Running a business is full of responsibilities and obligations, and it can be easy to lose control of how you spend your time. But how you spend your time determines the success of your business.
If you feel like you aren’t doing what you want to be doing in your business or soul-centered project, chances are good that your priorities do not match how you spend your actual time.
And, if you’re not spending your business time according to your priorities, chances are good that you’ll feel stressed, dissatisfied, tired or disappointed with your work life.
For example, if you highly value developing your network of colleagues, but instead focus a lot of energy and time on operational details, then you are likely feeling harried and disconnected from like-minded practitioners. Or, if your biggest desire is to grow your business, but your time is actually spent running errands and doing paperwork, unfortunately, your life won’t magically open up more time for marketing your business.
You need to prioritize what’s most important & then set the intention to make it happen.
Align your business with your priorities and your values:
1) Clarify What’s Important
Make a list of everything in your business or project that is important to you. This can include expanding your prospect list, developing new programs or offerings, marketing, cultivating referrals, etc. Get specific with this list. For example, instead of simply listing "networking”, perhaps list particular individuals or groups of colleagues who are important to your business.
2) Rank What’s Important
Order your list in number of importance to you. This is now your priority list.
3) Identify Your Top Three
Now, take a look at the top three items on your list. Star them. Ask yourself: Are these really my top priorities in life, or are some of these items "shoulds" or "obligations"? If there are any shoulds or obligations, re-prioritize so that your top three really connect with you on a heart/soul level. Some questions to ask yourself are:
- Am I excited about this item?
- How do I feel when I devote time to this item?
- Is there anything I would rather do than this item?
4) How Do You Really Spend Your Time?
Is the majority of your actual time devoted to the top three things on your list? If yes, wonderful! If not – what are you spending your time doing instead? If that’s not a top priority item: why are you spending your time on it? Do you actually need to be spending time on it, or is it simply a distraction? Can it be delegated?
This 4-step process will help you get clarity on how you want to spend your time versus how you actually do spend your time. It will also help you uncover what’s important and why you spend time on things that are not priorities.
Once you do that, then you can move on to the next level, which is to create a detailed plan of how those priorities will play out week by week in your schedule.
In your business or your personal life, do you have a ton of little things constantly requiring your attention? 
There isn’t a perfect time to take care of all these distractions, but you can’t allow that to get in the way of accomplishing your bigger dreams and goals with ease and joy. If you want to make room for success, one of the best ways to do that is to clear away these annoying chores and distractions from your business and your life. 
Do you feel like you spend countless hours writing, thinking about, organizing, or reading email? Ever look at the clock after reading emails and wonder where the time went? I know I’ve had that experience. 
Step 1: Separate the Personal From Professional 
Step 2: Reduce Incoming Emails 
Step 3: Get Organized 
Imagine yourself at the bottom of a breathtakingly beautiful mountain. The trees are magnificent, the birds are lovely, and the flowers are exquisite. You want to climb this mountain and marvel in the view from the peak because you know it’s one of the most amazing sights in the world. 
This powerful tool is what I like to call the mini action step. 
As you can see, the mini action step is truly TINY, but it can pack a powerful punch! 
Guest Post by Elizabeth Grace Saunders
I must start by saying: "It’s not your fault." 
The point behind my INO Technique is to help you get clear on what time investment has the most value and to allocate your 24 hours in a day accordingly. Here are the three categories that you can use to group your daily activities: 
Do you have a plan for your soul-centered project, but not enough time, arms, legs, or energy to get everything done? Have you ever wished that you could clone yourself to get the help you need? Do you ever wonder, even for a moment, what it might be like if you had all the support you needed so that you could focus on the bigger picture of bringing your vision into reality? 
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