How do I find more time?
By Abbie Allen
If would like to use the following article in your publication please contact Abbie Allen
As featured in ‘Inner West BEC – Small Business Matters – Volume 1 No. 10 May 2004’
It’s the choice entrepreneurs make when they start their own business. We give up free time, leisure time and family time and put everything into our business. But to have long term success in business and in life, we all ultimately need to balance these areas. The question is how? How do I find more time to live?
In some cases you need to make time. Set the alarm an hour early. Get up and go for a walk, read a book or just sit still and think (not as easy as it sounds!). Book in time for yourself. Make an appointment in your diary each week to spend time on yourself and stick to it! Get a massage, meet a friend for coffee, pick up the kids from school. You’re allowed to do this without feeling guilty. It can only benefit you and in turn benefit your business.
But if you are continually finding ‘jobs’ to do which fill in this free time, then you need a different strategy. Take a look at those ‘jobs’, such as picking up the dry cleaning in your lunch break, gift shopping during late night trading, waiting at home for a service delivery… the list goes on. Do you have to do these jobs? Can you hand these tasks over to someone else and find more time for the important things? The answer is yes! And yes, there is someone who is more than happy to do all this running around for you.
“Outsourcing is an ever increasing industry in Australia, as more and more people realise the importance of finding time to live.” says Abbie Martin, founder of Lifestyle Elements. Lifestyle Elements is a new concept in personal and business services for South Australia. Providing Personal Concierge and Lifestyle Management services, the business will do anything from errand running and grocery shopping, to planning your next holiday or sourcing tradespeople. “Our services are only limited by our client’s imagination.”
Lifestyle Elements also offers corporate services for small and large businesses alike. They can assist in function planning, coordinate interstate and overseas business visitors or organise your brochure printing. Any job you can think of, Lifestyle Elements will either do it for you, or find a professional who can, and manage the process from start to finish.
Ask yourself, do you live to work or work to live?