Time flies…

...it really does, if you don’t manage it, or manage yourself as best you can.

Do you, like me, wonder where the time goes, especially at weekends?  As the clocks went back and we gained an hour it got me thinking once again about time and how to make the best use of it.

Time is precious and something we all complain we don’t have enough of.

For me, it is essential to have a routine for my working day and working week.  When you run your own business and don’t have the structure of a 9 – 5 job it can be very easy to get sidetracked doing the things that are easy and that you enjoy, leaving other tasks right until the last minute. On days when I don’t effectively plan my time, it is easy for the day to disappear in a flurry of reactive busyness.

Personally, I like to spend the morning responding to emails and getting things up to date. I try and take an hour in the middle of the day to do some reading or business development and then in the afternoon I work on longer-term projects.  I prefer to be in the office on Mondays and Fridays, so will arrange meetings in the middle of the week where possible, this makes the week less disruptive.

We are all aware of these tips but sometimes it’s good to be reminded:

• Lump together similar tasks – get into a rhythm

• Live in the present – focus

• Choose the right environment for the type of work you are doing – office, coffee shop, walking

• Identify drains on your time – long phone calls, unnecessary meetings

• Outsource and delegate where possible – can we help?

• Be strict with yourself and switch off by a certain time each day

So, is a structured life a productive life?  Do you need to manage time or manage yourself?

If you have the time (!) watch this video and let me know what you think…