Communication and creating harmony with your environment is the key to using time effectively. Be willing to free up energy to express yourself more fully. Give dollar numbers and points to all the tasks that you do and the time and financial expenditures that you make to maintain your status quo. Many times we execute tasks and do projects that do not nurture us nor give us joy. By carefully documenting what you do and how long each project takes it will afford you a new perspective on what you still want to do and what you might be able to delegate.
Calculate how much your hourly wage would be, if you take into account all the steps you take to do your job. For instance, as a consultant you are paid by the project or by the hour. However, your take home net profit is significantly lower once you realize the amount of time involved in managing your business, in connecting with people, in marketing your work and in managing your daily life so that you can be functioning at your peak for your consulting projects.
List each of your daily tasks, both ones you enjoy and ones that you consider energy and time drains and rank them in order of importance to you. A useful measure is to make three columns on a sheet of paper, in one column list the item and in the second column, with a number ranking from 1-10 (10 being the highest), rank each task as to the amount of joy, leisure and excitement that it gives you. In the third column rank the item as the amount of time, resources and commitment it takes for you to manage it.
Do you see any startling patterns? Are you doing a project or task that you think you have to do and notice that it doesn’t bring you fulfillment nor any increase in money, time or resources? If by noting that you invest a significant amount of time in projects that are time and resource robbers, then maybe it is time to realize that you can change your life by rearranging, planning and where necessary, delegating tasks and activities to free up your time.
Contact Cynthia Stringer for your complimentary coaching appointment to strategize and learn one new action step you can implement right away.