Make the Most of It!

Time is what we want the most, but it’s what we use the worst. 

It is said that if you want to succeed, you will need to plan your work and work your plan. When we began our journey as entrepreneurs, we weren’t doing either of those things very well. It was clear that we needed to learn how to manage our time and manage our emotions. We were giving way too much power to how we felt and if we weren’t in the mood to do something, then we would allow those negative thoughts and emotions to rob us of our focus. Sound familiar? We decided that enough was enough and it was time to implement the coaching we had received and get in control. It was very interesting to find that choosing to manage our time better helped us manage our emotions better as well!

If you want to learn to better control your time and emotions, definitely keep reading.

How Are You Spending Your Time?

We all have 24 hours in a day! That adds up to 168 hours in a week. If you have a full-time job, that means you sell 40 hours of your time to your employer for whatever they print on your paycheck. That leaves you with 128 hours.  Let’s be honest, many people spend a lot of those 128 hours complaining about the 40 hours they spend at work. Common complaints include “I don’t get paid what I’m worth,” “I hate my job,” or, “My boss and/or co-workers drive me crazy”.  Do any of those sound familiar? 

Regardless of whether you like your job or not, if you have one, that leaves you with 128 hours to get things done. So, the question is, what are you doing with your 128?  Are you focused on accomplishing your goals and dreams or are you spending a lot of your free time relaxing, entertaining yourself, or avoiding the things you need to be doing?

John C. Maxwell© says, “The secret of your success is determined by your daily agenda.” 

Maybe you should take an honest look at how you are spending your time and see if you can make some improvements.

So, let’s talk about doing something GREAT with your 128!

Analyze and Budget.

Of course, we are talking about being better with your time, but the concept of time management is very similar to the concept of money management, so let’s start there.  Whether you are on a financial budget or not, you probably understand how they are supposed to work.  The basic idea is to tell your money where to go, so you don’t wonder where it went. If you want to increase your cash flow, you need to start by analyzing where you spend your money.

Start with your Net Income: $ 

Subtract your Fixed Expenses: $ 

Subtract your Variable Expenses: $  

Subtract your monthly Debt Payments: $ 

= You are left with a Positive or Negative Cash Flow

If you want to improve your cash flow, you will need to look for money wasters and adjust how you are spending. In the same way a financial budget can help you gain control of your finances, a Time Budget can help you get in control of your time.

Let’s Do a Time Budget!

Before we do the math, let’s talk about the meaning of each category.

Fixed Time Spent = The things that you need to do. (Responsibilities) 

Work, Eat, Sleep, Kids, Household Chores, Health/Gym, Personal Development. 

Variable Time Spent = Things you choose to spend time on. (Options)                           

Entertainment, TV, Social Media, Gaming, Activities, Taking forever to get things done.

Time Debt = Things you say YES to but need to say NO to. (Options) 

Overthinking, Groups, Hobbies, Negative Association, and Extra things that are not helping you accomplish your goals.

Ok, here we go.

Start with your Net time: 24 hours a day. 

Subtract your Fixed Time Spent: _____ Hours a day. 

Subtract your Variable Time Spent: _____ Hours a day. 

Subtract your monthly Debt Time Spent: _____ Hours a day. 

= You are left with extra time or not enough time.

Ok, now look at each category, make some smart adjustments, and see if you can free up some time.

1.   Fixed Time Spent: How can you save time or be more efficient with the things that you have to do? 

2.   Variable Time Spent: Making adjustments in this category can be a time management game changer! What are you doing in your free time? Do you need to set time limits or get rid of any of these things? Entertainment, TV, social media, gaming, too many activities, taking too much time to get things done, etc. 

3.    Time Debt: What has snuck into your daily or weekly agenda that doesn’t need to be there?

Give Operation Distraction Destruction a try!  

#1. Identify the distraction. 

#2. Destroy it! 

Determine your biggest time wasters, then put them on your “stop doing” list. Either permanently delete those things from your life or go on a 30-day fast to remind yourself that you’re in control. Don’t let silly distractions rob you of your success anymore.

4.    DO THE MATH

Start with your Net time: 24 hours a day. 

Subtract your adjusted Fixed Time Spent: _____ Hours a day. 

Subtract your adjusted Variable Time Spent: _____ Hours a day. 

Subtract your adjusted monthly Debt Time Spent: _____ Hours a day. 

= Did you increase your available time?

We bet you did!

Now what?

Well, first let us congratulate you on using your time wisely and not just reading this, but also doing a quick analysis of how you spend your time. If you made some smart adjustments as we suggested, there is a good chance that you have freed up 10, 20, or even 30+ hours a week of time that you can do more productive things with. That’s awesome! 

The next step is to invest your newly found time into good things. How about business activity, your relationships, or improving your physical and mental health and wellness? When you think about it, building a successful life really isn’t that hard. You say yes to good things. You say no to bad things. And you build yourself and your life into what you want it to be! 

Always remember that building your best life won’t happen by accident, it needs to be built on purpose. 

We know you can do it!