I currently work a full time job, have a loving wife, a yard that loves to grow, friends, family, an Amazon business, a blog, and multiple Facebook groups. Needless to say, time is of the essences for me and I always look for ways to better manage my time. I have found that making the most of your time can help you accomplish goals and further your business (along with giving you some free time along the way). I have always been asked how I am able to cram everything into my busy schedule and still manage to get everything done.
Here a few tips that can help you achieve ninja status and make more out of your time than you ever though possible.
1. Give up watching TV
I honestly couldn’t tell you who won the 100th season of Survivor or name an actor in the latest sitcom on NBC. I know that some people relax during the evening and find a release in watching a TV show and taking a break from reality. I use this time to catch up on emails, posts some deals, and manage my Amazon selling account. I use my time in multiple ways. My wife enjoys watching NCIS and Criminal Minds and I enjoy making money. We both know what the other enjoys and make the most of the time we get to relax together.
2. Build a support team
My good friends Mike and John are my support team. We run a well oiled machine and we cover each other when there is a time I need to take a break or a day off. One of the biggest lessons I have learned in business is that you surround yourself with people who are more intelligent and have more skills than you can even comprehend. I have found that I am a loose cannon – I will focus on something for a week or two and then move on to the next idea. John keeps me in focus and makes me do what is going to benefit the entire group in the long run. This type of support team not only keeps you on track – It also challenges you to become a better you.
3. Focus on what only you can do
The butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker. Adam Smith was on the money with the whole notion of productivity and use of skills to increase your net worth. The whole idea is that you do what you are good at and generate revenue from that. Pay others for the services and items you can’t do yourself. For example: I know that it takes me around 2 hours to prep, process, and ship a shipment to Amazon. If I hire someone to do it for me (and pay them $10/hour), it will cost me $20. If I am able to use my 2 hours to make more than $20, I come out ahead. I can spend my time writing blog posts, posting deals, coaching, or sourcing. I focus on what I can make the most money doing and pay others to help me save time.
4. Prioritize
This is one that I struggle with a lot. You need to prioritize your tasks based upon the long term impact they will have on your bottom line. For example: I can spend 1 hour posting affiliate links or write a blog post. The easy money lies in the affiliate links, but the long term profit is in building a following and helping other make money. The long term investment in making connections or further business must be your first priority. Sure cash flow is important, but it is also important to build the foundation of your business for the long term.
I hope these tips help you see time in a different way. Remember that time is one of the only resources we cannot control and it is in our best interested to maximize our production (and relaxation) to help ourselves and the economy as a whole.
CW
OK, you wanted comments 🙂 Yes, I read it and found it interesting.
I quit watching TV about the time Bewitched went off the air. Yeah, that bad, and *that* old. I have never found any reason whatever to want to go back, but people do look at me a little oddly when they discover I don’t know *any* Seinfeld references, Cheers, or any of those. Much less whatever is showing these days. Just call me culturally ignorant….whatever 😉 I’m convinced I’m better off for it.
Also, I was going to comment that you didn’t actually say anything about planning. But on second thought, I realized that Prioritizing is ALL about planning. So, nothing to complain about!
However, as a person who has blogged in other venues, it took me a while to realize, but sometimes people just don’t have time – or interest – in commenting, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t read or appreciate the post.
Excellent post! Always getting great info from your page!! Keep it up!!