Hey guys,
Don’t you just wish that there were more hours in the day? Between admin tasks, client meetings, marketing, social media and everything else it can feel that way sometimes. I know that we have all had days when it’s 6:00pm and less than half of our to-do list is done. But, I am here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be that way. You can certainly use strategies to gain this time back in your day and knock out those to-do lists! Here are my 3 biggest tips for gaining more time in your day and getting your life back!
1. Block out your Time.
Time blocking is one of my favorite ways to make sure that I hit everything on my to-do list while still avoiding a15 hour day. What often happens is that we get so engulfed in one task that we spend several hours on it rather than giving it the time it needs and then moving on. Rome wasn’t built in a day, so don’t expect big business tasks like writing out your business plan to be done in a day either! By blocking off specific amounts of time for each task, you allow yourself to really focus on that one thing and get it done before the time runs out. If you’re a visual person like me, you might benefit from these templates on Clockify.
2. Track ALL of your Time.
When it comes to being a business owner, you have the freedom to make your own hours. This also means that you have the freedom to waste them too. Distractions are everywhere, especially if you have a home office. (That’s part of the reason why I got my new office space. Check it out here!) A great way to see where your distractions are is by simply setting a clock. Grab your phone and start your clock when you begin a new task. Once you’ve finished, look at the time. You may find that you’re getting so distracted that making a simple Instagram Reel took you over an hour! This allows you to adjust as needed and find the sneaky distractions that are turning a 15 minute task into 45 minutes.
3. Know your Limits.
It’s easy to stack up too much on your plate simply because you’re the business owner. Afterall, there is always so much to do. However, it’s important to remember that you are human and you need to have time for things outside your company (friends, family, selfcare, etc.) This means that you need to figure out a way to make a to-do list that doesn’t leave you feeling awful when only a few things got done! One of my favorite methods is the 1-3-5. Choose 1 large tasks, 3 medium tasks and 5 small tasks to tackle every day. Large tasks might be doing your taxes or calling back clients. Medium tasks could be creating social media content for the week or going live. Small tasks would be something like engaging with your Facebook group. This is great when coupled with a block schedule. Once the tasks are done, if you have extra time in your block, work ahead. Just be sure it’s something you know you can put down when time is up! After your work blocks are done, so are you! Go home and enjoy your evening!
One more Time-Gaining Solution: Hire a Team
Outsourcing is probably my best tip for gaining time in your day because you can delegate lots of tasks to other people! Perhaps, you decide to delegate things that are small, tedious or mundane to you. You could also delegate tasks that you aren’t very skilled in like website design or graphics to someone who can whiz through them in 2 hours (rather than you taking 2 weeks). This allows you to focus on the bigger tasks that really increase your profits like planning new launches, attending business meetings or fostering excitement with your audience through a live.
If you’d like to learn more about this, be sure to join me in my upcoming webinar on February 24 at 8PM EST by clicking this link!