Ep #127  7 Simple Strategies For More Time Off

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If you feel overworked and chained to your business and you want more free time but you have no idea where to start because there is simply too much to do, then this episode is for you. I am going to share seven simple strategies you can implement this week for more free time in your schedule.

The strategies I am going to share with you today are simple, doable, and will help you enjoy more time off if you implement it. Now be aware that your brain might say:

“I already know this”.

Just because we know something. Just because we know what we should be doing does not mean we are actually doing it.

Simple isn’t always easy. Once you start implementing them you will become aware of the resistance. The stuff that happens inside you that actually keep you from taking action on these. Whenever and wherever there is resistance…it’s a great place to start and question why. You will have thoughts about these strategies. 

Some thoughts might be:

“I already know this.”

“This sounds too easy.”

“It can’t be this simple.”

“This won’t work.”

Just notice what comes up. Notice whether these thoughts keep you from taking action on any one of these. 

Let’s dig into it:

#1. Have a plan for your time. If you don’t have a plan for your time you are inviting chaos into your world. Having a plan does not mean that you need to schedule yourself within an inch of your life. It simply means that you have a plan for the time you are allocating to your business. 

If we don’t have a plan it is easy to get sucked into the demands of the world. When we have a plan, we are in essence saying to ourselves and everyone else that this is what matters. This is where I am choosing to intentionally spend my attention. If we don’t have a plan we are unintentionally waiting for everyone else to tell us where they think we should spend our attention.

The simplest way to create a plan for your time is asking yourself one question: What 1-3 things do I want to accomplish in my business this week. 

Answering that question will tell you what you should be spending your time on and as you move through your week, those outcomes become the filter for what gets your time. You can use it as a constant reminder: Have I given my time and energy to the tasks and activities that will create the outcomes I want? Or am I spending my time on things that won’t contribute to the results I want. Use the outcomes you want to create as the filter for what makes it on your calendar.

#2. Set boundaries around your business so that your life isn’t a distraction. The simplest way to create a boundary around your business is to decide when you work. What are your business work hours? So many business owners that come to me for help don’t have specific hours set for business. This results in you working ALL the time. And before you know it you’re addicted to the hustle and you have a hard time switching off or NOT working. Your brain needs rest. That cannot happen effectively if you’re clocking 60 plus hour work weeks consistently.

So. choose how many hours you will work and when you will work those hours. It’s okay if one week looks slightly different than the other. It’s also okay to put in more hours when there is a need for it in your business. But be mindful that that doesn’t become the norm. Your life deserves your time. It isn’t a distraction. 

#3. Create space and add buffers for life to happen. Things often take more time than we think. We know this and yet we still cram our schedules full of seemingly important tasks, underestimating how much time these things really take. If we don’t add any buffer time or space in our day then we are literally rushing from one thing to the next with no time to breathe. We forget that we can plan things to the T and then the traffic lights are out, or we forgot to fuel up yesterday and now we need to stop for that first, the GHD decides that it no longer works. Things will always pop up. When you add buffer time in your day you will create space for life to happen and you will save yourself a ton of frustration. 

#4. Know your capacity. You only have so much time during the day. We say yes when we know we are already over capacity. We overextend ourselves. We double book ourselves. We place ridiculous expectations on ourselves and we wonder why we feel burnt out. We need to be aware of our capacity. Both physically and mentally. When you have a baby to take care of. When one of the kids is sick. When your partner is away. It affects how you are able to show up. Instead of forcing ourselves to show up at the same level week in and week out expecting ourselves to always operate at 110%. What if we instead tuned in to our current capacity levels? And adjusted accordingly.

#5. Ask for what you need. Both in business and outside of business. As women we wear the “I can do it all” badge so proudly. But there is no award waiting for you at the end of all of this. No gold medal or extra credit for working yourself to the bone and doing it all yourself. It makes me think of when you go buy groceries and you refuse to walk multiple trips to unload the bags so you attempt to carry ALL the bags in one go. I have dropped dozens of eggs and flattened loafs of breads because my ego refuses to ask for help. Or admit that I can’t do it all all at once.

We need to flip the script on what we make it mean to ask for help as women and especially as women in business.

Ask for help. Even if it’s as simple as asking someone to make you a cup of coffee while you get work done. You do not need to do it all yourself.

#6. Focus on doing the most important thing. We usually have a long list of important things. There is never just one thing. But if you could only do one thing in your business this week in order to grow…what would it be? What is the most important thing? If what you’re doing isn’t contributing to your goal…why are you doing it? If we think that everything is important, what we are actually saying is that nothing is important. Knowing what IS important is the first step in being more intentional about your time.

#7. Make rest part of your work ethic. Do you schedule vacations (for you and your team)? Do you plan for rest during your day and your week? Or are you forever pushing from one thing to the next. Going from strength to strength on copious amounts of coffee? One of the biggest mistakes I see women entrepreneurs make is that they think rest is a reward. A reward for a hard day's work. Rest is something we do when we are tired. When the work is done. But this is a backwards way of looking at rest and building your business. It's also not sustainable. Rest needs to be part of your work ethic. It needs to be part of the culture in your business (especially if the business is just you right now). Rest isn’t a reward. Rest is a critical part of sustaining yourself and your business to reach your goals faster. When you bake rest into your schedule you will have the energy to move faster and take on bigger challenges than when you are burnt out, overwhelmed, and exhausted.

Speaking of vacations. I am hosting a FREE three-part workshop series starting Thursday April 11th. The workshop series is called Operation Vacation and I am sharing the exact steps you need to take as a small business owner to prepare your business for a vacation so you can enjoy a stress free unplugged break with your business running smoothly in the background while you’re away.

You can grab your free ticket at ilonkaras.com/operationvacation

You can watch the video recording HERE

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