How to leverage time in your Art, Craft and Design business

Photography by Monica Li

Le Petit Moni Photographie

         Tomorrow is a promise...

                                 Yesterday is gone...

                                                               
                                                           So Make tomorrow Today                   
                                                                                           -Quantum Compass

What would you do if you had “more time”?

Here’s what a lot of people have said in answer to that question:

*Have more time with family

* Relax and rest

* Travel and see the world.

Right now I’d like to share something with you that when I understood it seriously changed my life…

Time is the only resource that you have that can never be taken away from you. And no-one else has any more of it than you do… When it comes to time every-one is equal…

How many hours in a day does Richard Branson have? Bill Gates? Or anyone else I could name?

How many hours a day do you have?

24 hours in a day.

And what happens when you’ve spent your 24 hours? What happens when that day ends?

You get another one!

So the ”fallacy” about “spending” time, “saving” time, or “making more” time is that you can’t… You have exactly the same 24 hours that everyone else on the planet has. No more. No less.

The real secret to success is what you do with those 24 hours!

So,

·         You always have time.

·         You always have all the time there is.

·         You always have the same 24 hours as everybody else.

·         You always have all the time you need to do things right here, right now.

·         You always make the choices about how you use your time.

Now, let’s look at how you can leverage your time to the best effect…

Ways to leverage time:

Now is the perfect time (is there any other time?) to learn the difference between:

·         The urgent things

·         The important things.

Urgent things demand your time but can usually wait, even when they seem like emergencies.

Important things move you in the direction of your dreams and goals.

A clear focus on the difference between the urgent and the important will be critical to your future success in this, or any other business.

And a clear understanding of the activities you undertake that are important rather than urgent will see you succeed sooner.

It is not possible to manage time. But you can leverage it. Time is a most precious commodity, and your only natural resource. Only dead people don’t have time. They’re also the only ones with no problems. It’s not a matter of having time, but of arranging your priorities.

You can change your time effectiveness by changing the way you relate to the idea of time.

You can choose to live in a world of scarcity or abundance. Or you can choose to live in a world you create where you decide your own priorities.

It’s time to own your future. It’s time to focus on what you want by leveraging your time in activities that advance you directly towards your dreams and goals.

It’s your future after all. Procrastination is the thief of time and the graveyard of opportunity.

If you wait until you have time, you’ll be waiting forever. You will never have time. It’s the most elusive concept ever devised. That’s why there’s no such thing as tomorrow.

So make tomorrow today...

Have you ever found a calendar with a tomorrow on it?

There’s only today.

Tomorrow is a promise. Yesterday is gone. Do it right now! Do it in the moment that you’re in!

When your priorities are in order you know what you need to do right now. So just do it. Think in terms of moments of time. Grab those little bits of time and do the “little bits at a time” that will take you closer towards your goal.

Sometimes it’s the scary thought of those Herculean tasks and goals that we set ourselves that cause us to procrastinate and stall in our actions. By breaking down the task into smaller chunks, you‘ll soon find more things get done, and more things get done sooner.

Four DOs can assist you arrange your priorities:

·         Can Do:

Task can be done but neither urgent nor important

·         Could Do:

Task could be carried out but not so urgent nor so important

·         Would Do:

Essential but not so important

·         Must Do:

The important task that needs to be actioned right away!

These four Dos can help you to identify which task is urgent or important. When you are losing focus, these four Dos can bring you back on track with your priorities.

All you have to do is focus on what you want to achieve.

Useful tools to help you plan:

·         To Do List (use it daily)

·         Weekly Activities Planner

·         Follow up calls

·         Daily To Do tasks

·         Things to follow up

·         Diary Planner

·         Daily Journal

·         Plan your day

·         Set priority

·         OPIC Planning Sheet (From Quantum Compass)