Simply put there are just not enough hours in a day for an entrepreneur. Wearing the number of hats that one does, there seems to be never ending decisions, tasks and distractions to deal with day in and day out. In order to be successful however, goals must be set and continuously achieved but the question is always, “Where am I going to find the time?”
My response to that is forget about where will you find the time and focus on, how can you optimize your time?
For some people an early start creates the most efficiency. A recent article by Jim Citrin at Yahoo! Finance reported that 80% of CEOs he interviewed said they wake up before 5:30 a.m. to get a jump on their day and succeed because of the noise they sort through before their in office time begins.
For others, being alone in the office after everyone has left for the day allows wind down time with zero distractions and limited new emails coming in the door as people begin their evening social rituals.
Regardless of what the best time of day is for you, I recommend that you identify what works quickly or you will continue to uselessly chase time which you will never catch.
Day or Night
Try and identify when you have the most energy in a day. I thrive in the early hours of the day before going home to the family responsibilities that take away from the Wish Group. Research has shown that energy is lowest after a large meal and highest after physical activity. If you’re trying to increase your energy levels later in the day or in the mornings, changing what you eat or adding in some cardio may have some great impact.
Do Not Disturb
Another important factor to consider is distractions. Some are planned like meetings or client calls but others are unexpected like computer glitches or employee needs. Try and figure out the time of day with the least amount of planned distractions. If most of your staff seem to take early lunches mostly from noon to one or two, you can count on less knocking on your door and minimal meetings with the team.
Plan It Out
There are thing that you’re excited about working on and those that are draining on your soul! Manage your planned tasks according to you energy levels leaving the most challenging to the times where energy is at its peak and the easier or more enjoyable items to times where you may not need the same mental capacity or concentration.
Work Smarter Not Harder
The biggest misconception for a business owner is that being busy is being successful. Not true. There’s a reason the saying goes as it does and it is usually the hardest thing for entrepreneurs to identify and change. Take some time and plan things out. This means putting the day to day aside for a short period of time in order to strategize the future. For example I facilitate a strategy summit with the executive team annually. This is an offsite event for two days where business leaders are physically away from the office and working collaboratively to understand and design the business for the year ahead. It is definitely a challenge for everyone and me most of all to unplug for a period of time but it truly works to create a smarter path going forward.
Day, midday or night it’s up to you-just remember timing is everything!
Frank.