Filling Your Days

Image Courtesy of Red Stamp

Yesterday, I asked you to reflect on your days… how are you truly spending your time?  There are days where we are working to a MAXIMUM.  And, there are also days that we seem to be working a full day, but have not done so.  Why do we sit at our desks “working” when we are not always WORKING?  Is there better way to spend our time – and why do we feel like we should be sitting there from 9 to 5?

Working the 8 hour day in 4 hours

Lately, I’ve noticed something about myself.  There are days when I’m “working” for 8 hours or more, but in reality the output is worth less than that.  I’ve been trying to figure out how this has happened.  When I look back on the last several years, I became much more efficient when I gave birth to my daughter.  It is in this time that I learned how to smash 8 hours worth of work into 4 hours.  I didn’t work any less than before, I just worked smarter.  In fact, in her first year, I co-founded Get Hitched Give Hope in addition to running my invitation business.  (In hindsight, this was insane… but somehow it all got done.)

Since my daughter started school 6 months ago, my “work time” is much more consistent and I’m not having to squeeeeeeeeeeze in my work into a short time frame.  I have much longer “work hours” while she is in school.  But, when I take a hard look at my days, I’m not always accomplishing a great deal more with the 8 hour days than with the 4 hour days.  There are certainly “full throttle days”… but there are also days that I worked 8 hours but the output is only 4.

This also happens during busy season.  We work full days and then on weeks where we have down time, we continue to sit “working” even though things are slower.  We are accustomed to the pace of a very full 8-12 hour day… and even when our day is not as full, we continue to “work” for 8 to 12 hours.

So, what to do?

There are 2 questions I have…  One has to do with productivity.  And, the other has to do with work-life balance.  The first: do I need to fill my 8 hour day?  The latter: do I accept the 4 hour day when I have it?

Do I fill the 8 hour day?

Are we being as productive as we need to be?  There are so many distractions these days that sometimes it feels like we are working, but we are not.  We spend time on social media that is not always “real work”.  We spend time multi-tasking so we feel busy… but in reality, we are doing a lot of little nothings.  (Make sure to read our post on the perils of multi-tasking.)  Are there “business things” we should be working on?  Do we need to be better about filling our 8 hour day with 8 hours of work?  Do we need to be better at focusing?

If the answer to these questions is “yes, yes, yes, yes, yes” then you may be wasting time.  I recommend you truly start journaling your time.  Right down how you spend your days to truly see where you are losing time.  (Chic Wedding Geek, Terrica Skaggs, has some great time tracking tools for this.)

This is sort of like dieting: journaling what food you put in your mouth is helpful in knowing the “extras” that your body does not need (and are not so good for you).  Seeing how you spend your time can be very eye-opening at learning the “extras” that you do not need in your business or your personal life.

Do I accept a 4 hour day?

What if you feel that you are accomplished in your work day?  OH SURE – a business owner’s work is NEVER done!  It’s true.  But, truth be told… it is not every day that we “work” 8 hours and have 8 hours of output.  What happens if you only work those 4 hours instead of 8 from time to time?  What if – instead of sitting at your desk from the obligatory 9 to 5 – you WORK only from 9 to 1 and call it a day?  What if you spend some of that extra time on yourself or your family?

I know some of this is CRAZY talk… especially during busy season.  And, I know that so many of us are maxed out these days, unable to accomplish our to do lists in an 8 hour day (or even a 12 hour day).

However, I want you to be honest with yourself about your time… and how we spend our days.  We have the freedom and flexibility as business owners to spend our time how we WANT to.  So, take time into your own hands… no one is forcing you to sit there from 9 to 5 (or 9 to 9).  It’s OK to work a 4 hour day, as long as your business needs are being met.

Thoughts?  Are you OK only WORKING 4 hours from time to time?  Or, do you feel guilty?