Craving work life balance this summer? These time management and personal development tips can help you stay on track!
With strong time management skills, you can have a strong career and be happy in your personal life at the same time. This is the key to work life balance!
“People who produce good results feel good about themselves.”
~ Ken Blanchard ~
Throughout the world, summer vacation is upon us and for those of us who work from home, this can be a period of both joy and a tremendous amount of tugging at our time with children at home, summer holidays and a myriad of distractions. The top producers, in the world, do not put their business down in the summer. Instead, they use the following five productivity tips to maximize time management, maintain focus, and lead a very balanced, yet productive life. This is the key to being happy and achieving the ever-desirable work life balance!
As a mother of five with three companies, I can relate to the wonderful lull of a relaxed summer routine however I do not want to lose any ground in my business. Furthermore, in observing people who virtually take the summer off from production, it is obvious that they have a much tougher time getting back on track in the fall and find themselves having to look for new clients and customers, lose the excess weight gained from so much lax, and end up struggling to re-gain ground.
This summer make a decision to live into greater production, clarity and focus without missing backyard barbeques, the cottage and all of the fun involved with living a wonderful, fulfilling life. The time management tips below can help you achieve the work life balance that is the key to a happy life overall!
1. Re-Assess Your Business Objectives
In the summer our business priorities may change. With existing clients also taking vacation, client management time may decrease whereas servicing and finding newer clients and customers may move to the forefront. If you have had a recent influx of new team members then your focus may be on training. Before you go ahead and attempt to create some sort of schedule figure out where your focus lies.
2. Get Up Early
With longer days it is much easier to get up early. If you have children at home, waking up before they do can be extremely productive. This is a good time to clear emails, schedule social media posts, and get through any administrative work.
3. Let Your Family Know That You Are Working
It is important to let any family members, living with you, know that you still have to work even if they are at play. Choose to be productive during times when they have other activities on the go. If you know you have a deadline or a day that might be filled with back-to-back appointments put the kids in a camp or send your partner to the spa or golf course. Do not feel guilty if they are having fun. Additionally – I have found that it is also great to work in the morning and keep afternoons free.
4. Be Consistent
An hour or two every day is better than attempting to work one entire day once per week. You lose your groove and also are not able to fully engage in your business. Schedule in your time in advance. If you cannot commit to the same hours each day – don’t worry about it. As long as you are putting in time on a regular basis you send a loud, clear message that you are serious about your level of commitment.
5. Communicate Your Schedule
Let your clients, customers and colleagues know what your schedule is going to be. This way they are not looking for you in your usual hours only to become frustrated when you are not there. Simply offer time options – for example, ‘Sarah – I can do a call with you on Thursday at 10:00 a.m. or Friday at 1:00 p.m. – which would you prefer?’ Sarah does not have to know that you are only working 2 hours on Thursday and 2 hours on Friday; the important thing is that you illustrate clarity in your times of availability.
Lastly – know that with a degree of organization you can have the most fulfilling, joyful, fun and productive summer ever. Go for it!
Susan is a balanced living expert. She is an author, speaker and self made millionaire. She has appeared on ABC Family, the CBN, written for Dianne Magazine, Oxygen Australia and many more. Susan dedicates time to philanthropy and projects that benefit women and girls all over the world. She is married to her best friend, Chris, and together they have five beautiful children.
