Time Management As a Key to Success in Retirement Planning
If you, like many Americans today, are longing to leave the rat race and retire from your job, but don’t feel that you can yet afford to do so, this third and final article in a series on “Redefining Retirement”, discusses one of the most critical success factors in starting and building a successful home-based business as a baby boomer entrepreneur: Time Management.
In traditional jobs-whether in the upper echelons of leadership and management or in the trenches-what we do and when we do it is pretty well determined by the demands coming at us from the outside. Customer needs, deadlines, organizational goals and objectives, project management timelines, current events that effect our mission, product or services…just getting through the bottomless pit of the inbox, the email, the to-do list, and putting out fires. Sound familiar? While all this can be exhausting and a bit much (to put it mildly), the one thing present in this scenario that is missing when you leave the rat race to start your own business, is the organizational structure and prioritizing provided by external demands.
As an independent business owner-especially in start-up phase-you alone will be responsible for managing your time and tasks. “Ah, Bliss,” you think. Well, yes-after all, that has a lot to do with why you are choosing this path in the first place. But there is a “but” here-a fairly big one.
A friend and colleague, Gregg Davison (who, incidentally, is one of the leading Internet Marketers in the world today), is fond of saying “We can’t manage time; we can, however, manage ourselves IN time.” True, true, true. And that, I believe, is one of the surest keys to success. Smart entrepreneurs will work to put in place some new structures and practices to organize otherwise random workdays and workweeks (like a good employer)-and then follow them (like a good employee). The difference here is that you get to call all of these shots!
While there are volumes more to be said and learned on this topic, here are a few nuggets to get the ball rolling:
1) Go to bed and get up each day at the same time (even though no one is telling you that you need to “or else!”). This is one of the most foundational steps you can take to systematize your new life and ensure that you are taking your new business seriously. You, of course, can decide what those times are. Know yourself: are you naturally a night owl? Up with the roosters? Like a little “siesta” in the afternoon? Here is where you get to decide how to make your new work life feel like retirement “redefined.” But pick a routine and land on it-at least 5 days/week, if you are going to be doing this full-time. Just evenings or weekends, if that is when you are doing your business. You get to pick!
2) Work in 50-minute increments and then take a 10-minute break. You may be thinking “I can go a LOT longer than that!” I know. So can I. The truth is, our attention starts breaking down after about 50 minutes, whether we realize it or not. One of the biggest challenges about working at home is the constant temptation to give in to distractions. By using an egg-timer and setting it to “50″, every hour, you will find that you can postpone hopping up to straighten the picture on the wall, throw clothes in the washer, or play with the dog, if you know you have a 10-minute break coming up soon. This is amazingly simple, and goes a very long way toward converting your best energy into high productivity. (My timer has another 5 minutes on it right now!)
3) Take control of your diet and exercise. “What does that have to do with organizing my time?” you ask. A lot. It is a fact that the top producers in today’s home-based business sector are all fit and active in their lives-and many are over 60. There are documented connections among body, mind, and spirit. When all three are successfully in balance success will come more readily in all areas of your life. When any two or three are out of balance, then the result will be the same in other areas of your life. So build physical activity, fresh air, and healthy food into your life and routine. If you haven’t been doing that lately, then don’t aim at a 26K marathon as your next goal-be realistic. Simply do one or two things more, less, or differently, than you are currently doing. And stick with those until you experience the difference that they make. That will encourage you to set and achieve yet another goal.
It feels great to take back control of any part of your life; that is what redefining retirement is all about. Building these tips into your routine is pretty quick and easy. Taken seriously-done for even 30 days straight-they can help lead to some of the most satisfying results imaginable.
Brrriiiinnnnnggg! My timer just went off and so I’m outta here! And look-I just finished an article. Have a great day!