Time Management – Balancing Your Business And Your Life

You made the commitment to your Avon business. You know you need to put the time into your business in order to grow. But there’s so many things happening all around you, it’s hard to get that time in.

Maybe you have kids who need your time. Personally, I have an aging mom who requires a lot of doctor appointments and extra care from me.

But it is possible to do it all. It just takes some time management to make it all happen.

Here are some tips and techniques for balancing work and life successfully.

Plan –

Outline your goals for the next few months. Decide what you want to accomplish and by when. Then break them down into monthly and weekly actions that will get you there.

Create a daily “to do” list. It’s amazing how just the act of checking off each item from your list can help you accomplish more.

Prioritize –

Tackle the more challenging tasks first. You’ll feel better when you get those big tasks off your to-do list. By completing those first, it gives you a sense of accomplishment earlier in the day. Leave the easy stuff for later.

Put everything on your calendar. Everything! Business, personal, kids, parents – anything that you need to be included in, have it all in one calendar. This will help you keep track of your responsibilities, but also helps you to see if you’re over-committed. Be ambitious, but be realistic about what you can actually accomplish in a day.

Project –

Allow 50% more time for each task than you think it will take. If you expect a call to take 30 minutes, allow 45. If you think your appointment may only take an hour, allow 90 minutes. I know that, especially when taking my mom to the doctor, you can’t always depend on getting right in and out on time.

We all tend to over-schedule because we underestimate how much time it will really take. By creating a “buffer” around each task, it will keep you on track and also reduce your stress. And that can make all the difference!

Make notes about new thoughts and to-dos as they come to mind. It’s so easy to forget, especially when we’re busy. Written reminders prevent that momentary panic when you suddenly think, “What was I going to do? Who did I need to call?”

Carefully consider what you allow on your calendar. Learn to say No. Ask yourself these important questions before putting something on your calendar:

• Can I eliminate it? You don’t have to say yes to everything. If it’s not going to help you meet your goals, skip it.
• Can I automate it? Free up your time from routine tasks by creating systems or ways to handle them automatically. Monthly bill paying is a great example. Many of your bills can be setup to be paid automatically.
• Can I delegate it? What can you ask your family members to help you with? Can you hire someone else to do the things that take you away from what you want to do most? Many times you can find a high school student that can do a lot of simple tasks for you.

Spend Your Time Wisely –

Put most of your time into activities that will bring the greatest financial return – also called income-producing activities.

Spend more time on:

• Following up on potential leads and referrals.
• Following up with customers.
• Identifying customer needs and finding solutions.

Spend less time on:

• Low priority tasks that others can help you with.
• Activities that don’t produce sales or growth for your team.

<—— Did this article help you? If so, it would mean a lot to me if you would share it with others!!! And, share your comments below!  I would LOVE to know more about you and your thoughts on this subject!

Let’s have some conversation!

EXPECT Success!

By Lynn Huber