Your alarm goes off.
You drag yourself out of bed, fumble through brushing your teeth and washing your face {barely!} and pick up your phone to do a quick {hah!} check on email.
30 minutes later, you’re still groggy and sleepy but scrolling through your FB feed, liking posts by people who you don’t even remember meeting ever.
45 minutes in and you’re now hungry, so you grab a snack {read, last night’s leftovers or whatever was in a packet and didn’t need cooking} and open up the news sites. After all, you can’t work while eating, so why not read the news?
60 minutes after you’ve woken up… and here’s what you’ve accomplished – washed face, brushed teeth, maybe used the loo, read random FB updates from even more random people, ate an unhealthy snack and read the news.
You’re ready to work except… now, now the kids are gonna be up. Oh well!
Sounds familiar?
Or maybe your scenario may include rushing through the day, like the Energizer bunny {but without the energy!} and finding yourself crashing into bed, feeling overwhelmed and underappreciated.
Or maybe you experience what I like to call busy-itis. A chronic condition or desire to always be busy.
Someone asks you “How are you?” Response:“Busy!”
“How was your day?” Busy!
“Can you take a break?” Nope, busy!!
“What’s happening with your life?” Nothing… busy, busy, busy!!
See? Busy-itis.
We wear busy as a badge of honor. Hey, you aren’t alone. I’ve been known to wear this badge myself.
Here’s the thing…
Being busy isn’t as bad as it’s made out to be.
Rushing around may seem okay to you and you may even enjoy it, like I enjoy working under pressure.
Reading random news and FB updates may feel comforting to you on some strange level, and really, that’s okay.
But here’s the other thing…
Are you making time for the things that matter?
Or are you losing out on what counts as you pursue what society deems you should?
Now, this is not a rant on us against them. That isn’t my style.
This is just a friendly reminder to re-evaluate your time management mindset and habits. I’ve already shared killer time management techniques that work to free up time for parentpreneurs, so I’m not going to reinvent the wheel here.
What I’m gonna do is talk about the truths behind time management that works. Truths that no one really addresses.
You get hacks, like:
Wake up at 5:30.
Don’t check your email, first thing.
Don’t spend time in meetings.
But do these really fit your life and your business? Yeah. I thought so.
Read on and prepare to be amazed by the simple truths that have evaded us for ages. I almost leapt out of the hotel bathtub like Archimedes, yelling “Eureka! Eureka!” when it hit me. Don’t worry. I didn’t. Me running half-naked in a hotel lobby is a sight no one needs to endure. 😉
In Productivity 2.0: More Impact, Less Work, I repeatedly emphasize the importance of making time work for you, rather than the other way round.
More importantly, we talk about how what works for me, may not work for you. That’s right.
And literally, hundreds of readers have emailed me to tell me how much the strategies in Productivity 2.0 have helped them craft a time management method that works best for them.
Wonder why? Hang on. I’m spilling the beans on these little-known truths about time management for entrepreneurs.
As someone who manages several client projects, this blog and the business – marketing, hiring, training, researching, etc., and more importantly, as someone who has tried pretty much every productivity hack out there, here are the 3 time management truths that I want you to know, learn and keep close to your heart.
That’s it. Only 3 things that you really need to know. Can I hear a collective sigh of relief go around the room? Thought so!
Time Management for Entrepreneurs: The Truths that No One Ever Tells You About
1. Your time management will be very different from everyone else’s
First up, how you manage your time will be very different from what I do.
You may function best using an electronic app to record your to-dos. I use a paper planner.
You may be a night owl, packing the late hours with your most productive work. I work the morning like the high-on-energy Judy Hopps. {What… you haven’t seen Zootopia?!}.
You may like working ahead of time while I work amazingly well when under the pump.
Bottomline: Strategies remain. Techniques and implementation differ.
I don’t see the point in you pushing yourself to be a morning person, if your body clock doesn’t jive with that.
2. Respect and savor your life’s seasons when planning your time.
We’re not entrepreneurs in isolation. Many of us, including yours truly, are parents, home managers, spouses, friends {good ones, I hope!} to those around us.
