you do to organize your work day? Just like you, I always have several projects on my desk. Through years of trial and error, I have learned a few tricks on how to structure my work week to get as much accomplished as possible.

I try to divide my day into three sections; time working in my business, time working on my business and time educating myself about my business. For example, if you own a café, working in your business would be checking inventory, scheduling employees and ordering supplies. Working on your business would be planning your marketing campaign, meeting with your accountant or returning calls. Time educating yourselfabout your business would be reading articles about your industry or business in general.

I divide each day into blocks. My first block of time is dedicated to working on my business, and I am usually returning e-mails and calls. My next block of time is dedicated to educating myself about my business by reading articles, blogs or maybe attending a webinar. Keeping up to date on your industry is crucial. Things change so fast now it has never been more important to stay ahead in your field.

The middle of my day is reserved for working in my business. Because I plan my days in blocks, I fill in those blocks as projects come up. I can glance at my calendar and see what time I have available to complete the next project. This not only helps me organize my time, but it also allows me to give realistic deadlines to each task.

The last hour each day I work on my business again. I return calls, answer e-mails and, most important, review my schedule for the next day. I check meeting times, edit my calendar for what needs to be accomplished and make sure I am prepared for the next day. If you can do only one thing to help yourself improve how you work, do this. Reviewing what is planned for the next day will reduce your stress and help you leave your work at the office.

Yes, I know things don't always go as planned. Issues pop up that must be handled right away, projects take longer than expected and people don't always get back to you on time. This is why I try to leave time at the end of the week to finish all that just couldn't be completed during the week.

Last but not least, stay focused! With phone calls, e-mails, Twitter and YouTube, it's easy to get distracted and waste time. When I find myself wondering what I should be doing next or if I feel overwhelmed, I look at my calendar and try to stay focused on getting things done, just one block at a time.