One of the phrases that I hear probably more than any other is:

‘I just don’t have enough time!’

We are all so busy and have so many things to juggle, it can feel like a real balancing act……..and that can get super stressful!

One of my almost-obsessive passions, is to find new and inventive ways to simplify my life and business!  It really is the key to me running 2 successful businesses whilst also managing a house as a single parent to kids with additional needs. So this week I want to share with you some of my favourite simplifying, time-saving solutions.

 My 5 Favourite Time-Hacks

Password Control

If you are anything like me, then keeping track of all your passwords can become a bit like trying to catch a particular grain of sand in a sandstorm. Sometimes it’s a ‘trial and error’ exercise. 1Password allows you to keep all your passwords in one place. It then encrypts the information and regularly changes them for added protection. All you need is to have one password for everything. It makes it so much easier to grant permissions to external employees allowing them access to accounts without risking your security.

There are quite a few companies available online now, so look around at what your best option would be.

Contract Management

I love Adobe Sign so much because it has simplified the way I deal with paperwork forever! You can upload multiple contracts and it takes care of everything else for you. Signing is done electronically speeding up turn-around. It also stores the information and notifies everyone once everything has been completed. It’s £125 a year and if you are tracking lots of different contracts, then it is a game-changer.

Insta-perfect

I love Instagram but I have a tendency of spending way too much time thinking about how each picture will look, most specifically in terms of curating the feed and keeping my branding consistent. Mosaico is an app allows you to plan your feed in advance, schedule reminders and provides support with tagging. This particular app has a small purchase fee but there are other free apps out there that do the same thing…..however, look for one that imports your feed automatically into the app or you will waste time going between them.

Social Media Management

If you market over lots of platforms, then using Hootsuite will allow you to plan and schedule all your content over 35 different social media platforms, all from one place. It starts at £16 a month (for 10 platforms) but if you are constantly switching between multiple platforms, it’s a wise investment!

All Calm on the Cooking Front

When I have a really heavy workload, then I know I am susceptible to making really bad eating choices (at one point in my life, the Indian take-away sent me a personalised Christmas card because they knew me that well!) Because I schedule everything, I know when my workload will be slightly heavier and plan accordingly.

Both Gusto and Mindful Chef deliver everything you need to make quick, healthy meals with clear, easy to follow instructions. You only use what they send so there’s never any waste and the portions are fab! Both companies are running special offers at the moment on your first order.

 

 

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Exercise:

1. Keep a piece of paper with you and jot down how long each task takes you throughout the day*

If you can repeat this over 3 days that will give you a good idea about where your time management needs improvement.

*It’s can be a frustrating & time-consuming task but hang in there – it will give you valuable insight into your day!

2. Choose 3 tasks that are taking you the MOST amount of time to complete….then Brainstorm possible solutions to reduce the time you are spending on them.

For example – if you are spending too long trying to track down images/documents, you might put:

• Look into Online Storage Facility / File Sharing Service
• Pay someone to come in to organise my Portfolio / Filing System
• Invest in Additional Disc Space to segment files
• Buy a new Filing Cabinet (for those old-schoolers!)

3. Choose the solution that feels the most joyful! (I’m all about the joy!) & PUT THE PLAN INTO ACTION! 

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So if you find yourself saying ‘I don’t have the time’……I’d love you to really consider this week how you can shift that mindset and become ‘solution-minded.’

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