There's not enough hours in my day

"I seem to spend all my time doing….X… and there's no time for anything else!"

Ever said this? Ever felt there isn't enough time in your day to be and do all that you can or want to be and do? What with family obligations and commitments, working with clients, writing, teaching, training, marketing, housework, garden work… there just isn't any time left over for self-employed entrepreneurs to "have a life". You're working for everyone and everything else and you are so far down on the list, you just never get reached! Could be you are working in inefficient ways…

If this is you, here are 8 quick tips that might make a difference:

1. First, start by being honest with yourself. Grab a pad and pen right now and do a "life assessment". The aim of this is to identify your priorities for each day of the week. Keep a list every day. the most important things should be at the top - if you don't reach the bottom, there's always tomorrow and let's face it, some of those things at the bottom may not be so important! Check this list weekly. If there is something recurring on your list that is never high up priority wise every day, but you want it attended to, you will need to find time to slot it in or consider hiring a VA or somebody to help you do it! The idea of "list keeping" is you get a very clear picture of where you are spending your time and can make sure you are spending your valuable time on things that truly are important. You know where to focus your energy. You don't waste time. You can make decisions more easily. You can determine just what things can wait a while or need attending to immediately. The thing is - don't just rely on your memory! Sorry… along with your hair color, your memory, too, will fade over time! So, write it down!


2. Ever heard of the 80/20? It goes something like this: "80% of your success comes from 20% of your efforts". And you ask… you need to figure out where your most profitable 20% is and spend the majority of your time involved in those activities. Let's pretend you are a Coach… your most profitable activity is working with your clients and maybe looking at ways to increase multiple streams of income that don't involve your constant and active participation and time. So go identify yours!


3. Get help! This might be difficult if you are one of those types who feels you must do everything yourself, for whatever reason! Try it. Hire an assistant - doesn't have to be a full time person - try out a VA. VAs (Virtual Assistants) come in all shapes and sizes and guises and specialize in different tasks and have different fees. Ask about their pricing for certain activities. Shop around. And don't be fooled into thinking the most expensive VA is necessarily the best! Ask for references.


4. Automate as much as possible in your business. Technology is aimed at making our lot easier in life. This can include things like using a voicemail program or using your email via your cell phone. It might mean learning about and using autoresponders for your emails. If you are not technically minded you can hire professionals and VA's who can set this all up for you. The beauty of it is once it is set up, you don't need to worry about it again. You don't have to have brand new equipment either. You can buy second hand or consider leasing things you really need.


5. Simplify your life! Here's an example. Do you spend time chasing folks who promise to pay by check or via paypal? Why not insist on credit cards and use an online merchant for processing credit card charges? By doing this you don't have to move from your chair to process payments oweing to you. No more trips to the bank. With an online merchant account you can also set up recurring payments so the charges are run through automatically each month until you stop them. How easy is that! And if you look at your business, I am sure you will find other ways in which you can simplify your life.


6. You know how you can consolidate your loans or credit cards into one, thereby saving the hassle of having to pay each individual card/loan each month and all the extra fees that go with them? Take a look at your business and see what and how you can consolidate your efforts to save time. Do you have umpteen websites that need constant updating/attention? Maybe you can consolidate some/all of them. Ditto with newsletters. What places in your business can you consolidate your efforts?


7. Get leverage out of everything you do - when you can. This means finding more than one use out of products or services you have already produced. Ask yourself, "how can I use this product/service again?" Look for ways to re-use existing products over and over again. Can you combine them? Can you tweak them slightly? Be creative!


8. Group your tasks. Don't scatter your energies, thereby wasting your time. Do similar types of tasks together, for example, if you have a list of calls to make, put aside some time to do all of them. Maybe you have a lot of writing to do, or appointments to book. If you look at your business you will find many tasks that can be accomplished all at the same time in ways that do not scatter your time or energy.

In general, keep track of what does and doesn't work in your business. What types of things do your customers compliment you about or complain about? Do people make suggestions? Put aside time in each week to analyze your business and brainstorm for new, creative insights and ideas. You will find it much easier to discover new ways of achieving goals, simplifying your day-to-day tasks and consolidating tasks and maximizing the use of your products and services.

Of course, in this schedule you should also include time for yourself. Even if it is just for one hour a day. Find time for YOU!

Terri Levine
http://www.coachinstitute.com/
http://www.terrilevine.com/