It’s not often people start their own business because they want to work more hours than they used to at their job. They start because they want flexibility, they want freedom, they want control over their life and their time… but not more work.
I mean, come on… you don’t leave a 40 hour a week job because you want to work 50 hours a week for yourself… right?!
Yet so many business owners I know work more hours now than they ever did when they were working for someone else.
I’ve heard the reasons:
– but I love doing it so it’s not really work
– but I’m in a growth phase so it’s really important to put in lots of hours
– but I have to do the work, i can’t afford to outsource
But I’m calling you out… you didn’t go into business because you wanted to spend all your hours working, and all the other hours worrying about your big to do list, and feeling guilty for not working.
So if you are serious about working less hours, but still want to generate the same income (or more) then it’s time to get ruthless about how you spend your time.
Focus on one task at a time
Mum always used to tell me that I couldn’t do my homework and watch TV at the same time… and as much as it would pain childhood me to admit it, she was right.
Same applies now though… I can’t get things done if I am multitasking… and you can’t either.
You’ll get through a task much quicker if you just focus.
Turn off Netflix. Turn off YouTube. Turn off your phone (or leave it in another room) and focus on one task at a time.
Use a timer
You’ve heard the quote “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion” (known as Parkinsons Law) and it’s true. If you sit down at your computer to write a blog post, with no clear timeframe for when you will be finished, then it will take as long as long as it can. The task will expand to fill the whole time you have given it.
On top of that, you can lose countless hours “faffing” if you aren’t careful.
Want to get more done in less time? Set a timer for each task, and soley focus on that task until the timer goes off. Finished before the timer? Turn it off and move to the next task.
Track your time
Want to get really specific? Keep a time sheet of how you spent your time during the day. You might be surprised to see where it all went.
I’ve done this several times in the past. I’m great to start with… 9am til 9:30 emails, 9:30 til 10 blog… 10 til 11…. wait, what did I do with all that time?! I made a coffee, scrolled on my phone and looked up an hour later to wonder what on earth I was doing.
I’m sure you’ve experienced the same at some point. So do yourself a favour, and track your time one day. You’ll see just where it all goes.
Step away when you are done.
I see so many people sitting at their desk for 8 hours… therefore claiming they were working for 8 hours.
There is no badge of honour for working longer than you need to. Once your task is finished, get up and walk away. Make the clear distinction between being at work and not working.
Otherwise you’ll find yourself scrolling social media for hours, but it feels like work because you were at your desk.
If you can’t trust yourself, use a blocker.
I have Newsfeed erradicator installed on my laptop, so I can’t scroll Facebook even if I wanted to.
If you find yourself being drawn back to social media sites and losing blocks of time, then get the tech to work for you, rather than against you. Install a blocker, delete apps from your phone… Turn off notifications.
You are the one in control.
Be super clear about your tasks.
Take a look at your to do list
How many items on your list are actively building your business and moving you in the right direction? And how many are busy tasks?
Once you have a clear list of tasks that are actively building your business, work out how much time they will take you.
Rather than just writing a list of jobs, take a moment to write the time it will take you to complete the task.
Eg blog – 1 hour. Emails – 30min.
This will help you see how much time you need to complete your task list, and help you see where you are losing time through the day.
For example: if posting to Instagram takes 2 minutes, how come you spent 30 mins there ?
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But Sam, this all sounds kinda serious and full on?!
That’s fair… but I’d much rather work effectively for 1 or 2 hours, then spend the rest of the day doing what I want… than spend 8 hours being “busy” but still not really achieving anything.
It’s time to get serious about how you spend your time.
Then your work will be done, and you can walk away and spend more time doing other things.