An Entrepreneur’s Dream: How to Make More Time in your 24 hour day!
One of the most valuable lessons I have learned over the years is how to maximize my time, turn time into money, and have more time to spend with those I love. The truth is that I love my work and I could do it all day long because it is so fulfilling to me, but honestly, that is not a healthy practice. I was a single mom for 12 years and I learned the hard way that balance is not only key, it is essential to living an inspired life. Here are a 5 practices I use repeatedly to get out of busy and into productive, with time left over to play.
How to Make More Time
1. Get very clear on your Big Picture Vision, where you truly want to be in your life. When you have a clear direction and are completely focused on your life and business goals, you will not get thrown off by every distraction or mismatched opportunity that comes your way. Then break this big goal into small 10 minute steps, I call them Mini Feats. Do 3 Mini Feats a day toward your bigger goals (that is 21 steps closer to your goal each week) and you will happily arrive at your destination, without feeling harried.
2. Be ruthless with your boundaries. Practice saying ‘No’ and you will have a lot more ‘Yes’ time for you. This is a tough one, especially for women, because we are the caregivers and we don’t like when people get mad at us! However, to accomplish what you truly want in your life, you absolutely must have the space to make it happen. Specify ‘You’ time during your week and make sure everyone knows to give you this privacy. They’ll be happy in the end because you’ll be more fun to be around when you feel accomplished.
3. Get support. There is no way you can grow your empire alone. Solo-entrepreneurs can grow their business to a point, but there are only so many clients you can take care of in one day. I realize it is scary to take that step and hire help, but you will thank me when you do. Not only will this free you up to do more of what you love in your business and your life, but your clients will also feel more supported and you will be able to expand your reach. Yes, its time to let go of the reigns and delegate, delegate, delegate. You cannot make a million dollars if you are spending your day doing $15-20 per hour jobs such as your filing or organizing your mailing list!
4. Batch your actions. This little practice has been miraculous for my life. Just like baking cookies where you cook at least a dozen at one time, batch your similar tasks all in one day so you stay focused and streamlined, without the stress. For instance, run as many of your errands that you cannot delegate during one afternoon a week. Assign full or half days that you will only see clients, or that you will only make phone calls, or research a project. Rather than mixing your goals and tasks, you will be much more effective when you don’t mix everything together and bounce from one thing to the next. It literally takes 5 times as long to finish a project when you are continually distracted, so be deliberate in designing your week.
5. Be honest with yourself on how you really spend your time. Most people, believe it or not, can find 2 extra hours somewhere in their day. Wake up one hour earlier and watch one less episode of The X Factor. Whalaaa! By doing this you will literally add an entire month to your life. Yes, 30 bonus days to your year. What can you accomplish in an entire month? You could invent the next Pet Rock by then, or even take a vacation!
My clients and I map out our weeks on The Interactive Life Coach Online Success System. I invented it to make my life and those I coach a lot easier, much more productive and lots more fun. Check it out here. Not only does it help you design your life and reach your goals, but there are also tons of great applications to set your financial goals, get clarity on your dreams and make amazing things happen in your life, your relationships and your work.
Please comment and share your time-saving tips. I would love to hear how you balance the clock and I am sure my readers would, too!
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