On the Road to Success: Saving Time for Busy People

By Jane Heacock –

We often hear people say they don’t have enough time? People generally start the week with expectations to complete a list of tasks and never seem to find enough time to get it all done. We fill up our schedule so much that there is little time left for the things that matter most to us. Women are givers by nature and when we try to be super women we stress ourselves out and feel frustrated. This in turn spills out into other areas of our life.

Managing a successful business takes planning. How much time do you spend on your business? How much time do you spend with friends and family? How much time do you take for yourself for the things that truly bring you joy?

Make a “To-Do” list and keep your list to a minimum. Write down no more than four business related tasks each day. Then right down one leisure activity. It may be lunch with a friend, going for a walk or time with family. There are only so many hours in a day, take the pressure off yourself there is always tomorrow. I write in my business tasks AND my leisure activities on my calendar. Going to the health club at least twice a week is a must for me; it is my outlet and keeps my energy flowing throughout the work week. Sunday night I check my commitments for the week ahead. I consider my leisure time activities as commitments as well.

Online marketing is a must for business owners for promoting a product or service. Allocate a specific amount of time you do online marketing on social networks. I try to write some of my weekly blog posts a week ahead it is one less thing I have to do when Monday rolls around.

Prioritizing is what gives me that feeling I am somewhat in control of how my week will flow. Being a business owner I had to learn to say no to some things and yes to other things. When there are certain times of the year your business requires more time from you don’t hesitate to ask for help. During the holidays I have someone come to clean my house the week before we have a family party at our home. I have sub-contractors that help me run my business when things get hectic. The number of hours a business owner puts in each week is incredible. Being productive is challenging when you are doing it all and being pulled in different directions.

Creating a “Bucket List” for different areas of my life is an interesting way that I focus in on the things that are important to me. A bucket list is a list of things we want to do or things we want to try or places we want to visit. Keep your lists visual as a reminder of how you want to use your time.

Success Bucket List: Business Goals

Personal Time Bucket List: Leisure activities

Dream Bucket List: Wish List

Allocate time to work on your career goals and outsource tasks to produce better productivity. Remember to take time for family/friends. It should not be all work and no play. You can have some control of where your time goes. Create your own “Bucket Lists” and I am sure you will begin to see a positive transformation in your work/life balance.  

Jane has been an entrepreneur for 25 years owning several small businesses along the way which were the stepping stones to It’s About Time LLC. Find Jane on her website http://www.ItsAboutTimeNH.com