Fire Up Some Freedom of Time This 4th of July
It’s almost Independence Day (I know because my neighbors have been firing up the firecrackers for a couple weeks now) and it’s time to celebrate!
There are a lot of different ways to be independent. One way is to free your brain up from cultural demands so you can be productive. That means you get the right work done in the right amount of time so you can pursue happiness outside of work as well as in your job or business.
Unfortunately, it is not true that freedom OF time means freedom FROM time, because we all have limited time upon the earth. But freedom of time is a good resolution, especially since it helps achieve that life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness thing.
But how do you get freedom of time, especially when you’re an entrepreneur who wants her business to thrive? Voila: the 10 Commandments of Productivity.
10 Commandments of Productivity
Thou shalt have no other gods before your own time and attention
Thou shalt not make unto thee any additional distractions
Thou shalt not take the word “Productivity” to mean “Busy”
Remember your time off, to keep it holy
Honor thy oxygen mask first, because you need to be able to breathe to help others
Thou shalt not kill too much time by scrolling through emails and “social” media feeds
Thou shalt not commit calendaring when you don’t have boundaries
Thou shalt not steal your own time and attention and giveth it to those who would monetize it
Thou shalt not bear tasks that are better done by others
Thou shalt not covet the ideal life (because you’ll be able to live your own)
Thou shalt have no other gods before your own time and attention
Especially not money. Money is a tool, nothing more, and there’s a lot of it floating around our planet. Sacrificing your limited time and your valuable attention to a tool that you can make more of is just a shame.
Time and attention are limited, so that’s what’s important to optimize for. And not just making the most of your work time, but also your life time.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any additional distractions
There are plenty of distractions available to us, but when you pull from your focus, your performance drops as well. Most business owners would have plenty of time during the day to get everything done – if they could keep their attention on each task until it was completed.
That means doing everything you can to block out notifications and interruptions, in addition to being choosy about tasks.
Thou shalt not take the word “Productivity” to mean “Busy”
Yes, in American culture it’s pretty much a badge of honor to say you’re busy. But doing all the things means that you’re not spending enough time on the things that really matter, either in life or in your business.
You can be busy or you can be productive, but you can’t be both.
Remember your time off, to keep it holy
It’s true, business owners and C-suite members do occasionally need to work long hours for one reason or another. But after a certain number of hours worked in a day, cognitive function drops. The brain is a living human organ, not a machine or a computer. You’re better off taking time away from the work for a bit, to let the brain recharge and rest.
If you can’t take a whole weekend or two days off a week, try to take one. No emails allowed! People can call if it’s an absolute emergency, but otherwise, this is your time.
Honor thy oxygen mask first, because you need to be able to breathe to help others
Similarly, trying to put out every fire all the time is just going to push you to the edge of burnout. You don't need to be checking emails at 11 at night, because even if you read something alarming, what are you going to do about it?
As a business owner, you need to spend more time ON the business and less IN the business. That means carving out time and space when you can’t be disturbed.
Thou shalt not kill too much time by scrolling through emails and “social” media feeds
We all need to check emails sometimes (not when they come in). If like most of us, you use social media for your business, you need to spend some time on it to play nicely with the algorithm. All true.
But taking every second you’re not working to scroll? Bad for the brain and unnecessary. Allow yourself to check out and do other things.
Thou shalt not commit calendaring when you don’t have boundaries
I'm often told by entrepreneurs that they’ve tried blocking their calendars and it doesn’t work. The problem usually is they haven’t set firm boundaries about when they can and can’t be interrupted. They allow important “working ON the business time” to be moved all over the calendar.
There’s no point in trying to time block if you don't take the time blocks seriously yourself.
Thou shalt not steal your own time and attention and giveth it to those who would monetize it
If it’s not obvious, I'm talking about “social” media here. The purpose (from the platform owner’s eye) is to make money by placing ads amid the content. They use variable rewards to keep you glued to the platform longer so they can show you more ads.
One way to deal with this is to block off (and keep these boundaries) time on the platforms you use for business. Use a timer if you like. When time’s up, move on.
Thou shalt not bear tasks that are better done by others
There are certain tasks that only a business owner can do, because they’re the ones with the vision and the purpose. Other tasks can be completed by automation or by hiring someone to take care of them. With training, you can successfully delegate tasks to others that need to get done but aren’t in your zone of genius. If you’re a solopreneur, many of these types of tasks can be automated.
Either way, spend your time on important things that only you can do.
Many entrepreneurs think it’ll get done faster if they take care of it themselves. You don't have unlimited time – there are only 24 hours in a day. The time you spend on small things that should be delegated means less time on the really important things that only you can do. Your team probably needs more training, which yes, will take more time upfront, but save you going forward.
Thou shalt not covet the ideal life because you’ll be leading your own
Once you find you can accomplish important tasks in a few hours, instead of allowing distractions and “stuff that just needs to get done” lengthen your workday, you’ll have plenty of time to spend with loved ones and doing favorite activities outside work.
Instead of other people controlling your time, you’ll be the one controlling your time. You get to do what you want with it.
Recap (tl;dr)
Celebrate independence by letting go of some of the cultural norms that keep you in front of your screens for too long during the day.
Have trouble with taking back control of your time? Feel like there isn’t enough time in the day? I’m here to help. Schedule your free consultation here.