One of the most challenging situations I faced through my early years in business was making the most of my time. I know this is an issue shared by many people out there, especially at a time when you can do just about anything except that.
In the beginning, I used to find myself working what seemed 24 hours a day, seven days a week and still feel like I had a lot more to be done. True, I work best when I multi-task, but time was not on my side. At one point I wished the day could somehow be extended to include more hours and even considered passing on sleep altogether. No matter how many hours I dedicated to work, I still felt crammed – put simply, time was the only thing I could not get enough of.
I spent hours in front of my computer, working on different things all at the same time. I would answer emails, update the different social media pages and draft a new chapter of my novel. Before I knew it the day was up, and I still had not accomplished what I had intended to for the day. I would go to bed with thoughts still racing in my head.
I finally hit rock bottom and frustration as the situation began to take a toll on me. I realised that my business and career growth were tied to how I managed my time. A change had to be made once and for all, and this is the solution I developed that worked for me:
• Identify your priorities. Sit down and prioritise your goals and what needs to be accomplished. Identify what will help your business grow. What project can help with your career? How can you attract more clients to your business?
• Develop a daily agenda. I never believed in planners until two years ago. Be it electronic or hard leather-bound notebook, it will do. Every morning after I reach my office, I sit down for a couple of minutes and jot down the tasks/goals of the day.
• The tasks are prioritised according to their importance. Not only did this list help me maintain focus on what needed to be done and not miss out on anything, especially during busy times, but it also kept me on track. I knew what needed to be done within a number of hours so I did not procrastinate or lose focus. It also served as a form of archive that I went back to when I needed to check on a certain task.
• Set a time limit for this list of tasks. I would dedicate more time to tasks that helped me with my work project, and less time to things such as updating social media websites and replying to emails. If a timer would help you grab one, or set the one on your phone. Also, because I am a morning person, I worked on the tasks that required analytical thinking first thing in the morning and left the routine tasks such as processing forms to a later time in the afternoon.
Write those brilliant ideas down. I am sure that just like me, at one point in your life as you were about to doze off into dreamland you were hit with a great idea that could turn your business around, or possibly guarantee you more clients. It could even secure you that long-awaited promotion and that great sea-view office.
However, a couple of days later when you had some time to think about that great idea, you had totally forgotten about it. I face this issue a lot, especially with my writing. Now, whenever any idea crosses my mind, I quickly jot it down on a piece of paper nearby or type it into my phone, even if I am about to go to sleep. You do not need to write down the whole idea; just a word or two is enough. This move alone saved me a lot of time recalling ideas, and also ended with me working on successful projects.
Time is probably the most sought-after commodity in the world, and when your business and work depend on its availability you could find yourself highly frustrated or in trouble. However, simple time management tactics could actually be your saviour.
Manar Al Hinai is an award-winning Emirati writer and fashion designer. Follow her on Twitter at @manar_alhinai
