86,400
This is the number of seconds we are all blessed with every day.
One of my clients, James*, compiled and agreed that his goal was to improve his business performance, which involved various areas to be reviewed and actions identified for improvement.
Each time we met, during the ‘check in’, James* would tell me that there are just not enough hours in the day, and the one word that would explain his current ‘mood’ is ‘OVERWHELMED’. I would like to state, though, that James* was making progress towards his stated business goal, but I sensed a work-life imbalance.
As you engage in your daily activities, how often do you feel as if you just don’t have enough time to get things done? Do you feel that the more you seem to be doing, the more you seem to be falling behind? Furthermore, do these activities result in your work-life balance scale being tipped somewhat to one side?
Well, it’s time to take stock of what keeps you busy each day and start working ON your business and not only IN your business.
I have compiled a few time ‘saving’ tips to assist you:
PRIORITISE TASKS
Create a prioritized task list to maintain on a daily basis. There are conflicting opinions about whether making lists helps or hinders. My opinion on this is that we are so busy that without lists, something important is likely to ‘slip through the cracks’.
FOCUS IN ON ONLY 3 TASKS PER DAY
Take 30 minutes each morning and prioritize 3 actions from your task list. Work on these 3 during the day with the aim that they will bring you closer to your goal/s. Remember to differentiate between business and personal goals here.
KEEP A DIARY
A diary (paper-based or electronic) really helps you to visualize your daily, weekly and monthly planning.
DELEGATE
Entrust your staff with repetitive, time consuming tasks that have a defined process and outcome. If you happen to be a one-person business, you will need to plot out when these tasks will work best for you and what systems you will use to achieve this. Further consider outsourcing these tasks to a Virtual Assistant.
So, what about James*, you might ask? He was able to apply the above to his planning, and although it took a while for these activities to become a habit, James* shared with me, a few weeks later, that he felt far more organized and less overwhelmed than before.
If you feel ‘stuck’ and overwhelmed, and don’t know how to make those 86,400 seconds work for you, your Life, Career and Personal Productivity Coach, Ian Houston, will be available through our ValueneursTM platform, to engage with you.
*Names changed for anonymity
You can now connect with
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