Thursday, December 23rd, 2010
This was Budget Week for me. The week when I look at how I’m spending my time, and what I want my time-budget to look like next year. I’ve also spent some time looking at finances. Specifically, I had fun with my retirement version of “bistromathics,” which usually only happens when large groups of friends and family eat together in restaurants (and bistros), and forget to ask for separate bills.
Each year, especially for us Small Business Owners (and everyone else who tends to have more appointments and to-do items on their calendar than there are hours in a day), it’s important to sit down with the new Day-Planner, and budget out your time. Hello 2011!
A highly successful business associate of mine taught me the fine art of professional calendaring:
* First, schedule your days off for the year. Seriously– this is the FIRST THING to go in your new calendar.
Family vacations, holidays, mental-health days, children’s soccer game days, etc. All the days and half-days you know that a person with your level of stress really needs in order to stay sane. In order NOT to burn out before the year ends, or be given up as a hopeless workaholic by the people you love. In case you’re new to the “take time off so you stay sharp” business concept, the minimum would be to take a full week to yourself (and your family) at least once every three months. Or at least a five-day weekend, and plan for two weeks in the Winter Holiday season.
Plus at least 1.5 days a week that are NON-WORK DAYS. These are not the travel-to-work-site days, these are not the do-all-the-yardwork-quick days. These are not the care-for-someone-else-in-crisis days. This is one full and one half day that are for you to just relax, be off the clock, fail to return important phone calls, try that new recipe you found, and enjoy the other people and activities you love. And sleep. And wear comfortable shoes. Or no shoes at all.
Plus official holidays that are important to you and your family/friends. These are non-negotiable days that you refuse to work. Some jobs may require you to choose between Christmas and New Years… And it’s good to know if your family is willing to move Thanksgiving to Friday… But know now what you will and won’t give up. And write it down. You’ll be a stronger negotiator when the time comes.
* Once you put THAT on your calendar, it’s time to put in your professional development days. The best way to keep your business relevant, and your professional skills and knowledge up to date is to take classes, go to workshops and conferences, and learn new things. Get re-inspired. So you have to make time for this. Days off are vital because they make you sharper and more energetic at work. Professional development days are vital because they make you a better businessperson, and they make sure you keep on knowing all there is to know about your field of expertise. After all, the new rules you learned in 2008 are now THREE YEARS OLD!!!
* The third level of time-budgeting for professionals is plugging in the time you’ll spend doing paperwork. This is about personal goal-setting, and checking on your own progress, at least once a month. This is about filling in the pretty budget forms you’ve created, doing the taxes, ordering more business cards… Paperwork. And it’s really important. Without taking time to look at this month’s goals, following up on your marketing plan, noting this year’s trends in your business and clientele, and where your money is really going, how will you know when you actually make your business or job/profession successful?
This is also important because, as we all know, plans change. Make time to re-configure your schedule so that you don’t lose opportunities to do the things you care about just because SUDDENLY THIS TOOK PRIORITY. Schedule time to make sure you’ve scheduled your time well. (Some folks say to do this weekly, but I think quarterly is a good start. After all, it’s boring.)
* The fourth level of time-budgeting is about networking and following up with past or potential clients. If you work with the same few clients for several years, and never get anybody new on the list, what will you do when two of them suddenly retire?
In real estate, most agents who succeed do so through word-of-mouth and direct-marketing to folks who get to know them and learn to trust them, personally. Their clients are loyal, and they tell their friends about you. But how often does any one person buy a house? If you stop marketing today, you find yourself without active clients tomorrow. So even when you have a lot of clients, you have to make time to network and have face-time with potential clients and folks who can refer you to potential clients. Make time to network. Get found, and be accessible. Always go to the second Tuesday Rotary Lunches, the Thursday night golf game, that First Friday event with all those well-paid accountants, or wherever your client-pool takes you.
*Finally, whatever time is actually left open on your calendar after all those other foundation pieces are plugged in– THAT is the time you have available to do your actual paid work. And trust me, you’ll get paid better and have that time well-filled if you do the unpaid parts of your job first.
So this week, as I said, I’ve been scheduling. And budgeting. I’ll tell you about the budgeting part after the holiday. I really don’t want you to be any more stressed than you already are at this time of year.
Be Well.
| Posted in Get Involved/How-To, Resources, To Your Health, authored by: S. Brooke Elliott | Comments Off
