Creating Balance

Managing your time in a chaotic atmosphere

As a small business owner the demands on your time are extensive. Things can easily go from controlled to chaotic. When chaos is the order of the day, week, or month, we lose touch with our top priorities and ourselves.

The trick is to realize we cannot “manage” time; we can only manage ourselves. Everyone is given the same number of hours in each day. Why are some individuals more successful in balancing their lives than others?

The answer is setting up goals and boundaries. The dictionary defines boundaries as “anything marking a limit”. Establishing Sundays strictly as family time or Mondays as an administration day is creating a boundary. To establish these boundaries it is important that you carry a calendar that lists time in 15 to 30 minute increments along the side of each day. Using a highlighter, block out your boundaries now before requests start coming in for that time. If Mondays are your administration day, block out (highlight) those Mondays as your reminder that you cannot take additional requests that day.

In phone conversations instead of asking the customer what day they want to meet, state “I have Wednesday or Thursday after 2 o’clock open”. Remember that you are managing yourself, staying within your boundaries. Certainly there are times where being flexible is required, but these should be the exception and not the rule.

At this point you are probably thinking, “That’s great, but what about my clients and making my sales?” As you take on each new client explain what your typical schedule looks like. You only upset a customer if they are surprised by something they did not already know about your schedule. You will be delighted to find that most customers have a great respect for the fact that you have established boundaries. If you are still not convinced, consider the fact that you are a more patient and calm individual because you have balance in your life. This benefits not only you but your customers and family as well!

We are very tempted to respond immediately to requests through our phones, pagers, faxes and e-mail. We have developed habits of instantly responding, which certainly can blow down the walls of a boundary. Because of this, it is very important to take time each day that is uninterrupted. Uninterrupted time means just that: for example take one hour each day where you are not responding to your answering machine, your cell phone, e-mail or office phone. This is the time you will use for completing the projects that have the most impact on your priorities. Remember the 80-20 rule and use this time for the 20% of your work that will impact 80% of your business.

Many individuals change their voice mail message each morning to keep their customers aware of their schedules. A message might sound like this “Today is Friday and I am in meetings until 1 o’clock. Please leave a message and I’ll return your call after that time.” This keeps your clients secure in the fact that you are actively working that day and when they are most likely to hear back from you.

So remember things can easily go from being in control to chaotic. But now with your focus on establishing boundaries you have better control of what happens in your schedule. By informing your clients as to your typical schedule and creating the uninterrupted time that a demanding job requires you are off to a great start in achieving a calmer more organized environment!