Finding Time To Work “On” Your Business

Richard Branson (proprietor of the Virgin group of companies if you weren’t aware) is the head of an investment group that consists of over 400 business operations.  He is lauded as very successful with his prowess in business, has amassed a self made multibillion dollar fortune and is a creative and entertaining individual to boot.

There are also a lot of business owners who are running one business who get to the end of the week and wonder where the days went.  100% of the time spent working in or worrying about the running of the operation.

So what is the difference between the 2.  Richard Branson maybe has some genetic advantage, but he definitely doesn’t have any more time in a week.  He just gets granted 168 hours, just like everybody else.

The reality is that time itself does not need managing.  It does a great job itself, just ticking away methodically and regularly.  No management required.

Yep you guessed it – it is the business owner that needs managing.  Not time management.  Self management.

Here are a few areas that can unleash massive amounts of productivity.  Proven over many years through personal and client experience.  In no particular order as some work better for differing personalities.

1. Plan your day the night before.  (Your week the Friday before, and your month the last day of previous month).  This habit has several benefits.  Firstly it makes you more organised, you start each day with a plan.  Secondly it taps into a hidden resource of your brain.  As you sleep it will be working on the best way to tackle the items on your pre-planned To Do List.  So when you come to do them you will be faster, more efficient and more effective.
2. The STOP doing list.   Actually this is part of a 3 list series.  Compile 3 lists for yourself.
   • What you do regularly that you should keep doing
   • What you are not currently doing but should be
   • What you are doing that you should STOP doing. (this will require the skills of delegation to help move them off your list)
3. The Ideal Week (Default Diary).  Pre-plan a timetable for your week (or fortnight) just like you were given at high school.  Schedule times to do all the important jobs that provide the most value for your business e.g. sales activities, marketing activities, customer focus activities.  And then stick to the timetable.  All other less important tasks have to take second priority
4. Stop being reactive, start being proactive.  Know that the more you focus on being planned, organised and ready the less you will attract chaos and emergencies.  Start to really believe that your business is actually quite easy to run, it is you that is making it stressful.

The aim of the game is to become organised, planned, effective and relaxed.  If you are getting to the end of the week and finding yourself in a mess, running around mindlessly and stressed out then something is drastically wrong.

Stop trying to manage time and start managing yourself.

Make it a prosperous week