Can I fit into your busy schedule? How to become less time-poor…

I overheard a self employed colleague saying to someone the other day that they choose when they work and who they work with. That luxury may not always be possible when trying to earn money, but obviously working for yourself does bring an element of flexibility.

My answer to “have you got time?”, is often “for you, I will make time”. This may have been a slight knee jerk reaction from having been convalescing after breaking my back and never forgetting the way people not having time for you can make you feel. But it’s the reason in business why I will always try to make time for people or things that matter…

Someone I know once lost a very good friend for a while over joking that she’d see if she could fit her in to her busy schedule. Feeling like an afterthought or like second best isn’t good for anyone’s ego, let alone the competitive ones I deal with. That balance of course is a tricky one…

I soon learnt that massaging 9-5 for five days a week wasn’t physically possible and didn’t bring much mental capacity with it either. If you don’t have much energy for whatever reason one day body work is a very difficult thing to motivate yourself to give, never mind with a hangover!

These are the other things i’ve realised along the way:

Variety – we often get energy from changing what we do so mix it up. Moving on to a mentally challenging task from a physical one allows for recharging. I get bored easily so having a few different jobs (i’m also PA to a blind woman and a community health educator running cookery classes) keeps me engaged far more than doing the same thing all the time.

Rest – I would often train in the gym then massage 6 people only to find after 3 people I was drained. On days when I have tasks that I find tiring I will do yoga online that suits how I feel at the time. The idea of a sun salutation when I can’t be bothered sickens me.

Plan – all these things take planning which is often the thing that ‘busy’ people don’t do. I could spend all day faffing, appearing busy but it’s about your approach to how busy you are.

People sitting on their phones checking social media are not busy! They are distracted and a fifth blame social media as their biggest distraction, contributing to becoming time-poor.