Unlocking Time Freedom: Conquer Overwhelm and Achieve Results in Your Life and Business
When I first started working for myself I felt like I was constantly frustrated and overwhelmed with all the things I felt like I needed to get done. And I was taking that frustration out on my family and myself.
With a few shifts in my mindset and approach to my time, I learned to tame my time and create the momentum I needed to see my business and life flourish. I’m going to share those same shifts and strategies with you so you can do the same.
Mistake #1 - Letting Habits Consume Your Time
Habits have taken over. You don’t know where your time is going, and at the end of the day, you feel like you haven’t gotten anything productive done.
The Fix - Create Awareness and Identify Where Your Time is Going
We create habits so our brain doesn't have to work so hard, but they don’t always serve us. Much of what we do in our day is habit, though. Think of all the things you spend your time on during the day: laundry, cleaning, cooking, driving, emails, administrative tasks, content creation, playing with your kids...the list goes on and on. But how much of that stuff do you do out of habit rather than with purpose and intention?
The best way to stop letting habits consume your time is to start paying attention to where your time is going. Because if we don’t know where our time is going, we can’t make time for anything else.
Spend some time getting clarity around what activities you’re doing in your day or week. Write out an actual list. Don’t worry about tracking time here, just focus on WHAT you’re doing each day. You might be surprised at how much you have going on in a 24-hour period.
Once you have your list, reflect on each activity. Ask yourself: Does this activity align with my goals and priorities? Is it contributing to my personal or business growth? If not, consider whether it's necessary or if there's a more efficient way to accomplish it. By consciously evaluating your habits, you can make informed choices and redirect your time towards activities that truly matter.
Mistake #2 - “Wasting” Time on Low Priority Tasks
You don’t know what your priorities really are, OR you spend valuable time on things that aren’t getting you the results you really want.
The Fix - Know Your Priorities and Start Taking Actions Aligned with Them
The first thing you need to fix this mistake is to determine your priorities. Consider what your top two or three priorities are for your life and business. Maybe that’s family and friends, work/business, and exercise/health. Or maybe improving your finances is a top priority. Perhaps making more time for travel. What priorities are going to help you create your dream life?
Once you’ve identified your priorities, go back to the list of activities you do in a week.
What activities align with those priorities? Those are the actions you want to focus on. Schedule them, seek support if needed, and commit to making them a priority. Delegate tasks that are not aligned with your priorities and consider ways to streamline or eliminate them.
For the remaining activities, ask yourself these questions:
What can you combine to save time? For example, maybe you’re doing laundry every day. Can you schedule that for one or two days a week instead, so it becomes a focused task? Or maybe you can run errands most days of the week. Can you start combining those errands to save drive time and get more done in one trip?
What activities can you drop completely or minimize? Delete the games off your phone. Reduce your TV time. Stop the social media scroll. You get the idea.
What can you delegate? Maybe it’s time to hire a virtual assistant. Maybe it’s time to get the kids involved in more household chores. Perhaps your partner could be more involved. Or maybe you can explore bartering for housekeeping services. There are plenty of ways to offload activities with a little creativity and a willingness to ask for help.
By aligning your actions with your priorities and being intentional with your time, you can regain control and focus on what truly matters.
Mistake #3 - Being Rigid and Giving Up
You’re too rigid in your approach to your time and then give up when things don’t go as planned. You’re likely trying to fit your life into someone else’s idea of what your schedule should be like or trying to do things the same way you did them when life was different. Such as your life before kids or when you were working a 9-5 or when you were single.
The Fix - Find Space in Your Days and Create Flexible Schedules that Work for You
If you’re not flexible, you’ll give up on your goals and your new behavior patterns before you create any momentum. Rather than creating a strict schedule, especially if you' have kids at home and know things are going to go differently than you’ve planned, you need to create a flexible schedule that includes cushions.
Yes, it’s important to know when you’ll have blocks of time to complete the tasks on your priority list that require focus. Schedule those tasks first during longer periods of available time. Use periods like nap time, quiet time, screen time, when your partner is home, or when you’ve got access to a sitter, school, or daycare. Then use cushions and cracks in your day to get the less focus-heavy tasks done.
Cushions are blocks of time in your day or week that stay open for unexpected interruptions or extra activities that come up. Maybe you use them to schedule appointments or to play catch-up at the end of the week. Whatever you use them for, protect them. And if they aren’t necessary for the unexpected, use them for self-care, a daily wind-down, or to get ahead and check off something extra on your to-do list.
For the shorter or less intensive tasks on your to-do list, find the space in your days where there could be available time. Maybe that’s an unexpected 15 minutes when your kiddos are playing independently. Maybe it’s the 10 minutes you're waiting in the pick-up line at school. Take advantage of those cracks in your day to check off smaller tasks and keep making progress toward your goals. These small actions add up to bigger results if you take them consistently.
With some attention to your time, along with consistent and focused effort, you’ll see the momentum in your business growing. Before you know it, you’ll be getting the results you desire. You’ll start attracting your ideal clients, you’ll grow your income, and you’ll feel less overwhelmed and frustrated. You’ll be able to be present with your family during family time. And you’ll be more focused and present in your business during the times you’ve set aside for work.
