Rethink Your Errands

The past two weeks, we have explored www.WebMD.com's five tips to keep your mind safe from burnout, specifically focusing on the first two suggestions. As a reminder, those five tips are:

1. Build downtime into your schedule.
2. Drop activities that sap your time and energy.
3. Rethink your errands.
4. Get moving.
5. Remember that a little relaxation goes a long way.

The third tip can be looked at in several different ways, in my opinion, and can also tie into other activities. Many time management gurus may lead you to believe that, as a small business owner, you should have team members who can run errands for your business. The time of these team members is unquestionably not as expensive as your time.

An alternative perspective is that you may WANT to run a few errands. Let's think about it this way:  chances are you are in your office from very early to very late working on various projects that must be completed. A little fresh air, a little change of scenery will relax your mind and actually make you MORE productive! Clearing your mind of your projects for just a few minutes while running errands can open your mind to that brilliant breakthrough idea for which you were searching.

Another suggestion we should think about is running errands around lunch time. No, I am not advocating skipping lunch, or even getting your lunch from a drive-thru just to eat while driving or back at your desk. Plan your route so that you can spend a few minutes at a favorite lunch spot--another way to keep your body nourished with the food it needs, while relaxing your mind. What about those afternoon errands? Swing by your favorite coffee shop for a short coffee break.

So maybe you do not even LIKE running errands. There is a simple solution for that:  do not run errands! Have someone else handle them for you. This someone else could be a team member or a service-for-hire. There are people who enjoy shopping for anything from groceries to gifts, as well as making deliveries, and are usually available for a small fee. There is no set formula for how this works best for you.

Do you have other suggestions for rethinking your errands? I welcome your questions and comments. Contact me at Traci@BassProfessionalConsultingLLC.com or (478) 951-9298. You can also get a no-obligation assessment of your needs and initial quote to meet your business needs.

Drop Activities that Sap Your Time or Energy

Last week we discussed www.WebMD.com's five tips to keep your mind safe from burnout. As a reminder, these five tips are:

1. Build downtime into your schedule.
2. Drop activities that sap your time and energy.
3. Rethink your errands.
4. Get moving.
5. Remember that a little relaxation goes a long way.

We pondered the first tip by exploring tools to budget your time in order to build downtime into your schedule. This week I would like to discuss the second tip.

Stephen Covey, one of my favorite authors, defines strengths in his book Now, Discover Your Strengths as being "found in those activities which [you] exhibit consistent, near-perfect performance" and as "those specific activities at which [you] do well and for which [you] still retain a powerful appetite." I invite you to spend a few minutes thinking about what strengthens and what weakens you.

I did this exercise several years ago, and continue to update my list of strengths and weaknesses on a regular basis. I am energized by pouring over financial numbers and creating reports to analyze those numbers. Many others fall asleep at their keyboard doing the very same thing. Yes, I admit to being weird!

Another strength for me is encouraging others to pursue their dreams and be successful--by their own definition of success. I want people to know where they are, and where they are going. By providing accurate and timely financial information, I also help these same people determine how to achieve their goals.

These strengths are the reason why I chose to become a freelance bookkeeper. In my profession, I am able to serve several companies using my strengths, while helping them also save overhead costs. I am definitely strengthened when I see small businesses turn into the owners' dream business!

Is bookkeeping not necessarily a strength for you? Quit allowing bookkeeping to sap your time and energy. I welcome your questions and comments. Contact me at Traci@BassProfessionalConsultingLLC.com or (478) 951-9298. You can also get a no-obligation assessment of your needs and initial quote to meet your business needs.

Equilibrium in Life

Work Life Balance...Can you really achieve a balance between your responsibilities at work and your responsibilities in the rest of your life? Some say yes; however, most of us struggle with the concept. For something to "balance", equal weight has to be distributed on multiple sides. Does that mean you should spend the same amount of time focused on each? I do not think so! I prefer the term "equilibrium", which implies a saturation of each where it really needs to be.

The website www.WebMD.com offers the following five tips to keep your mind safe from burnout, while maintaining productivity in all areas of your life:

1. Build down-time into your schedule.
2. Drop activities that sap your time or energy.
3. Rethink your errands.
4. Get moving.
5. Remember that a little relaxation goes a long way.

My focus today is on building down-time into your schedule. In this age of gadgets and "apps", making your time work for you has never been easier--or has it? My personal experience with scheduling has involved everything from calendars on paper, to-do lists and calendars using Microsoft Outlook, as well as the standard calendar on my iPhone and various apps. I found out quickly that one method or the other had no benefit if I didn't look at it from time to time. I found the best method for me is a combination of several tools:  I keep a calendar on paper in synchronization with the calendar feature on my iPhone (which reminds me to manage my time), and a project management iPhone app that helps me track my progress.

This may seem like overkill to some, but it is what works for me. What works for you? I encourage you to try out a method at the time over the course of a week or two, and find out. You will be surprised how much time you will save by better managing your time, rather than wondering where the time has gone.

I welcome your questions and comments. Contact me at Traci@BassProfessionalConsultingLLC.com or (478) 951-9298. You can also get a no-obligation assessment of your needs and initial quote to meet your business needs.