Have you ever noticed how everybody is always busy? “I don’t have any time” seems to be an overused phrase in many normal conversations whether that be business or personal
But if we are really honest, it is not the time that is an issue, it is a question of priorities.
In fact, it is not usual for us to be talking to clients, guiding them in their business but when it comes to assigning tasks it is quite common to hear them say “I don’t have any time to do this or that right now”.
When is the right time?
Do you ever have any time for doing the business tasks to make sure you are moving forward? Do you budget time for strategic or blue-sky thinking? Or are you so busy doing the day-to-day tasks and often hear yourself saying “I don’t have any time”!
Business is demanding and it can consume a lot of your time. There is no getting away from that fact especially if you are starting new in business. But time is a finite resource and not an infinite one which a lot of us think it is.
So, with any finite resource it is a matter of budgeting. So really as you would budget for your cash in your business you need to also budget for your time.
When you start doing this you will spot the distractions which can then be avoided or at least controlled.
There will never be the right time, you simply need to create some time for the important things in life by being creative with the time that you do have.
How to create more time for you?
It is easy to get bogged down with the routine so how do you really create a bit more time for yourself?
Here we set out some quick easy steps for time management that you can use at work.
The key thing is to concentrate on one task at a time. That way you are single focused on what is in front of you.
Can you imagine the scientists who were working on getting us the vaccination for the Coronavirus? Now imagine one of them with their white coat in a laboratory. What is the first thing that comes to mind?
What you are likely to imagine is something like a man or woman in a white coat looking at a microscope in a quiet room. They will not be distracted with calls, text, social media, other people continously. The scientist will be working on that one important task, they will be in their zone.
When you are in a zone doing an important task, you will be able to concentrate. You will get deep satisfaction from knowing that you have done something well. You will be energised and will have ideas to solve problems and move forward.
Business is not necessarily quite as intense as scientific research but non the less it requires planning, monitoring, looking at performance data and evaluating what that means for you and your business.
So, unless you are going to put some time aside and perhaps buy in services from professionals you will not make headway towards your goals.
Finally …
Finally, you know that sometimes it may be necessary to work long hours to deliver to your customers. But you cannot work on “fight or flight” mode continuously. It is important that you schedule in and get in some breaks.
Top athletes will train extremely hard, but they will also rest and recover well. They will make sure they eat well, get fresh air and sleep well.
We are all so used to working long weeks and then taking 2 weeks holiday couple of times a year (if you are lucky). Whilst going to new surroundings is good it does not replace regular breaks during lunch time or in the evenings.
What do you do to make sure you get regular time away from work and routine?
“Mental health” may have become a cliché these days but that does not mean that looking after it like you do after your physical health is not important.
At the end of the day, we all have the same time, the same number of hours. It is not a lack of time that is stopping us from moving forward to makes the changes our business needs whilst still looking after our health. It is always a matter of priorities; you need to focus and have a willingness to take control.
None of us are sure that the next months or year is going to bring, so focus is key. We are here to help. Call your normal director or manager and we can help you put in steps that will deliver your goals within your own time constraints.