Remember the countdown to the new year? It seemed that the countdown to the new year didn’t last very long. But really that timer has been counting down since the day you were born. The proverbial clock continues to countdown and encroach on our well-intentioned plans, dreams, and goals with no end in sight.
Time is the great equalizer gracing us with only 8,760 hours per year. How can we take these limited hours as entrepreneurs and efficiently allocate them time to meet both our business and personal goals? I use these three time management tips to help conquer the clock and they’re all yours for the taking:
- Keep essentials simple. All of us have to eat and dress so it’s imperative to keep the essentials simple. Utilizing tools such as ingredient-and-recipe meal kit services, meal planning websites, or a simple paper grocery list takes the brain work out of preparing and eating meals. One way I prep is by having lettuce and cut up veggies ready to throw together in a tupperware for my (healthy) lunch. I also signed up our family for Hello Fresh meal service. We love it and every week we receive a box of 3 healthy and yummy meals for the family. The instructions are so easy to follow that my daughters, 13 and 10, do all of the cooking for us. (Here’s a link to $40 off if you want to try it out!) Other resources such as a capsule wardrobe can do the same thing for clothing decisions. With various studies showing that the average adult consciously makes around 35,000 choices in a day, simplifying essential decisions leaves more time for work productivity and focusing on the family.
- Make a daily top 3 list. Benjamin Franklin wisely stated, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” Just like sitting in front of the TV with no idea what to watch flipping through the channels, you’ll end up unfocused rather than if you had just picked a show and started watching. Every morning, make a bullet list, or even start a bullet journal, prioritizing the top three tasks you desire to accomplish that day. Categorize the top three. For example, exercise, rest, and learning. Complete one activity for each category every day or dedicate a certain day of the week to a more extended time of immersion. Writing down a simple plan with attainable goals for the day gives varied and structured flexibility to the hours in front of you.
- Schedule consistent, but easy, family times. As Mompreneurs and Dadpreneurs, our motivation to create comes from our devotion to the people we love the most. However, without carefully scheduling time with family, our top priorities suffer. Unfortunately, many recommendations from experts on how to connect as a family come with an elaborate price tag or time-consuming activities. Family time doesn’t have to be complicated to be meaningful. Consistent and intentional times go the distance to creating deeper family relationships. How about working through a book list together or making simple place-and-bake cookies after a meal? Even a dinner routine or sharing “highs” (best part of the day) and “lows” (worst part of the day) accelerate connection around a shared meal. With a loose, but doable plan, family time actually happens – reconnecting us to the people we love the most.
The clock is always ticking and the fight to claim hours can feel like a never-ending battle. However, with these 3 time hacks, decisions are simplified, priorities are stated, and family is cherished.
I’d love to hear from you and what you do to conquer the clock!
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.