I used to have a bad habit. I was terrible at time management.
I didn’t know how to relax. I felt like I was always behind and my version of relaxing is watching TV for 20 minutes before my mind drifts off to things I have to do. I also used to ‘multitask’ by doing things like answering emails while making my cakes.
At the time, I felt like I got a lot done. And the people around me used to think I was so productive and great at multitasking.
However, the reality was that I was busy but not productive. Because I was not focused, I was running around trying to do everything but not finishing anything. Somehow, I had convinced myself that as long as I started something it was enough, it meant I was on track. It caused me a great amount of stress and I ended up spending more time than I needed to on each task.
A couple of years ago, I realised I was tired, overworked and on the verge of burning out. Something had to change.
The first thing I had to learn to do was to have acceptance. Acceptance that it’s not about racing to the end of my ‘to do’ list. But rather, the ‘to do’ list will never be finished.
The second thing I had to learn to do was focus. This was the hardest thing for me to adjust to, since I was so used to being ‘busy’. I started by keeping a general list of things I had to do (I recommend using Trello for this) and seeing if any of them could be batched together. For example, if I have to send invoices and pay bills, I would batch those together as one task.
Before I started each day, I’d pick 2 – 3 things I wanted to accomplish for the day. Then I pick 1 and focus on that thing until it was completed. I didn’t start the next thing until the first thing was finished. Sounds simple, right?
This made a massive difference. I got a lot more done, a lot more efficiently. And my brain was not racing around in circles, which meant my stress levels went down.
I highly encourage you give this a try!
Time management is a skill and it’s not something that we automatically master when we become independent adults. It’s not even something that is taught in school. So how could we possibly know how to best manage our time? It’s no wonder that when we did a survey asking people in the industry what they would like help with the most, the answer was almost unanimous – time management.
So when Michelle and I launched Sweet Side Gig, time management was the very first topic we covered.
This month we are opening the doors to Sweet Side Gig again. As a result, we wanted to give you the opportunity to preview the first lesson on time management for free. The lesson also comes with free downloadable templates for time management and a bonus business checklist.
Sweet Side Gig is a membership community for creatives who are running their business as a side business. Created by Sharon and Michelle (The Business of Baking), who have been in the industry for over 10 years. Their goal is to help you work smarter and earn more through sharing their knowledge and experiences with you.
How is this different from other options out there?
One of the big differences is the support you will receive from Sharon and Michelle. Our monthly lessons are fun, short and to the point. We aim to provide you with info that you can easily understand and put into action. This means you get to move your business forward without feeling overwhelmed.
