How to Build Your Business and Still Take Time Off

We all know people who are like human dynamos. They seem to make an art form of building their business and still enjoy quality time with friends and family. It isn't magic, you can do it too.

The world of business ownership or management is inhabited by two main personality types. There are people who never miss deadlines, who can be replied upon to deliver the goods whatever the odds and, who seem to thrive under pressure. Then there are people who achieve very little and yet seem to be permanently in a rush.

The first group actually manage to build their business or practice and do even more, whilst the others often struggle to stay afloat. So how can you learn from those who are able to create success while they still take time out for holidays and quality family time?

Consider your working time. You can spend it in two ways. You can be working in your business or, you can be working on your business.

Working in the business means doing whatever is necessary to provide your products or services to existing clients. Working on your business is the creative time that you spend developing a clear strategy for the future, planning the tactics that will make it happen and, building relationships with clients. You will be well rewarded if you take some regular time away to think clearly about this business building.

There is a wide variety of branded 'time management systems', many of them will be used during an initial flush of enthusiasm and then end up as very expensive bookends or doorstops. The reason is obvious. Time management is a false description of self management. There are some very simple techniques that you can start using today to build your business and still enjoy time off. Use them as you consider your 'in business' tasks and then your 'on business' activity.

Consider the task

• Is it necessary to do it at all?
• If it is a major task, 'chunk it down' into smaller elements or steps
• Is each step necessary?
• What is the result or outcome of doing it?
• How else could this result be achieved?
• What is the cost of not doing it?

Even if this step seems too simple to be effective, almost every organisation, large or small, perpetuates time consuming tasks that are no longer needed. There is little point in demanding a log of every photocopy made in an office if nobody ever checks it. Do you spend time on needless meetings, memos and emails when you could deal with a matter in a brief phone call?

Consider the person

• Who does it?
• Why that person?
• Who else could do it?
• Why that person?
• Who else should do it?

The objective here is to delegate downwards to the lowest level with the ability to perform the task satisfactorily. It is pointless to send a highly paid PA to the Post Office if the office junior can take your outgoing mail there just as easily. Better still, investigate the possibility of having your outgoing mail collected. Remember the old adage that 'nobody is indispensable'. Examine ways to take time out from your business, secure in the knowledge that it will run just as well when you are not there.

Consider the place

• Where is the task done?
• Why there?
• Where else could it be done?
• Why there?
• Where should it be done?

Perhaps your printer has just delivered your latest brochure for final proof reading. You need a quiet environment with no distractions. Go home an hour earlier to do it in peace. If your home environment is noisy, find a quiet lay-by or car park.

Out of the dilemma

Of course, it is easy to consider aspects of what, who, why, when, where and how ...when you have time for yourself. And that creates a Catch 22 situation. You will not have the time until you do it, and you cannot do it until you have the time.

Fortunately, there is a practical and effective way out of this dilemma. You invite a business coach to help you. All coaches are not equal. Some are specialists in the art and science of self management and developing a sound balance between leisure and work. HRM Coaching Ltd has a wide network of experienced and qualified coaches and can select the specialist who is most appropriate for your situation. An initial discussion is totally free of cost or obligation.

Call Hannah on +44 20 8544 8024 for more information. This could be your first significant step towards building your business and still taking time off.

You can find more information on http://www.hrmcoaching.com where you can also sign up for Hannah's regular business coaching newsletter.

