Have An Extra Day

So, what will you do with your extra day this Leap Year?

Yes, tomorrow is the 29th February.  An extra day squeezed into the usual 365 days of the year.

What would you do if you could have a whole extra day for yourself?

Would you ...

- use it to catch up on your email?
- use it have a day off in the middle of the week?
- use it to spend time with your family, friends or loved one?
- use it to catch up on reading?
- use it to do something new and exciting?
- use it for thinking and planning?
- use it to catch up on all those jobs around the house you never quite have time for?
- use it for all those other things there is never enough time for?

In reality, tomorrow is just another working day - no one's really squeezed an extra day into the week - wouldn't that be nice.  But how would you like an extra day every week?

It's estimated that people only use 60% of their work time in a productive way.  If you take out the time wasted on distractions and interruptions (2 hours a day) - add it all up and you can easily have an extra day a week to do what you want.

If you'd like to find out how - get in touch.  Email me or book a Strategy Session.

Related articles

• Leap Year (didyouknow.org)

Networking Tips #26 Time To Network

Networking takes time - not only time to see the results but also the time you actually spend on your networking, you might not realise how much it adds up.

Take this into consideration when planning your networking activity.  It may be great to attend lots of networking meetings every week but it all adds up.

• Time preparing for each meeting.
• Time to travel to and from the event.
• Time spent at the event.
• Time spent following-up after the event - email phone calls.

So, in reality, your one hour network meeting probably takes up at least twice that time, if not longer.  For every meeting you attend - decide if it's the best use of your time and does the value you get from the meeting make it worth your while.

Be more selective - your time has value, value your time.

Are You An Absent Dad?

In the last week there have been two TV programmes aimed at fatherhood - Daddy Daycare (Channel 4) and Wonderland: A Dad Is Born (BBC2) - I have to say I didn't watch either of them.  It was also discussed on Radio 4 Woman's Hour

Many of the men I work with often have one goal in mind - to spend more time with their children.  They realise they're working long hours and typically get home late but can't always see a solution.

Often they're running their own business or working in executive positions where they need or are expected to work long hours.  Some have long commutes between home and work or need to be away from home for several days at a time.

Children grow up fast, so not spending time with them on a regular basis means missing out on their growing up, especially when they're young.  Something which many people then regret at a later stage.

While you might not be able to be completely hands-on, don't miss out on their childhood because you think you have to be work. Find the all important time to spend with your children, while they're still young.  After all - the reason you're working hard is to provide for your family, don't be an absent father.

• Drop them off or pick them up from school.  Perhaps not every day but at least once or twice a week.
• Read to them in the evening.  It doesn't take much out of your evening and it's a good reason to get back early.
• Get involved in their bedtime routine.  Again, you might not be able to managed every day but at least when you can.
• Spend quality time with them - not there but half working or distracted because you feel you should be working but time when you're 100% focused on them.

It is possible if you make allowances and plan your time more effectively.  Get your work done in work time, so you're free to spend time with the family in the evenings and weekends.

Whether you're a hard working Dad or Mum, if you'd like to spend more time with your children but you're struggling to find the time - get in touch.

Image: photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Related articles

• Daddy Daycare, Channel 4, review (telegraph.co.uk)
• Woman's Hour - A Dad Is Born (Radio 4)
• Have You Lost Your Identity? (Blog post) 

February Newsletter: Simple Steps For Effective Feedback

"Communicating effectively is an important part of giving feedback. Sometimes we need to have difficult conversations - whether it's with our friends, colleagues or members of your team.

We also need to give positive feedback, which tends to happen less often and can also be uncomfortable, if it's not going to sound insincere or disingenuous.

Tips for giving effective feedback ... "

Read the full article: 'Simple Steps For Effective Feedback' in February's newsletter - here.

Register for the free monthly newsletter and get additional tips, information and resources to help grow your business and improve your work life balance direct to your inbox once a month - www.clareevans.co.uk.

Related articles

• January Newsletter: How To Achieve What You Want in 2012 (Blog post)
• December Newsletter: Review Your Year, Ensure Your Success + Two Special Offers (Blog post)

Social Media Week - Feb 13-17, 2012

In case you missed it, this week is Social Media Week - at least for another couple of days.

There are hundreds of social media sites out there - more being added each week but the main contenders have to be Twitter, Facebook and for business users - LinkedIn.

Social media has really taken off in the last couple of years with everyone from Stephen Fry to Barack Obama being on Twitter these days and companies as well as individuals using Facebook to spread the word.

News tends to hit social media before it gets anywhere near a news desk as it's such an instant means of communication that can spread the message around the world like wildfire.

It's a great way of opening up the world and being able to communicate with people who you've either lost touch with or who you wouldn't normally meet.

Many people see it as an essential business tool - others see it as a complete waste of time and full of inane drivel.

It can be both - it very much depends on how and why you use it and of course who you follow or 'like'.

