“The only thing that is constant is change.” Heraclitus

Isn’t that the truth! Whether it’s a change in seasons, changes in schedules, big life-altering changes, or just changing your socks, something is always changing.

I am asked quite often what to do about time! For me, it’s more about a focus on the time I have.

Here are five things I do to keep me focused daily and make sure I get done what is needed:

#1 – Every Friday, I look at my week ahead. I check what meetings are scheduled, I look at daily tasks to see if I can do what is planned or if I need to rearrange them. I normally only plan for 3 tasks per day per client and for my business. Of course, I take into consideration how complex those tasks are.

#2 – I have a daily morning routine. This involves drinking a glass of water when I wake up. I do a bit of meditation and journaling about what I desire in life and business. Most days, I take a walk and do some stretching. Then I eat some breakfast. This routine sometimes varies a bit, but it starts me off feeling good and focused on what I want most. Since doing this, it has made a huge impact on my focus.

#3 – On my Google calendar, I have time blocked off for my business stuff and time blocked off for client stuff. I make sure to be realistic about how much time I have to work and this makes planning much easier! It also keeps me focused by having it scheduled on my calendar so I know what I need to do rather than just winging it as the day goes on.

#4 – I have set meeting days and I stick to them. I have two days a week for meetings, and it’s rare I have a meeting that isn’t on those two days. This is so I never have to worry about scheduling conflicts if we have a doctor appt to set or other errands. If we want to do something fun, I always know what days are open. This also helps with focus, so on my non-meeting days, I can do work where I need to focus rather than trying to do intense work between meetings.

#5 – I get an average of 8 hours of sleep a night. Sleep is so important and something everyone needs to make a habit. Go to bed earlier if needed. Don’t drink caffeine after noon. Get a bit of exercise daily. Don’t eat a big meal before bed. Many of us put our health last and healthy habits support you in sleeping better. If you rely on caffeine to keep you going, it’s going to be hard to focus and give the energy required to your business. Health is a whole other topic I could go on and on about. But for now, I will just say get your rest 🙂

Here’s a look at what is happening behind the scenes last week…

Last week flew by so quickly, I can barely remember what I did Monday. But here’s a look at what was happening.

Potential clients seem to be pouring in but this doesn’t mean I say yes to them all! I can only take on so many business management clients so I am having to decide if I want more clients right now. I also face decisions like whether I want to change up the services I provide, or if I need to say no. I find that when something starts suddenly happening in business, like having several people contact me within days, wanting to possibly work with me, I need to pay attention! It doesn’t mean I say yes, but when there is a shift I take notice and decide if my business needs to shift.

We recently moved and I’m still getting settled into a new routine, a new scene. I have more family nearby, so happily, there are more distractions. My clients understand the disruption of moving, but they still deserve my attention and need me to be focused. I’ve had to stay open minded, while still keeping myself grounded and learning about my new normal. I’m getting into a great new routine. It’s hard to have a lot of changes and get into a new routine, but sometimes you just have to buckle-down and do it.

If you need more tips, I love posting about different tips and resources that I find helpful. Come over and like my Facebook page! I try to post something helpful multiple times a week, and other times, we just have fun. And I think everyone needs a little fun sprinkled into their lives!

Helpful Links

I have some helpful information if you have enjoyed this article and want more. If you are a mom wanting to work from home but have no idea how to get started, grab my free getting started guide, “10 Easy Steps to Get Started as a Virtual Assistant.” And if you are lacking confidence and wondering if you really can do it, If I can do it, living in a small rural town in Missouri with no formal business education or entrepreneurial background, so can you!

Go here to grab the free guide!

You’ll also be added to my email list, where I’ll send tips about working as a Virtual Assistant and more time-saving tips for busy moms.

And feel free to comment here with a tip of your own. The more we support each other, the better!

For those that don’t know my personal story, click here to read it. I just recently rewrote it! Yes, the page needs to be made prettier graphically but it’s better done than perfect 🙂

Anyway, I am a single mom (I have been for 2 years now) and I have my 10-year-old son full-time. This comes with its challenges since I have less time to work but need to make more money now that I live on one income!

Ok, now that I’ve given you a bit of background, let’s move on…

My current focus in my business is my training program for moms that want to work from home. I could spend ALL day working on it! I help them do this by becoming a Virtual Assistant (how I started my biz).

But on the other side, I do have a couple of business management clients. I only have 2 to 3 of these at a time because of the level of work I do. To serve them at my best, it’s necessary to limit how many I work with. And I just love these clients! So much of the work involves strategy, which I am very good at! I do other things, too, but the strategy is the biggest piece.

Here’s a look at what was happening behind the scenes this week…

I’m doing a bit of extra work this week for a client because I had to fire a VA I JUST hired 2 weeks ago. Bummer when it doesn’t work out 🙁 This also means I am going through my hiring process again. For the record, when I hire, 9 out of 10 hires are great.

I worked late Tuesday night until about 7 pm, which I RARELY do, but I had an interview to write for a blog that I didn’t get to that morning and a podcast interview at 6:30 pm. This means my son had corn dogs zapped in the microwave and sun chips for dinner. But after I was done with the interview at 7 pm, we watched one of our favorite TV shows together and talked about our day.

Yesterday, my lunch was turkey sticks and Frosted Mini-Wheats because I only had a short time between 2 meetings. The first one went long and I didn’t have time to cook food before the next. I keep meetings to two days a week (normally) so that the other days I can really focus. And I no longer have meetings on Mondays. I used to, but I have found it hurt my productivity and starts the week off on a note I don’t like.

This morning was Muffins with Mom at school, so I did that with my son. And I JUST found out that Saturday is the first soccer practice (he only got signed up this week), so it looks like we have to make a trip into town (25 miles away) after school to buy soccer shoes. I’m just glad that my business gives me that flexibility. One thing I have done to allow for unexpected things like this is making sure I don’t have meetings once school is out, except on rare occasions. This way, if stuff comes up my son needs, I don’t have to worry about rescheduling client meetings or missing out on doing something for him. I didn’t always run my business this way, and it’s something I have learned over time.

What’s the point?

What I want you to understand by my sharing what has really happened this week is that things change, and you need to have some flexibility in your business (or life) for that. I do have a daily structure and have things planned out, but let’s face it, unexpected things will come up.

We need to have some flexibility so we don’t drive ourselves crazy!

Even with these unexpected things, I have still gotten done what was needed for this week. I have also learned there is ALWAYS going to be something I can work on, but the world will keep spinning if that thing has to wait another day to get done.

If you need more tips, I love posting about different tips and resources that I find helpful. Come over and like my Facebook page! I try to post something helpful multiple times a week, and other times, we just have fun. And I think everyone needs a little fun sprinkled into their lives!

Helpful Links

I have some helpful information if you have enjoyed this article and want more. If you are a mom wanting to work from home but have no idea how to get started, grab my free getting started guide, “10 Easy Steps to Get Started as a Virtual Assistant.” And if you are lacking confidence and wondering if you really can do it, If I can do it, living in a small rural town in Missouri with no formal business education or entrepreneurial background, so can you!

Go here to grab the free guide!

You’ll also be added to my email list, where I’ll send tips about working as a Virtual Assistant and more time-saving tips for busy moms.

And feel free to comment here with a tip of your own. The more we support each other, the better!