Tips for Time keeping
Time is precious, many of us often feel like there just isn’t enough hours in a day. I often dream that the time turner that Hermione uses in Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban were a real thing. I even bought a key ring version when I visited the studio, but even with careful turning I still didn’t time travel.
Instead I use several tools to manage my time muggle style. I have a time blocking chart that I created to fit my schedule. I have split my day into 4 slots. As some of my slots are governed by the school run, I also use alarms on my phone to make sure I don’t loose track of time when I’m busy and end up late for pick up. I also set protected boundaries with an alarm as to when I need to turn off my screens and wind down at night to allow me to sleep. It is hard when there is always something to do but sleep is an important part of self-care. It been a lesson I have had to re establish since running my own business, but self-care is important to keep functioning.
Feeling like you are not making the most of your time can be quite an internal pressure when your self employed or a sole trader. My experience is trying not to let it creep into your mindset as this can cause stress and lower your productivity, thus creating a vicious circle. Finding a time management technique that works and sticking to it can really be of benefit. Life rarely follows the schedule but having a plan means you know where you can be flexible and when sometimes (just sometimes) you can end up with extra time you weren’t expecting. What a treat that feels!
In my work I also need to track the time I have used for my clients. I use Toggl, an app that allows you to put a time on and label recordings to different projects and clients. I find this useful and it is so good at showing me where my time is spent. As you can vue weeks/months and years of recordings.
Another way to solve a time shortage is to assess whether you are spending the right portion of time working in your zone of genius. This concept comes from Gay Hendricks in his book The big leap. It sets four zones; zone of genius, zone of excellence, zone of competence and zone of incompetence. You then place all the tasks you carry out into the most relevant zones.
If you find the jobs taking up too much of your time fall within the zones of competence and zone of incompetence, then outsourcing to someone who has skills in this could free up some of your precious time. If you would like to find out more about outsourcing book a free of charge, no obligation enquiry call.