Managing time when it is limited

byKarin13

5.4K followers

3 days ago

Multiple side-hustles/businesses can be difficult to navigate especially if you don't have a plan.

A plan might include how much time you are willing and able to spend on each aspect.

Since not all businesses require the same amount of time, it is best to plan out how much time you have that you can devote to each.

I am using my personal businesses as the basis for my actions and discussion points.

Measuring Time

First of all, you will want to determine how much time you have available for the tasks you wish to accomplish.

You might find that you need more time for certain tasks than for others.

For example, writing a blog post or two for your business(es) might not take as much time (with AI) as it does for you to write a chapter of your book (without AI).

I typically use the AI in Wealthy Affiliate to write at least one post for each blog I do. Since I am writing five different posts (soon to be six) per week, I have those on a rotational basis. I typically do one post per day with one day off.

Each time I do a post it takes me between 1/2 hour to an hour depending on a few factors, including:

• topic
• amount of editing needed
• finding images
• creating and posting on Facebook and Pinterest about the blog article
• distractions

I'd like to say this is instantaneous but we all know it takes time.

If I have 5 hours in the evening to work on my businesses, this easily takes up one hour of that time. And that is if I do have limited distractions like making supper, having to use the bathroom, spending time with family.

If I plan to write and do training that typically takes up the rest of the hours.

That doesn't leave a lot of time for friends, family, or other events, but sometimes you have to make sacrifices—either of your time for those things or for taking the time away from your business(es),

Determining how much time you have and approximately how much time the tasks take is the first step.

Distractions

I would guess that almost all of us have distractions that can derail our efforts to make the best use of our time.

I know I sure do. Sometimes it will take me more than an hour to post a blog update on Facebook because I can get on there and start scrolling. Very dangerous! Because it can distract me for hours if I let it. Trust me, scrolling on Facebook has taken big chunks of time away from me.

I can't tell you how to break free of that if that is your downfall/distraction. All I can offer is what I do.

I have a list of all the things that I want to accomplish during the time I have each day. This includes writing posts, writing my book, working another business I recently began (hence the 6th website), a physical workout and then training for writing, selling and marketing and the new business. I have that list sitting right beside me as I work.

If I happen to glance down, I will see it and the scroll does stop because I see all of the things I need to work on and it reminds me that I only have so much time to get them done!

Having a To-Do List

I cannot emphasize the To-Do List enough. I have shared before that I have ChatGPT create the To-do List for me. I feed it the information that I need it to know and then I work with ChatGPT until we get it right. Sometimes I get lucky and my Buddy gets it right the first time. Sometimes it takes a few times. Here is a link to the prompt I use: https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/karin13/blog/the-prompt-i-use-in-ai-for-creating-a-consistent-writing-schedule

In the long run, though, it saves me a lot of time and keeps me on task—most of the time anyway.

Weekends, when I am not working my part-time job, I can usually dedicate a lot more of the day to completing and catching up on tasks that may have fallen to the wayside during the week.

Having a plan saves time and in the long run, money, too. Because time is money and it really is up to you how you spend your time/money. These are just a few things I do.

Hope you have a great rest of the weekend!

Karin