Time. Time it’s the only resource that is distributed equally amongst everyone. We all have 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Time is the most precious resource we all have, as well.
And yet, despite all this, according to research time management is # 3 challenge for most business owners.
The same struggles plague the corporate world. For many leaders, there aren’t enough hours in a day or days in a week to complete the pile of tasks from the to-do lists.
And yet some people seem to have the whole “time management” thing figured out. They accomplish a LOT and are not only highly successful but also happy with their lives. Those people achieved what most of the others are after financial success and balanced, happy life.
How do they do it? Here are the 5 Best Pieces of Advice you will ever get.
1. Focus Only on Priorities
Productivity is less about time management and more about attention management. Adam Grant
The first truth is that no one can do it all in one day, one week, one month or even one year. Trying to attack a to-do list that is just a compilation of things that come up during the day without a plan, it a straight path to being busy but not overly productive. It, in turn, leads to feeling overwhelmed and discouragement.
That’s why having calrity on and defining your priorities, in your business and personal life is the first step to leading a balanced and fulfilling life. Once you know what’s most important, it’s time to shift your focus and efforts only to those things and slowly eliminate all the rest.
And to help you keep the focus, I’ve prepared a list of 10 Powerful Tips to Help You Stay Focused like High-Achievers. You can start using them today if you click here to download the list.
2. Ask for Help
Ask for help not because you’re weak, but because you want to remain strong. Les Brown
Secondly, you don’t have to do it all alone. That’s why getting out of the mindset that I’m the only one who can do it right is critical. You need to let go of the need to control everything. On the one hand, this will free the time you need to grow your business, yourself, or just rest and enjoy life. And on the other, it will give growth opportunities to the people that help you.
How? Here are three examples:
– If you’re a solo entrepreneur, start outsourcing some non-revenue generating tasks to specialists as soon as you’re able to. These fellow entrepreneurs core competencies lie in the functions you need help with. Thanks to your business, they will grow and thanks to their support, you’ll have time to focus on expanding as well.
– The same principle applies in the corporate world. When you’re in a leadership position, there are tasks that you can delegate to your team members. Tasks that can keep them challenged and grow their skills. If done right, they’ll flourish, and you’ll be able to take on this new project you were hoping to get involved in.
– And at home. It’s OK for your kids to do some cleaning, help to prep the meals, or do other tasks. It teaches them responsibility and builds character. Taking care of the household is the responsibility of everyone living under that roof, not just yours. And you can make it fun for everyone too!
3. Say “NO”
You’ve gotta keep control of your time, and you can’t unless you say no. You can’t let people set your agenda in life. Warren Buffet
Thirdly, once you are clear on your overall priorities, to keep your laser focus, you need to start saying “No” to everything else. Here are some examples:
– Staying active is your priority, but the only time you can do that coincides with your TV time. What do you say “No” to?
– What if a good colleague asks you to help out with a project that has not much to do with your goals and responsibilities at this time?
– Or maybe your best friend asked you to get your business involved in a collaboration that doesn’t align with your mission and vision?
There are a lot of choices we make every day (small and big). Each of them impacts how we use our. And sometimes it’s hard and tiring to say “No” this many times. But to paraphrase Warren Buffet: this is the difference between successful people and extremely successful people – the latter say “No” to almost everything.
4. Lead a Healthy Lifestyle
To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise, we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear. Buddha
Fourth, live healthily. I know I’m not discovering a new theory of special relativity here and just joining the mantra of doctors, and most health industry professionals. But we all agree that health is a foundation to leading a good life, don’t we? Yes, there’ll be things happening to us we cannot control, but we need to own what we can. To be creative, innovative, feel happy, and fulfilled, we need to take care of our bodies. The food we eat can damage or heal them, prevent diseases, and positively impact our daily emotions and energy.
The amount of rest we take (sleep, breaks during the workdays, time off on weekends, vacation, etc.) determines how well we regenerate, process new information, and how energetic we are. Rest also calms the stress and overwhelm off the daily buzz.
Additionally, how active we are, affects how fit our body is, how well it absorbs the food we feed it, and how well mentally we feel.
All in all, there are many ways to stay healthy.
5. Look at Yourself as a Whole Person
Balanced & happy life comes when we spend time nourishing our body, mind, heart & soul. You are a whole person. Treat yourself like one. Stairway to Leadership
Lastly, I strongly believe in us treating ourselves and each other as wholesome equal human beings.
When I’m working, I’m not just a businesswoman; I’m also a mother partner, a friend; I’m me a whole person. I’m a leader of my entire life, have the same beliefs, and stand up for the same values everywhere. To lead a balanced and fulfilled life, we must spend our time and energy on all aspects of our lives, each part of our wholesome person, as opposed to just some of them. And that’s why we need clarity on our priorities first.
To conclude, the five pieces of advice I shared with you above are the foundation of healthy time management that will lead you to balanced life you seek.
If you resonate with them, I’d like to ask you some questions:
– Do feel overwhelmed by the amount of work you need to do to keep your business running and successful?
– Do you find yourself procrastinating sometimes or starting at the screen paralyzed instead of moving the needle and doing what you hoped you would do?
– Do you find yourself easily distracted by other “urgent” things that take over and put the real important ones on the back burner?
If you answered yes to one of those questions, think about how often it happens? If once in a while, don’t worry and move on, it happens to all of us. But if more than you’d like to, then maybe it’s time to take action and make some changes.
Or maybe you’re doing great in all of them. If that’s the case, congratulations! For you, I prepared 10 Powerful Tips to Help You Stay Focused Like High-Achievers. You can download them now by clicking here.
