Investing Time To Make Time

​As business owners, executives, directors, or managers, time is our limiting factor. Needed time is too often take away by disruptions or distractions. At times it can feel like everything is getting done, except what is required to get done. It can be exhausting, and it can beat you up mentally. If it is too often a situation, it can create a box you get stuck in, and eventually, you are just trying to get through the day.
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At a certain level or some point along your journey, this will happen, and it will either make or break you. You will either learn to handle it and control it, resulting in moving forward or getting stuck and eventually regress.  That is where Investing time to make time comes into place. Suppose you are already in the thick of not having time. In that case, this approach will seem like something that will only make things harder, but you will start to see progress and start to get ahold of your time in reality.

1. Know your priorities- Being able to say your priorities is one thing, but knowing them and listing them out with a strategic plan associated with them is another. If they are not listed out in front of you to see them with execution plans and measurables, how do you know how to execute them? How do you know how much time you will need and how to allocate that time to be most effective and efficient as possible.
2. Know your goals and vision- Do not go into the day, week, period, qtr, or year blind. Clearly state your goals and vision with meaning to them. Write them down and create measurables and plans to execute them. Not doing this is like going on a treasure hunt without a map; there will be no guidance along the way, and all your work will be missing cause and reason.   
3. Know your resources and assets – Do not go at everything on your own. When you do this, it does NN things: (1) It limits the expertise and experiences other people or resources have. These additional resources may take on the part of a project, getting it off your plate where now you have to guide them and check in with them vs doing it all yourself. (2) You start projects that you may not have the skills to do. Thus they will take longer and probably not get done correctly, resulting in low operational effectiveness and eventually having someone else redo them, costing time and money. (3) It takes you away from what you shine at and can create the most value. (4) Resources provide information and tools that you may not know or have. We have to acknowledge that we do not know everything, and reaching out for help will only provide us with tools to succeed.
4. Change the way you look at the day and business- This involves learning to look down vs looking forward. The difference is that looking forward only allows you to see what is in front of you. You can not see the whole picture or how other things affect the entire operation. Looking down means you are seeing everything and making choices based on the entire operation. This allows you to be positioned to make real change and plans, and not react to what you only see in front of you.
5. Take time to schedule your day and week's activities – Yes, this sounds relatively elementary but is hardly ever done. "I am too busy to take time out to do this. I have just to jump in and get going." These are all common phrases we hear. Guess what, no, you don't. If you do, you will always be "too busy" because if you take time and make a consistent and structured schedule, you will be more efficient and effective. More importantly, allow time for unforeseen instances. Doing this will enable you to address the surprises that we all have at this level, and if we do not have a surprise, we have more time for other projects.

These steps all require you to invest time, and like any investment, there is a return. If the investment is done with purpose and thought, that return will be positive. Avoid being the person that is just trying to get through the day and be the person that owns their day. 

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