How to find more time in your day
Helen Corban, a time management specialist and international business coach, recently spoke
to The Networking Group’s online meeting about how to find more time in the day and use it to
improve business and general day-to-day life.
What client’s want
Helen’s clients typically want more income, time, control, productivity, and happiness, with less
stress. After learning time management, clients get these things by spending more time on
practical, proactive business-building activities.
As Helen points out, “time management” is often thought of incorrectly. It’s not about trying to
shave time off of certain activities but rather all about spending time wisely to be as effective
and efficient as possible.
To do this, one has to start with the correct mindset…
The right mindset
Nothing can be achieved without first getting in the right headspace. One must identify and
eliminate beliefs that limit growth. An example of this is imposter syndrome. Another type of
belief that must be eliminated is those that cause procrastination.
This is the crux of time management— it isn’t actually about managing time itself. Instead, it’s
about managing habits that waste time.
How to find more time
Helen lays out six key points to be focused on when it comes to time management.
- Prioritise
First up, you must prioritise the most critical tasks and eliminate distractions. Focus on what is
most important and manage the influx of your work.
Ultimately you must decide what you will do, allot time for it, reject work you can’t take on (learn
to say “no” nicely, as Helen puts it), and delegate where appropriate. Helen points out that
virtual assistants are available for hire for as little as $6 an hour.
- Plan realistically
A part of prioritising is being able to plan, which necessitates realistically gauging how long
tasks will take. Helen explains that we tend to underestimate how long things will take us, which
can lead to a pile-up.
Her advice is to always add a little extra time onto an estimate and then note how long the tasks
took once the job is done. This way, you can begin learning and be more accurate with planning
in the future.
- Review your habits
Next, you must review your habits. Figure out if you have any that inhibit effectiveness or
efficiency. Perfectionism is the example Helen uses, as it can often lead to nit-picking and
procrastination.
It’s also important to declutter, both mentally and physically. Here Helen provides the six Ds
when considering tasks:
Do it now
Diarise it to do later
Delete it
Delegate it
Do it routinely
Deposit it in the right place
- Sort out your email inbox
Emails are still the primary way in which businesses and businesspeople communicate. As
such, they are a focal point for much of the working day. That’s why it’s essential to put your
inbox in good order, as you would your office.
Helen suggests deleting clutter, setting up automation to sort your emails, and unsubscribing
from random newsletters that will flood your inbox daily.
- Stop multitasking
Here’s a habit that many believe saves them time when the opposite is true. Helen explains that
multitasking slows you down. It’s quicker to focus on one task at a time and complete it before
moving on.
When interrupted, it takes us a few minutes to get back into a “flow,” and multitasking is
essentially a series of deliberate interruptions. This inadvertently wastes a lot of time.
- Be accountable
The final point is to be accountable. Whether that’s to a coach or someone you’ve delegated,
having to check in and account for what you’ve done helps you focus on your goals and
maintain a sense of direction.
Conclusion
As you can see, time management is less about time and more about how we approach it. By
taking this advice, you can use time more wisely to be more efficient, effective and take your
businesses higher.
See the whole presentation on YouTube video
Want to connect & network with like-minded business owners?
Visit The Networking Group website & register :
www.tng.org.nz/groups
