Busting the myth that you don’t have enough time

04 Sep Busting the myth that you don’t have enough time

Posted at 10:59h in Time management by

Okay – I write a lot about time management and how to get the most out of your time and be productive.

There is a reason for this. One of the biggest challenges clients face when they start working with me is that they don’t have enough time to get everything done.

Fair enough – I make the same complaint myself.

And that is why I’ll be continuing to write blog posts and offering coaching on ‘time management’.

Some people I know hate the phrase ‘time management’ as you can’t manage time, only yourself. I get the point but if I say ‘time management’ you understand what I mean, right?

So, what’s the big myth with time management ‘? Why, it’s that you don’t have enough time.

We all have the same 24 hours, 1440 minutes in a day.

Whether you’re a corporate chief exec like Michelle Mone or Jaqueline Gold, or a Solo Entrepreneur.

The real questions is:

What are you going to do with your time?

You see, you are in control of your time in that you can CHOOSE how you spend it and what you FOCUS on.

Where you can get into problems with time is by using it as an excuse not to be where you want to be right now.

By blaming your lack of progress on a lack of time, what you’re really saying is ‘I’m feeling overwhelmed with everything that needs doing and don’t know where to start’. Or, ‘I’m not confident on what I should be doing to move forward so I’m blundering along doing lots of things’. Or, ‘I’ve got lost in the detail and can’t take a step back to see the big picture’.

Stop Everything!

The most important thing to do when we feel like this is to STOP everything.

Sounds crazy right?

When you don’t have enough time to do everything, stop doing anything.

Trust me, it works.

Go for a walk.

Take a long soak in the bath.

Bake a cake.

Listen to some music.

Whatever it is you need to do, make it something as far removed as you can from the stuff that’s bogging you down.

Then go back and look with fresh eyes and ask yourself: What’s really important to me?

This is what you need to allocate your time to.

Don’t get bogged down thinking about the stuff you’re not doing. Focus on what you’re doing right now.

Work out a plan and schedule to make the time for those things that are important to you and stick to it.

Figure out what you can stop doing that’s not bringing any value to you and stop it right now to make space for the things that are important to you.

This may be watching tv, socialising on Facebook, browsing the internet, doing the ironing. (TIP: I read some advice from someone who said she never irons clothes if they are going to get crumpled again within 10 mins of wearing them – great time saving tip I thought!)

Always remember that you CHOOSE what to spend your time on and what you FOCUS on.

So, next time you catch yourself saying ‘I don’t have enough time’, look at the choices you are making and check that you are using your time wisely.

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Alison Bradford

Alison Bradford is a business coach who works with smart, ambitious business owners to get clarity about how they can grow their business and increase profit. Sign up here to learn 6 easy ways you can boost profit in your business today.
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