The Secrets to Finding More Time to Get Stuff Done

Trust me. I’ve shared this thought. I’ve been in your shoes. But you don’t have to fall victim to this lie.

A couple weeks ago, I had an in-person meetup with my Business Network International chapter. (BNI is a leading business referral and networking organization that helps you grow your business using proven strategies. Find your local chapter HERE.)

There’s a group of us sitting together at a table (YES! Face-to-face! No screens involved!) and we’re talking shop and catching up. That’s when a fellow entrepreneur exclaims, “man, I just don’t have enough time! I wish that the people I hired could take more off my plate. I just feel like I should handle all the work myself.”

This gets me all excited because this is a myth I had to debunk for myself. I’m now on a mission to tell every business owner that YES YOU CAN! YOU DO HAVE TIME! And I’ll help you every step of the way.

FIGHT OR FLIGHT

When you say “I don’t have time for something,” all you’re doing is making an excuse. If you’re a Jocko Willink fan (podcaster, author, retired SEAL Officer), you may have heard his popular quote “excuses are LIES.” Excuses are just the stories we tell ourselves for protection. Since we are out of our comfort level, our brain goes into fight-or-flight mode.

There’s science behind it. 

• Heart rate and blood pressure increase. 
• Adrenaline and cortisol are released. 
• Breathing becomes more rapid.
• The pupils dilate.
• And so on…

It’s our brain and body’s way of trying to protect us. When we step out of that comfort zone, our brain says Wait a minute! Danger ahead! Warning! And then the fear moves in. We have to acknowledge that fear, but we must train ourselves to say “I’m going to fight through this stress and get the job done anyway.”

STOP THE SOCIAL MEDIA SCROLL

Once we’ve stopped making excuses, we must prioritize our time. We can no longer say “I just don’t have enough time” because we all have 24 hours in a day. It’s how we use those hours that matters! Friend, I had to delete TikTok because it was taking up all my time. Smartphone addiction is legit and if you want a humbling view on how you’re spending your time, pop open your screen time tracker on your smartphone and let me know how long you’ve been scrolling on Facebook or Instagram or TikTok. But guess what? There’s an app for that! Whether you have an iPhone, Android or whatever, there are ways to help cut back on your screen time. Here are a few:

1. Flora: Flora blocks distracting social media apps or games in a pleasant way to help you focus on what’s more important in real life. You select a focus duration then press start to grow a virtual tree! But if you leave the app for social media or games, the tree will die. Discover new trees by completing focus sessions and tasks.
   
2. Clockify: This tracking app allows you to monitor time across projects, clients and devices. Clockify also lets you track attendance for payroll and accounting, optimize employee productivity, track billable time and expenses and share project progress with clients.
   
3. Freedom: Block distracting websites and apps across all devices with ease. When you attempt to open an app or website from your blocklist, Freedom blocks the app from opening and displays a peaceful green screen – reminding you you’re currently free of that distraction. Freedom also plays free audio tracks and music to help you stay productive and focused.

Need a little help being disciplined? Together, we can re-prioritize how to spend your time, but you have to commit to the plan we create.

REALIZE YOU ARE REPLACEABLE

We have to swallow our egos and understand that we are replaceable, even when it comes to our own business. Now you, my friend, are special and you are God’s gift to your business. But, you are replaceable and that’s twofold. I believe that every business has its own flavor. Raney Day Design is not the only web design and development/marketing company in our area. But we’re the only one with our flavor. I started a company with certain core values that I brought to the table. We are not just our own individuals. We are servant leaders. We choose joy. And we give back. Learn more about our core foundation here. You must realize you are replaceable so that you may identify what sets you apart from your competition.

HIRE THE RIGHT TEAM

Ever wish there was a device you could step inside, press “copy and paste” and duplicate yourself so you could handle all the things? Technology isn’t quite there yet (although I’m sure that day will soon come), but the next best thing is hiring a strong team to tackle the tasks in your business.

First, look at your current task load. Some questions to ask yourself:

• What am I struggling with?
• What is taking me the longest to complete?
• What departments do I need help with?

Once you pinpoint your weaknesses, you can capture the culture upon which your company is built. 

• What’s the foundation? 
• What are the key values that we believe in? 
• What makes your business different? 

If you have a team already, it’s a great opportunity to look through and build out your organizational chart. That’s a quick hack.

LET’S START LOOMING

Another secret? Record yourself! I love using Loom. Even for this blog post, I’m using the video messaging tool to capture my spoken thoughts because I’m not that great at sitting and typing out a blog. I’m audibly-driven. It’s easier to record my thoughts and words out loud and edit them later in written form.

Recording messages on Loom is surprisingly an easy way to manage your inbox. If your email is the bane of your existence and you’re struggling, then you should hire an admin or trusted teammate who could take over your inbox.

A few keys to keeping your thoughts clear and concise as you confidently delegate tasks:

• WHO is assigned to this task?
• WHAT do you hope to accomplish? What are the goals?
• WHEN is the deadline?
• WHERE will the work be saved?
• WHY is this task important?

For me, the WHY is a critical part, because if your teammates understand your methodology just a tiny bit, it’s going to help them be successful in taking over your task and it will provide trust that the job can get done efficiently.

THE 10/80/10 RULE

Will the task at hand be perfectly executed every single time? Probably not. But if the job is completed MOSTLY how YOU would want it done, I call that a win! And that’s going to set you free and allow you more bandwidth and to free up your schedule as long as you can delegate those tasks.Entrepreneur, coach and author Dan Martell created something called the 10/80/10 rule. Eighty percent done by someone else is 100 percent awesome.

The first 10 percent is the forming of concepts and ideas and delegating them to the teammate who’s going to own the process.

Then, the 80 percent is the person taking that information and turning your concepts into a first draft.

The last 10 percent is the integration: adding the finishing touches.

This rule allows business owners to buy back their time and still be involved with their projects. 

If you’re ready to

• Stop saying “I don’t have enough time” 
• Quit wasting time scrolling social media
• Start delegating the work
• Make the most out of your 24-hour day

Let’s schedule a FREE 15-minute Get to Know You Call to start prioritizing your life.