What would you say if I told you that putting a business strategy in place before unearthing 10 hours a week is very much like “putting the cart before the horse.” (As my Mom would say.)
The struggle to find time to carry out the most carefully crafted business strategy is real! You can’t wait until you have time. You’re already overwhelmed. Instead, most small business owners I know “pile on” the execution of their business strategy on top of an already jam-packed week. It’s no surprise that goals aren’t achieved, and everyone’s exhausted!
Imagine, instead, a week with 10 hours available for the successful implementation of your business strategy! These are 10 hours each and every week that remain unscathed by interruptions, distractions, and every other activity that diverts you from pulling the trigger on your strategy and achieving your goals.
Uncover 10 hours Each Week with small (but mighty) changes
Time is your greatest ally. It allows you to solve your problems by achieving your goals. It’s the distinctive difference between success and struggle. And, with a chunk of time readily and dependably available each week, you are unstoppable.
Before you say “yeah but,” consider some adjustments you can make today including….
1. Reduce time spent on email by 50%. Adobe’s recent study demonstrated that the average professional spends 3.3 hours each day checking email. Based on your billing rate, what is the cost?
2. Reduce the number of times you check email daily by 50%. Some studies show the average person checks their email an average of 6–20 times per day. Is that really necessary? Most of us check email more frequently than necessary merely because our email program is open. That leads me to point #3….
3. Close your email program when focusing on strategic implementation.
4. Minimize distractions and interruptions. A UC Irvine study revealed that most people are interrupted after only 11 minutes into a project and it takes an average of 25 minutes for the brain to return to the point of productivity it was at prior to the interruptions. How much time could be created by minimizing interruptions?
5. Automate. Free up time — and yourself — with automating tedious, repetitious activities.
6. Schedule virtual meetings when possible. With technology like Skype and Zoom, it’s much easier to capture that face-to-face connection during a meeting while saving time spent on the road.
Speaking of meeting time…
7. Reduce the duration of meetings by 50%. Meetings are definitely a case of “work expands to fill the time it has to complete.” Ask anyone who has to endure several meetings a week.
8. Avoid “poking around” on social media. I love the brutal honesty of my client who recently announced that overwhelm sparked paralysis….so they opened Facebook. Haven’t we all done that a time or two?
9. Hire it. There comes a time in every business when you, as the owner, can no longer “do it all.” A virtual assistant can take over time-consuming tasks to free you up to focus on your strategy implementation.
Are you ready to make some of the changes necessary to ensure you have 10 hours each and every week to implement your carefully crafted strategy? Finding 10 hours to count on each week won’t be easy. It will require you to make difficult — albeit rewarding, choices.
I’d love to hear from you. What other ideas have you successfully implemented to carve out more time for the big, important things in your business?
