When my (now 29-year-old) nephew was four years old, I asked him if he wanted to go to the store with me. He told me that he didn’t have enough time because he was too busy.
I don’t remember much about my life at four years old, but what I do remember is that all I had was time. My nephew probably had learned that response from everyone around him.
What would you do with more time?
No matter what type of business you’re in, and whether you’re working from home full-time or part-time, time is a valuable commodity. Take the time to consider what would happen if you had more time.
- Would you take the day off, spend more time with your family, or work on your personal development? If so, let go of tasks that don’t need your attention so you can have more time to spend on yourself or with your family.
- Would you accomplish more? Think about whether more hours in the day would give you more time to work on important tasks or leave you with more time to waste. Everyone works differently but I’ve noticed that when I have all day to work, I’m less effective than when I have only a few hours to work.
- Would you keep postponing tasks that need your attention? Either you’re going to tackle tasks on your to-do list or you’re going to keep putting them off. Task the tasks off your list that you keep moving forward or the ones you know you’ll never try to tackle. It’s easier to let those tasks go when you consider whether or not those tasks would affect your productivity and bottom line.
Throughout the week
- Stop what you’re doing and evaluate whether you’re working too much. (I admit I’m a reformed workaholic who’ll never go back to my former schedule.) A few signs that you’re working too much are the feeling of dread you may have every morning when you get out of bed. When you work for yourself, ideally you should want to go to work most days.
- Listen to others who may be trying to tell you that your long hours are taking a toll on you and your family. Life has too much to offer to spend day after day holed up in your home office, and isolated from your friends and family.
- Even if you have all day to work on your to-do list, develop false deadlines. When you give yourself extra time to work on a project, you’re not faced with a last minute time crunch to finish a project.
The way you run your business, and how you work from home, will change throughout the years. But the need to manage your time and control everything you face each day, will always stay the same.
Would more hours in the day make you more productive?
If you like this post, check out my new book, Organize Your Home Office for Success.
I never found the Rolling Stones song to work for me- Time is never on my side. But, if i keep it behind me, I can get much done. The trick is to not have it on your back.
Great post, Lisa…
Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A. @Cerebrations.biz recently posted..We’re not from the government. We ARE here to help you!
Thanks, Roy. Managing time and squeezing more hours out of the day are two tough tasks. Whatever it takes to get things done, is the best way to work.
Lisa recently posted..Would More Hours in the Day Make You More Productive?
Hi Lisa,
interesting question. How we use our time is a question of habits. If we feel the desire of having more hours in a day, chances are we have pretty poor habits. Getting more of something we are poor at managing usually amplifies the problem, look at the money problems many people have. More hours in a day would make me people less productive.
People who use their time wisely don’t even feel that desire.
Thanks for sharing your insights.
Be blessed
Oliver
Oliver Tausend recently posted..Why Your Physical Trash Equals Your Mental Trash
You make a good point that people who use their time wisely don’t feel the desire for more hours. That’s the key…to make each hour count. It can be challenging, but definitely rewarding. Thanks for your comment.
Lisa recently posted..Would More Hours in the Day Make You More Productive?
Very interesting post. I find that when I am under a very difficult deadline that I can produce very strong products (at work), but I don’t enjoy it as much as when I am rested and thoughtful. For me, having more time would give me the opportunity to be more thoughtful about my work, especially the more conceptual and abstract parts of it…
Kristen @ stress and health online recently posted..A Link Between A Gene and Mental Health: The Role of the OXTR Gene
I agree. I also find that when I’m in a hurry and don’t have much time to think, I make more mistakes. The final result is that I have to start over or take more time to make something right. The rush of a deadline can spark ideas, but they may not be as clear as when you have time to think them through thoroughly. Thanks for your comment.
Lisa recently posted..Look for New Ways to Work With Old Clients
Power reminder here Lisa. Pulling back helps me immensely. Observe, watch and see how you feel in regards to being busy. If you feel light, calm and focused, chances are you have enough time to do all that you want.
Thanks for sharing!
RB
Ryan Biddulph recently posted..2 Tips to Quickly Sign Up People for Your Online Business
Good point. I’m much more productive when I don’t feel stressed-out or pressured. It’s much easier to focus. Taking time to notice how you feel is a good idea.
Lisa recently posted..Look for New Ways to Work With Old Clients
Nah, more hours is not REALLY the problem regardless of how often I’d like to say it is….
Frankly, if I watched less TV/movies (unless it’s my intention to do so), stayed off twitter so much, and stopped online browsing when I say I should, I’d be good LOL
Better luck tomorrow (procrastinator’s anthem!)
~K
Kesha Brown recently posted..Challenge Yourself With These Quick Mini-Missions
Sure, you could do all of that, but how much fun would life be then?
That’s not wasting time, that’s relaxing and taking breaks. At least that’s what I like to call it. After an especially productive day, there’s nothing better than taking a brain break and doing something fun or even better, nothing.
Lisa recently posted..Look for New Ways to Work With Old Clients
I agree that having more time in the day is not the answer. We need to set priorities, do the top priority projects first, make a check list or use a productivity app to see how u are spending your time, maybe an app that monitors your website usage and only let’s u stay at one site for a certain amount of time.
great post:)
That’s so true, Pam. More hours isn’t the answer, it’s focusing and prioritizing. Thanks for your comment.
Lisa recently posted..Look for New Ways to Work With Old Clients
That’s such an important thing to keep in mind — that when we work for ourselves we should want to jump out of bed and tackle the day doing what makes us come alive. It’s easy to fall back into that “job” mode of thinking about the 5 dozen things on our list to get done and forgetting that priorities are more important.
Michelle Shaeffer recently posted..Don’t Build a Website Without This
Focusing on priorities can be tough. And when we work for ourselves, there are some things we have to do (even if we don’t want to) because there’s no one around who can help us. On the days I don’t list my top priorities, I’ve figured out I don’t accomplish much.
Lisa recently posted..Look for New Ways to Work With Old Clients