5 Easy Ways to Have More Time

"I don't have time" is what we hear often when we meet someone. Sometimes we may hear, I am overwhelmed. How do you find more time? How do you organize your time better?

Chalene Johnson says it is not in doing more that you will be productive, but by knowing what matters to you the most, and focusing your activities around it.

One of the problems women face is wanting to do everything. We do it because we want to please everyone. We may be afraid of disappointing someone. As a consequence, we end up having a lot on our shoulders. We feel overwhelmed, exhausted, tired, angry. We may even lose the passion for what we are doing. In some cases, it can start to affect our health.

The good news is that there are always ways to find more time. Here are 5 ways that have worked for me and my clients.

5 EASY WAYS TO HAVE MORE TIME:

1) Choices: We make choices everyday. We choose to eat, watch TV, spend time with our families, go to the computer. However, there is a different category of choices, and that is what I call "Tough Choices". These are the choices we don't want to make, but that are necessary for the growth of our business. The way we make these choices is by getting clear on what are the most important elements in our life. I have been an entrepreneur for seven years. In the beginning when I started my business, I was very happy because I had thought I would  have more time with my family. As I learned more about business  I realized I had to make some tough choices. I had to decide about spending time with my family versus working on my business. I chose to focus most of my time on my business. Now before you jump out at me, there is a way you can create a life balance, but perhaps not in the way you expect. What I mean by that, is that there are some responsibilities you might have to give up, and what they are really depends on you. One of the tasks I gave up was doing housework. I decided to hire someone to do this for me. This is not something that is easy for women to do, but if you really desire your business to work, there are some elements that need to be eliminated in order to create more space in your life to work on what is important to you. You may feel like pleasing everyone, but in doing this you may give up pleasing yourself. I strongly believe that the only way to be in harmony with and take care of others, is by putting yourself first, and listening to your needs and desires.

If family is your top priority, that means you will have less time to work on your business. It perhaps will take longer for your business to be profitable. In that case, I believe it is important to work with your guilt of not working on your business as much as you would like to, and find a way to accept this. If the situation is the opposite, it is important to accept the fact that you will devote more time to your business and less time to your family. At some point when your business grows, then you can hire professionals and delegate more tasks, creating more space in your life for your family and other interests.

Personally, what I do is work more on my business at some points in the year, except on weekends and evenings. Weekends and evenings are devoted to family time. On weekdays, I work more hours.

The best way to find out what works for you,  is to do what I call a What is Important To Me List  In this list, write 4-5 of the most important things for you in your life based on your values. On my list, I have the following right now: Spiritual work, Self-Care, Workshops, Communicating With Prospect Clients and Clients, Coaching. This is what I spend most of my week doing.

2) Finding Time To Work On Your Business If You Work Full Time: While I was giving a workshop on time-management at the beginning of the month, some participants brought to my attention that one of their challenges is finding the time to work on their business because they work full time. My question to you is, how much do you really really desire to have a successful business? How much do you love what you do? If the answer is yes I really really desire it, then there is nothing that will stop you. If you are finding excuses of not having the time, then re-evaluate if you are on the right path. I understand that it is not easy at all to have a full time job, come home and work even more. However, if it is your passion, it should not feel like work at all. Go back and ask yourself  these questions;
why are you in this business?
Why did you choose to have this business?
I know business owners who have children, a full time job, and they find time to work on their own business mostly in the evening. They may spend an hour or more per day, depending on their ability to stay up late at night. It doesn't have to be many hours, even one or two a day or night will take you far. I believe it is important to do it consistently.

3) Eliminate The Interruptions: In order to be more productive, it is very important to eliminate the interruptions such as e-mail, phone, TV, and internet. Perhaps you know this already, but you have trouble putting it into play. Every day when I'm about to start working, I close my TV, and while I work,  I don't answer the phone. Now, if you know you will be tempted to answer the phone, turn it off. If you are a TV addict, find a different place where you can work that doesn't have a TV. I know some business owners who don't work at home go to a library, a coffee place, anywhere out of the house. There are also some business owners who rent an office to avoid the problem of distractions.

As for e-mails, phone calls or other distractions, do it after you have done all the important tasks you  planned. Set an activity you like as a reward for yourself for having a productive day and accomplishing the most important tasks on your list.

If you are still having trouble, here are a few questions you can ask yourself:

a) Why do you need to look at your e-mails three or more times a day? Do you have any urgent messages?

b) Why do you need to answer the phone? Is there a way you can get back to someone later on? Do you absolutely need to answer the phone now? Is it a matter of life or death?

c) Why is it important?

d) What other ways can you find to eliminate these distractions?

e) Is there something that prevents you from taking action? What is it? Take the time to think about this question. For example, I have a client who doesn't like structure. She is afraid of losing her freedom. I have other clients who are afraid they will fail, or feel they are not good enough. They have trouble doing certain tasks because of this.What is it for you? Sometimes it may simply be a fear or a false belief you have that prevents you from reaching your goals.

f) Find an accountability partner to remind you to stay focused or hire a coach. I suggest to find someone who is reliable, a person you can count on.


4) Focus On Important Tasks: Now go back to the What is Important to Me List. Based on this list, decide what are 3-5 activities you will work on this week. They will be the ones that will bring you the most income for your business. Focus on accomplishing those activities first. Being productive is not about doing more, but about doing less, and doing it well. When you do too many things, you tend to focus your attention on activities that are not very important, and you end up feeling tired. This also creates stress. There are some people who are able to function well under fatigue, but most of us can't perform very well when we feel exhausted. When you do less, you are more rested. This will increase your focus which will help you perform better.

Here are some other questions to assist you in managing your time better:

a) What activities are activities that generate income for you?

b) What tasks are related to your current goals?

c) What are some activities that will bring you closer to your goals?

d) What specific tasks are related to your "What is Important To Me List"?


5) Decide how long each task will take. For example, when I do my spiritual work, I know it will take me about an hour and half to two hours. I do this first thing in the morning, and I start my work at ten thirty in the morning. I know it will take me about an hour a day to write my blog. This includes brainstorming, proof reading, and polishing it until it is good enough to publish. It is important to know how long each task takes you to do. Sometimes it may happen that one task will take you longer than you have anticipated, and that is fine. At this moment, you need to adjust your schedule differently. For example, you go to a networking event, it is important to know it will take longer. It is important to calculate the commuting time, the time you stay, the time you may want to talk with others. Knowing how long each task may take, can help you be better prepared.

Managing your time can be easy with a few tools in hand. Good time-management is about doing less and focusing on what is important to you, rather than being in a race to do more. I strongly believe it is important to do quality work, rather than rush, become stressed, and really not being able to finish tasks. By doing only what is essential, you save time and stress. This allows you to take breaks, relax, and most of all, enjoy your work as well as serving your clients better.




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If you need someone to keep you accountable to yourself, and need more help on an individual basis, please contact me for a complimentary: "Double your Time Session"  by e-mailing me at: Info@bloomingconfidence.com 

In this session you will get:

-Specific tools to double your time that are specifically tailored to you
-Being more organized and efficient so you can have more time for you
- Finding time for you and your loved ones so you can spend more quality time with them.

At the end of the session, you will come out inspired, re-energized, and relaxed. Places are limited. Sign up Now!