There will be seasons of your life when it’ll seem that everyone around you is zooming ahead in flashy cars while you’re phut-phutting on a little scooter on the entrepreneurial highway.
That’s okay. No really. It’s okay. We’re all on our own path. This is NOT a race. I repeat, this is NOT a race. 😉
3. There will always be changes to your time management techniques and you need to go with that
Finally and most importantly, what is it they say about the best laid plans? Yeah, something like even the best laid plans can go to waste, right?
So, even after you’ve nailed a schedule that works for you, there will be days when you aren’t feeling up to it {yes bingeing on pizza for dinner does that!}, an unexpected crisis {think 6-year old hurting her eye with a paper bag! I kid you not!!} happens, or you realize that the schedule you’ve planned is just way too unrealistic. What? That never happens to you?!
So, yes, expect changes to your plans. This is something the Type A in me has had the hardest time dealing with.
So, what can you do to nail managing your time, with ease and without feeling like smashing the clock or your head against it?
Two things.
I know. Only two. I’m smart, like that!
Here are the only 2 time management tips that you need to focus on as a parentpreneur:
- Identify your most profitable activity for the day and accomplish that right at the start.
- Identify your most challenging activity for the day and knock that outta the park, next.
Rinse and repeat.
Both these activities will give motivate you, spur you on and keep you from getting distracted by whatever’s not profitable or challenging. Yes, Facebook, I’m looking at you!
How you choose to implement these two is up to you.
Here’s what works for me. I plan my schedule accordingly, so I’m working on a profitable activity first – writing for clients, social media management, keyword research, then a challenging activity – responding to emails {you have NO idea!}, outreach {same thing!}, making phone calls {don’t even get me started on these!}.
ONLY when they’re done, do I dip into entertainment activities – Facebook for news feed scrolling not social media management for clients, reading blogs to entertain my mind and so on. It’s such a happy emotional release, because I know I’ve done good stuff and tough stuff and now, I’m savoring that reward. Mind tricks, people. Mind tricks.
Again, that’s me. What would YOU do?
Share with me your greatest time management challenges in the comments and I’ll send the toughest ones a copy of Productivity 2.0 FREE. Want to skip commenting {really? Why?!!}, snag a copy for yourself now here. It’ll be the best $9 you invest in making time work for you. Guaranteed.
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My biggest challenge is Distraction. I work from home for a full time job , with an active toddler at home. And the distractions are endless.
1. That well meaning neighbor who just wants to catch up , only when I have planned to something important
2.That awesome TV show, I stumble upon
3. That energy spike of my kid or the hunger spike or his need to visit loo, countless times
4. etc.. etc..
I would love a copy! My biggest time management challenge is replying to client questions. I am a health coach and the more clients I take on, the more time I spend answering questions and giving guidance. Trying to decide if I should raise my prices and take on less clients, or if there is a way I can streamline responses.
My biggest challenge is actually getting the important things done on my list. I can plan out a list of goals, tasks, etc, but when life gets super busy I don’t even have time to look at my lists at times.
My biggest struggle is … Time … I work full time at an office and I spend 3 hours a day commuting. Taking care of the family does not leave me much time to do anything else. I am struggling to find a way to manage my time in a better way in order to be able to launch and grow my blog. My plan is to launch the blog and, within the next 12 months, be able to stop my current job and work only for my blog. this will give me more time with my family and I will be able to use in a better way the 3 hours I send commuting.
I have been a self employed jewelry maker for over 30 years, with a little retail shop in my historic downtown. I am currently the President of the merchants’ association.
I am recently separated, heading for divorce after 18 years of marriage, with custody of an awesome 16-year-old son. He’s at that age where he is involved in lots of activities but doesn’t drive on his own yet (come on, July!) So I have to figure out how to get him places and pay for the things he wants to do. College, a whole other ball of wax, comes in 2 years!
And finally, my mother has Alzheimer’s and is in an assisted living facility. I feel I need to visit with her pretty much every day, especially while she still knows who I am. Her savings will likely not last as long as will bw necessary for her long term care.
So I recently started a blog. I need to work it as well and as quickly as I can to make it profitable to help pay for all these needs. I’m a minimalist as far as my home and surroundings, so there’s not much I need there, fortunately!