---

Google News Updated : Tue, 30 Sep 2008 20:38:53 GMT So much for those knee supplements -- probably - Los Angeles Times Chatter Shmatter So much for those knee supplements -- probably Los Angeles Times - 2 hours ago Don't go stocking up on glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate just yet. The supplements, often taken by people suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee, don't appear to slow cartilage loss. X-Ray Evidence Shows Popular Supplements Fail to Slow Knee ... MedPage Today Glucosamine and chondroitin don't slow arthritis Reuters USA Today - eFluxMedia - InjuryBoard.com - Austin American-Statesman all 53 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:58:39 GMT Depression risk high for heart patients - San Francisco Chronicle Calgary Herald Depression risk high for heart patients San Francisco Chronicle - 13 hours ago (09-29) 17:20 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- Patients with heart disease should be screened and treated for depression because it can adversely affect their health outlook and quality of life, according to a new report by the American Heart Association. Heart Problems And Depression eFluxMedia Guidelines alert heart patients to depression risk Reuters WebMD - Bloomberg - The Associated Press - InjuryBoard.com all 438 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 30 Sep 2008 07:10:58 GMT Gallardo ready for Game 1 pressure - MLB.com Washington Post Gallardo ready for Game 1 pressure MLB.com - 33 minutes ago By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com PHILADELPHIA -- For a 22-year-old who appeared in just four games this season, Brewers right-hander Yovani Gallardo certainly endured a great deal. NL Division Series Breakdown - Milwaukee vs. Philadelphia Sports Network Brewers Will Open With 22-Year-Old Starter New York Times Bleacher Report - FanHouse - AHN - SportingNews.com all 506 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 30 Sep 2008 20:05:12 GMT Bloomberg Called Ready to Announce Third-Term Bid - New York Times New York Times Bloomberg Called Ready to Announce Third-Term Bid New York Times - 47 minutes ago By MICHAEL BARBARO and DAVID W. CHEN After months of speculation about his political future, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg plans to announce on Thursday morning that he will seek a third term as mayor, according to three people who have been told of his ... NY mayor Bloomberg to seek third term: report Reuters NY Times: Bloomberg To Announce Third Term Run NY1 TIME - The Star-Ledger - NJ.com - Gothamist - New York Daily News all 281 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:51:03 GMT China Detains 22 in Tainted-Milk Case - New York Times China Detains 22 in Tainted-Milk Case New York Times - 3 hours ago By DAVID BARBOZA SHANGHAI - China said Monday that it had detained 22 people suspected of operating an underground network that intentionally adulterated milk with an industrial chemical, melamine. Hong Kong says Cadbury melamine levels acceptable The Associated Press Manufacturing giant recalls melamine tainted tea CNN International AFP - Wall Street Journal - Reuters - GMA news.tv all 2,775 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:50:50 GMT Sentiment against the rich, Wall Street, CEOs still a major hurdle ... - Bizjournals.com BBC News Sentiment against the rich, Wall Street, CEOs still a major hurdle ... Bizjournals.com - 1 hour ago Underlying public distrust of the wealthy -- along with Wall Street and Washington -- and the perception the $700 billion mortgage bailout will help big banks and rich CEOs continues to be the main stumbling block and minefield for passage of a rescue ... Michigan Rep. Miller demands that certain accounting practices be ... Detroit Free Press Reporter's Notebook: Meltdown FOXNews Washington Post - New York Times - Politicker Maine - Los Angeles Times all 2,883 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:32:24 GMT Obama, McCain seek political gain in credit crisis - The Associated Press Seattle Post Intelligencer Obama, McCain seek political gain in credit crisis The Associated Press - 1 hour ago DES MOINES (AP) - White House rivals John McCain and Barack Obama combined televised attack ads with statesmanlike appeals for bipartisanship on Tuesday as they vied for political gain in the shadow of the worst economic crisis since the Great ... Video: McCain Faults Obama, Allies for Partisanship AssociatedPress McCain takes hit from bailout collapse CNN Reuters - ABC News - AFP - CNN Political Ticker all 2,630 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:12:18 GMT RSS For Web Pages Increased Website Traffic

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

Can Your Corporate Policy Pass the Monkeys, Bananas, and Water-spray Experiment?

Five monkeys were placed in a cage. A banana was... Read More

Do the People in Your Organisation Dress For Success?

What really amazes me, with all the personal and professional... Read More

Organizational Structure, Creativity, Innovation

Organizational structure can inhibit or foster creativity and innovation. The... Read More

Are You in Control of Your Practice or Does it Control You?

One of the most common complaints that business owners have... Read More

When Change Is In the Wind...Heads Up!

In these days of takeovers and mergers, of downsizings and... Read More

Optimizing Your Cash Flow With Proper Accounts Receivable Management

Businesses miss on growth opportunities and even close their doors... Read More

Quick Tip - Effective Meetings Begin With Goals

Goals are critically important for the success of a meeting.... Read More

Getting Your Employees Attention Back to Work

It is 9:00 am on a Monday morning. Do you... Read More

10 Steps Towards A Stress-Free Introduction Into Management

Becoming a manager for the first time can be an... Read More

Get More Impact From Your Annual Conference

How can you get more attention for your conference and... Read More

Innovation Management ? the power of decision makers

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

A Checklist for Organized Executives

I could begin this article by providing a checklist of... Read More

On the Road to Assertiveness

Learning to be assertive takes time, courage and the ability... Read More

Communicating In Chaotic Environments

How do you, or would you, communicate in a chaotic... Read More

Top Ten Tips About Communicating with Your Employees Effectively

Communication is the basis of who you are as a... Read More

Are You Measuring Something Meaningful?

Avoiding inert measures that anaesthetise your performance management.INTRODUCTIONYou sit before... Read More

Leadership: Stoking The Success Train

Everyone wants to succeed yet everyone has a different perception... Read More

Profits and Business Success - 5 Profit Traps to Watch Out For

The old saying 'You have to spend money to make... Read More

Meaningful Diversity: Creating Cultures of Inclusion

In the fitness room the other day, I caught a... Read More

Satisfied Employees, A Powerful Marketing Strategy

Even in today's still uncertain economic times, there are companies... Read More

Einstein, The Universe, And Leadership

Every since serving a hitch in the military, I have... Read More

People Skills: Eight Essential People Skills

Being able to communicate effectively with others requires people skills,... Read More

Understanding Every Aspect of Your Organization

GET TO KNOW YOUR ORGANIZATION: If you don't understand an... Read More

The Red Phone - Management Consulting in 30 Seconds or Less

Modern business faces complex problems; management often calls upon highly-specialized... Read More

Hiring Tip -- Picking The Best Candidates

I often hear leaders from all types of organizations ask... Read More