I know. The title seems confusing. Let me explain.
We need to find what we value most in life, make a plan to spend our time on those things, THEN decide what else there’s room for.
I’m currently building a multifaceted fitness business as well as a furniture business. I have a wife and two young daughters (Maura Jade and Aayla).
Honestly, I really just want to be spending time with my family more than I want to be doing anything else.
Sure, we need breaks from one another, but not as often as I’m forced to take them if my businesses are going to make any kind of profit.
The way this has impacted my time management is that it has forced me to seriously reconsider what things in life I want to say “yes” to.
When I’d rather be with them anyway, I develop a high bar for any reason to do otherwise.
Let me tell you, before I was married or had children, I accepted far more invitations to things than I declined. Even if it was something I didn’t really want to do, I often said “yes” because I simply hated saying “no” and disappointing people.
You know how there’s a fitness idea floating around out there about getting 80% of your calories from whole, nutritious foods?
Well, there’s one in work life too. Only 20% of the tasks that most people engage in actually help them accomplish the job they’re trying to do. Whether that’s a job working for someone else or a business of their own.
There are lots of reasons we do those other things, from misunderstanding what works, to getting distracted, to giving in to social pressure.
But I’ll tell you one thing: I’m never again going to some 2-hour networking mixer event where there’s a 3% chance I meet someone who becomes a source of business for me and where I’m going to feel awkward anyway.
I find the 20% of things that directly impact my businesses, and I ignore the rest. Sometimes that means actually telling people “I’m sorry, but I can’t,” and sometimes it’s choosing to not act on an impulse of my own.
Here’s a practical activity you can use in your own life for this if you’d like:
Write down the things that are most important to you. Let’s say the top five.
Then, sit down and audit your time.
Literally find how many hours you spend on those things versus how many you spend on work of any sort.
That “work” can be your own business, your job, your volunteer work, etc. Maybe some of your work time is ALSO what you find valuable, and that’s amazing.
But if most people do this activity, they’ll be shocked at how little time they actually spend on the things they’d tell you are most important to them.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
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