'Whether it's the best of times or the worst of times, it's
the only time we've got.' Art Buchwald.
Well here we are again and can you believe it's already May
next week! Where is that time going? We'll be half way
through the year before we know it and isn't it rushing
past? Have you achieved your goals so far this year or is
it all just zooming past in a blur and without anything
significant being achieved?
One subject that comes up repeatedly with my clients is
that of time ' or rather the lack of it. Finding the time
to spend developing your business whether you are
pre-launch and at the preparation/research stage; or you're
up and running and fitting it around your children, a full
time job or life in general, can be tricky.
Working from home isn't easy. There's no boss to keep you
on the straight and narrow and there are so many
distractions calling out for your attention ' 'I'll just
load the washing machine', 'the lawn needs mowing'.
Finding the time your business needs and then actually
keeping it can be an uphill struggle.
GOOD NEWS! I've got some tips for you that really work. I
have used them repeatedly and they always get me
concentrating on the project in hand for the time it needs
every week whilst maintaining a healthy work/life balance.
The first thing to do is to decide how many hours each week
you want to spend developing your business. Sounds logical
doesn't it? But so many of us fall into the trap of
working on it as and when we can fit it in, or when we're
in the right mood. That will get you absolutely nowhere
and fast!
It is absolutely essential that you first fix the number of
hours you want to work on developing your business and then
work backwards from there to see how you can fit those
hours in!
The number of hours you plump for will vary according to
the stage your business is at right now. What does your
business really need right now that you can afford to give?
If it's pre-launch and you are researching, studying and
preparing you may decide that 2, 5 or 10 hours a week is
just right. If you're up and running then maybe it's 20,
25 or 30 hours a week.
Always bear in mind that it is essential to maintain a
healthy work/life balance. After all what on Earth is the
point of running your own business if you're going to work
yourself into the ground doing it? So no answers of 60
hours please! When your business is fully fledged what is
your goal for the number of hours you want to be working on
it? Start as you mean to go on.
My aim is to work 25 hours per week on my business. Quite
tricky at the moment with my youngest child at the age of
1, but it can be done. And yes I can do it and still
maintain a great work/life balance.
Now get a piece of paper and turn it sideways into
landscape orientation. Write the 7 days of the week across
the top and divide the page into columns, one column for
each day. We are going to plan each day hour by hour, so
you will position each entry within any given day according
to its time (so if you do something at 1.00 til 2.00 on any
given day write it about half way down the column).
To start your Time Plan first write down at the top of the
page the number of hours you have decided to spend on
developing and working on your business and put a big
circle around it.
Next within each day write down any regular weekly events
which are immovable. These will include things like doing
the school run; being at work if you are developing your
business around a full time job; regular commitments
required by your business (running a course; coaching a
client).
Now write down all other events which have to happen
sometime every week and decide where you are going to put
them. These could be doing the housework or shopping '
anything that is not time spent on your business. Block
out the rough amount of time these events take up.
Now block out some extra time to allow for things which
don't come up every week but which do need to be done every
now and then ' a contingency time if you like where you can
fit in mowing the lawn if it needs it.
Next you need to make sure you block out the right amount
of time for you and your family. Remember that work/life
balance!
When you've thought of everything that you have to spend
time on each week, look at your plan so far. Ask yourself:
* Where can I realistically fit in the hours I want to
work on my business?
* What could I do to fit them in?
* What else could I do?
Again always remember to maintain a healthy work/life
balance! If you cannot do this without exhausting yourself
then re-visit some things on your plan:
* Do all these things really have to be done every week?
* Is there anything I could drop or do fortnightly?
* Are the number of hours I've chosen to work on my
business necessary and are they realistic at this time?
Once you have completed your time plan, pin it up where you
will see it every day ' AND STICK TO IT. Ok if it's not
working then by all means re-visit it and make some
changes, but if it does work then NO EXCUSES!
There is one last thing that is absolutely vital! When you
are in one of your allocated work times ' YOU ARE AT WORK.
Treat that time as sacrosanct. Treat it as if you are
employed and the boss is looking. Make sure you will not
be disturbed by anything or anyone unrelated to your
business. Do not be tempted to think 'I'll just empty the
washing machine' or 'That lawn really does need mowing'.
Everything is accounted for and has its own place in the
Time Plan. YOU ARE AT WORK.
When you follow these guidelines it's amazing how much you
can suddenly get done; it's amazing how much your
motivation to work on your business (yes even those things
you keep putting off) suddenly goes through the roof; it's
amazing how much you move forward!
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© Emma Wortt of Em-powering U, April 2008. All Rights
Reserved.
Emma Wortt is a qualified Professional Coach and NLP
Practitioner. She runs her business Em-powering U to coach
and support those who have started or who want to start
their own small business. If that's you and you would like
to read more articles like this one you can sign up to the
Em-powering U FREE newsletter at
http://www.em-powering-u.co.uk
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