Be selective - you really don't need to be on every social media site to make it work for you.  Choose the one's you enjoy, that make sense for you and that work for what you want to achieve.  Besides the fact that there just aren't enough hours in the day to be on every one - they all have their pros and cons.

Set aside time for your social media - a few minutes every day on your main sites and a few minutes every week on your secondary sites.

If you want to join in the social media buzz there are events happening live offline and online all around the world.  http://socialmediaweek.org/

Image via Wikipedia

Related articles

• Can Twitter change the world? Day 3 of Social Media Week London (metrica.net)
• Social Media Week: 7 Events You Can Still Attend! (basekit.com)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Image via Wikipedia

For all of you who happen to be single on Valentine’s Day – it’s easy to get fed up with all the endless ads for gifts for your loved one, meals for two and related articles in all the newspapers, magazines and on TV.

Don’t bemoan the fact you have no-one special to share the delights of over-priced meals for two, candle lit dinners and bunches of red roses - celebrate being single.

Treat yourself – if not today then sometime this week or get together with a single friend and indulge yourselves and have some fun.

Don’t wait until you have someone to buy you gifts and treats – go out and buy a box of chocolates, a bunch of flowers or a treat for yourself.

Curl up with a good book, a glass or two of wine and your favourite film or go out (if you can bear all the loved-up couples, gazing into each other’s eyes) and treat yourself to a trip to the theatre or the cinema or a night out, if you can avoid the Valentine’s Day price hikes.

Yes, it's great to have someone to share life with but enjoy the freedom of being single – whether through choice or circumstances.  It’s not so bad.  You have your independence.

You can have the whole bed to yourself, you don’t have to put up with someone else’s stuff in the bathroom or cluttering up your space and you can see your friends whenever you want to and choose to do what you want, when you want without having to fit in with someone else’s plans or change yours in order to fit in with them and all the disagreements and compromise that then ensues.

You also get to know yourself a little better, without having to rely on having someone else around or jumping from one relationship to another.

Take time to love yourself.  After all – you’re the most important person.

Happy Valentine's day! (Photo credit: DonnaGrayson)

Take A Fresh Look At Your Business

I ran a Bite-sized Learning session earlier this week for the Brighton Chamber.  At events like this, it's always interesting talking to a group of different businesses.  While many of their challenges are the same there are always unique aspects that make a one-size fits all approach impractical.

Talking about it can make you realise that you're not alone.  Others may be experiencing something similar and quite often have solutions that you may not have thought about.

The principles of planning and prioritising can be applied to any business - HOW it's applied, will vary from business to business and from one individual to another.

We all have our different ways of working from the early riser, to the night owl.  From the more logical and analytical to the more creative.

We all have different demands and expectations from the buyers of our products and services and those need to be managed within the day-to-day processes of the business.

Get a fresh pair of eyes.  It's always helpful to take a look at what you do on a day-do-day basis and find ways to improve what you do and how you're currently working.

You can do this by stepping away from your business for a short while - book time once a week or once a month when you can take a look at your business in a different light.   A bit of brain-storming can highlight the areas you need to focus on.

Do this by yourself or arrange some time with a trusted colleague, friend or mentor to get a fresh perspective on what you're doing.  Join a mastermind group - where you can get ideas, support and inspiration.  You might be pleasantly surprised at the difference a few changes can make and where the ideas might come from.

You can get a fresh perspective for free and find out what you can do to change with a 30 minute Strategy Session - book online, call or email me today.

Image: Photography by BJWOK / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Related articles

• Time Management Know It All (clareevans.blogspot.com)

Live To Work Or Work To Live?

I've recently spoken to yet another person who, even though they loved their work, realised there's more to life - and they needed to readjust the balance.

If you're running your own business, it's easy to get sucked in to working all hours to keep your business going.   While you need to put in the time and effort to build up a successful business, sometimes it helps to take a step back and get a new perspective on your life and work.

You don't have to be working long hours, evenings and weekends, giving up holidays and sacrificing your family, social life and health.  If you are and your family and friends are starting to wonder who you are, then it's definitely time to reassess what you're doing, how you're working and where you're going.

Work out what's important and focus on that - think 80/20.  It's not always about being able to get more done in the time available but getting the 'right' things done.  Doing less, rather than trying to do more and squeezing more out of your day.

Ask for help.  In the early stages when money is tight, is likely to be the time when you really are burning the candle at both ends because you have to do 'everything'.  But do you?  Focus on the important things and get help where you can to free up your time as much as possible.

Stop and take stock every now and then.  Set clear boundaries around your work and personal time to avoid falling in to the "all work and no play" trap.

If you're spending more time working and less time living and want to readjust your balance - get in touch.

Image: Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Related articles

• Take Time To Stand Still
• 10 Simple Ways to Find Balance and Get Your Life Back (lifehack.org)