Zenologue

After struggling along for several years trying to grow a home-based photography studio, I realized that I needed to grow more as a person, as well as learn new technical skills and business knowledge. That meant learning how to use my time to the best advantage.

It’s a Crazy World!

You know how it goes, you have a business to run, a house to keep, family to take care of, pets to feed, cleaning, gardening, decorating, fixing, cooking, washing… the list goes on and on! Running a business from home does have its advantages – I can roll out of bed and be in the office in two minutes without having to start the car – but it also has its downsides. Distractions come from all directions and it can be especially hard to work when the kids are home from school.

So, what do we do when it comes to our own personal and professional development? Sometimes it seems impossible! How can we possibly work that into our crowded schedule?

Can You Spare A Minute?

One of the most often heard excuses for not doing something is “I don’t have the time!” I know I’ve used that one far too many times as a way of justifying to myself why something didn’t get done when it was supposed to.

I eventually came to the realization that it’s more a case of not making the time. Nobody on the planet gets more than the allotted 24 hours in a day, so how come some of us achieve more than others?

So, I decided to take a look at how some successful people accomplish the things they do and I discovered that they’re usually very well organized in the way they use their second-most valuable asset – their time. They apportion and ration the use of their time almost like they would water in the desert – wisely. Interruptions are kept to a minimum, they concentrate on important tasks, and they are very focused in what they put their minds to.

When I first started out I would attack my working day like a school of piranhas might strip a carcass – almost in a frenzy. From the moment I hit the “studio”, I was on fire, going from one task to the next, answering the phone, checking emails etc. To an outside observer, it looked like I was extremely busy. That might be true, but was I really achieving anything? How much closer to my goals was I? In the words of Zig Ziglar, did I confuse activity with achievement? At the end of the day, can we honestly say to ourselves that we achieved what we set out to do? Or, is it more a case of, “well, I would have achieved such and such, but this and that happened instead…”

I probably don’t have to tell you what a terrible feeling it can be at the end of the day when you sit there and think to yourself, “that was some busy day, and I didn’t get half the things done that I needed to.”

Planning, Thinking & Studying:

One of my great mentors, Charles Lewis, introduced me to the concept of PTS time, and I haven’t looked back since. PTS (planning, thinking, studying) time allows me to set the right goals for the use of my time. First thing in a morning, before anything else happens, is the very best time for this. I give myself about 30 minutes or more, without interruption, to plan the day, think about my objectives and study from my mentors. I highly recommend it and here’s a list of some of the things you can do with this time:

• Look at what you achieved the day before.
• Read books or listen to audio CDs by successful people or motivational speakers.
• Gain some new knowledge in sales or marketing
• Never turn on the news or read a newspaper before noon.
• Keep a journal with your goals and ideas
• Prepare yourself a to-do list and prioritize the items on it.
• You will be amazed at how much better your day will go.

For me personally, 6am is usually my time for this, but you will need to find the time that suits you best. I like that time of the morning though – it’s quiet enough that there are no distractions and my clients aren’t calling me at that time.

Over the last year or so, because of my PTS time, I’ve come to think that spending time is more often a much better investment than spending money, especially when you consider the current state of the economy!

To finish, I think I first heard this next expression in the movie version of the Phantom Toll Booth: “Don’t kill time…” Instead, use your time wisely; plan how you are going to spend the day and you will soon be achieving more than you dreamed possible.

Time Mgt. success, time management