How Much Time?
TIME…other than concerns with start-up funding, most new or potential business owners worry about time.
Do I have enough? I am already busy. I don’t know how I could squeeze anything more into my day.
Here is the deal. We all have the same amount of time. So, let’s get rid of the idea of “finding” more. Do you have enough? Well, if I have enough and other successful business owners have “enough”…then you can too. Busy? Yep, I would probably guess most of us are. I mean, unless you are living on a beach somewhere or in a cabin around a beautiful but remote mountain lake…we are all usually running. Running errands, running a household or family, going to work, going to soccer practice, making dentist appointment. Yep, we are all busy. But that isn’t the real question, is it?
You want to know HOW MUCH time. You want to know HOW HARD will the work be. You want to know HOW TO DO IT.
When I started my first business, I thought of it as WORK. Like my NOW former corporate executive life. You get up and do the work. I didn’t consider nor was I coached on how to really build a business with family, with a marriage, with a home, with laundry, with pets, with commitments, with bills, with furniture that I didn’t like anymore….you get the picture. We like to think we can control it all and NOTHING can stop us. It is interesting how some of the smallest things in our HOMES can do just that. Since you will be working the large majority of your business at HOME…we need to consider the how and the what of doing that.
Let’s talk TIME.
I think we can all agree that we waste a HUGE amount of time. TV alone can be a huge time suck. Now, don’t get me wrong…I watch Netflix and Amazon Prime like the rest of you. I can get SUCKED in big time. However, I also know…here is some hidden time. It won’t kill you or your family to have TV free nights a few times a week. In fact, it could do everyone a bit of good. Yes…they will complain and you might too…but here could be 4-6 hours of time.
QUIT watching any news program. Trust me when I say you will still know what is happening in the world. You will get the same info just listening to your friends, neighbors and co-workers at the J.O.B. Don’t watch or listen to news.
Use your commute to listen to training and personal development for your biz. WAY more productive!
Cleaning house….either hire this out or get your family involved. If you are a clutter bug….FIX IT ASAP! More than likely, you are living in a large enough home…it is just full of stuff you don’t need or use. You don’t even really know how many flashlights you own! (We discovered that we own 17 flashlights…so I have several to share.) Organizing and cleaning help you streamline time.
Who do you hang out with? I don’t know about you, but I wasted A LOT of time with people that gossiped, back-stabbed, were negative nellies, professional whiners and a whole host of drama-loving people. All that “stuff” wastes your time and headspace. Just by politely declining to hang out, go out, have coffee, have a beer, answer the phone…you can eliminate a lot of people that waste your time. Because in the course of building your busines, these won’t be the people that help you do it. You will want to surround yourself with other life “builders”.
By actually dealing with some critical HOME issues and projects, we will find all sorts of time and energy that can be applied to building the life and business you desire. I appreciate the journey you are on. I was there just a few short years ago. I was worried, doubtful, and cautious.