There are my time management challenges–whew! Your three tips resonate with me…I’ve been trying to figure out how to do OTHER PEOPLES’ schedules instead of figuring out what would work for me! I’m thinking your Productivity 2.0 would be a blessing!
Great read! Boiling all the well meaning to-dos to the most productive & the most challenging is great. I’ve never really thought about dissecting my activities like that. I’m going to try this new perspective with our family of 6 (one on the way, 3.5, 8, 11, Dad & Mom).
I love that you acknowledge that what works for one person might not work for another. One of my big issues is, like Eva, I make “to do” lists (daily) but I’m bad about actually checking them and going by them–until the end of the day, when I see all that I didn’t get accomplished–and it all goes on tomorrow’s list!
My biggest challenge is avoiding the “don’t wanna do” items on my list and going down the rabbit hole of social media. I have tons of pages/news items bookmarked that I think my audience would find valuable, but now there’s such a backlog, I don’t know where to start! Ack!
One of my biggest time management challenges is distraction – There’s always something or someone pulling me in other directions. There never seems to be enough hours in the day to take care of the household and run a business, let alone GROW a business! Help needed!
I am a mom to 11 (ages 10-34) and have 11 grandchildren that are frequently in and out. I homeschool the three youngest. I produce and preserve most of our food at home. I help my husband with his farming job and I am trying to start a business from home grime the excess of my farm produced goods. There are lots of distractions and lots of things that get left undone. Help would be greatly appreciated.
My biggest time management problem as a blogger, is feeling like there is too much to do then giving up without trying. This is an area that I am really working on though, and I have made a little bit of progress.
I’ve decided my biggest distraction is …. guilt. Yep, you read correctly. I’ve been swamped with other things lately, and I’ve spent almost no time in my studio for the past month. It just came to my attention this week that I feel guilt for taking advantage of the flexibility I’ve always wanted in my career.
When I do get to the studio I feel so far behind that I don’t feel I utilize my time well when I’m there. Then I feel guilty because all the e-mails coming to my in-box are telling me how I’m suppose to respond to time wasters and how far along my business is supposed to be at this stage.
So thank you! All 3 resonate with me and I needed that refresher this morning (as I prepare to leave my studio to chaperon a youth trip this weekend! lol) I’m in no immediate need to have my business making oodles within a time frame. I have the blessing of plenty of time to build a viable long-term business and do what ever else needs to happen in my day – or month!
So bring on April! My time management will be different from other as I savor my life’s seasons and change my time management techniques as needed so I can just go with it!!! 🙂
Hmm.. biggest time management challenge? My own mental health perhaps? I’m a single mom of 5 girls, ages 2 thru 12. I’m divorced from an abusive man, but still have to deal with him frequently. I homeschool. My 12 year old has ADHD (and puberty but that’s a whole ‘nother story). My 7 yr old ( 2nd oldest) is developmentally delayed, and functions closer to age 4, with therapies and specialists and close supervision required. My 6 yr old is gifted and oh so curious.. my 4 yr old is a typical kid if a tad clingy, and my 2 -soon-to-be 3 yr old is an active bright baby. I’m trying to grow two blogs and a business, start and coordinate a homeschool coop, maintain and connect with friends, manage a home and garden, keep up with my girls’ activities (swim, dance, baseball, youth group, etc) & even occasionally date… all on my own. If I think about it too long.. I get too tired to do anything so I just keep trying, and don’t feel like I get much anyplace.. oh well. Someday, right?
What I hope for the greatest time management challenges is to overcome procrastination and writer’s block. Because of digestive issues, hormonal imbalance, and dysthymia, more tasks pile up. Also, I am a stay-at-home mom to a second grader and preschooler. Personally, I feel that developing healthy habits and staying organized are very imperative for my well-being as a mom and the certified health coach. So, I would like to get started by being more productive and confident. Hopefully, Productivity 2.0 will help me create more clear and specific plans to reach my goals.
One of my biggest challenges is losing track of time. Even when I’m doing something important (or “important”), if I don’t pay attention, hours will have gone by and all I will think about at night is how I could’ve used that time more efficiently or wisely.