The headline got you, right? I mean, who doesn’t want to save time, save money, and get more done? But can you really do that? Is that an achievable goal?
Yes, yes, it is! And I know so because after years of struggling, I have finally cracked the code. If you are anything like me, your life is busy, too busy. Between work, travel, my family, and friends I struggled to get it all done. Every single day, I felt like my “to do” list got longer, not shorter, and I was always running late and falling behind. Sound familiar?
Finally, the pain got bad enough that I had to make a change, I had to do something different. That is when a friend introduced me to this concept of managing your energy instead of trying to manage your time.
The concept is simple. Time is a finite resource and you only have so much of it. But energy, that is a different story. You can manage energy, how much you have, build, and lose. And an increase in energy will help you save time, save money, and actually get more done.
How? You have to deeply understand what and who gives you energy, and who and what takes your energy away, and then manage the process. Manage the process by focusing more on what fuels energy into you, and deleting as much as you can that takes your energy away. Then balance energy deleting tasks with energy fueling tasks.
Let me give you an example. I hate housework – on so many levels. I am not good at it, and it takes me forever to do. In addition, as hard as I work outside of my home, the last thing I want to do when I have a day off is clean my house.
But I also love a clean house, I love to entertain, and I love a house that is lived in and used. So, for me, a task that deletes my energy is housework. So rather than continue to muscle my way through it, I made the decision to hire Merry Maids to clean my house. After a lot of research, and a lot of interviews, I decided they were my best choice.
They made it so easy, I could handle all bookings and communications online, which meant I could do it on my own time and when it was most convenient for me. They also provided a coordinator to communicate and keep me updated about my appointments. Both of which saved me a lot of time.
The level of trust and constant updates Merry Maids provides meant I did not have to be home while my house was being cleaned. Which meant I could meet with clients, go on sales calls, and focus on growing my own business. All of which has made me more money and ensured I made much better use of my time.
And lastly, by getting rid of a task that I don’t like to do, and quite frankly I am not good at, I was able to invest more time in my family and my hobbies, giving me the ability to get more done.
Have I convinced you? Are you ready to try?
3 Must-Have Strategies To Save Time, Save Money, and Get More Done
Take Inventory
Of yourself, your life, your career, and your goals. What are you good at? What do you love to do? Where do you love spending your time and energy and what do you hope to achieve?
Now switch gears and make a list of what you don’t enjoy doing. What aren’t you good at? What seems to drain your energy? Once you have written it all down, the good, the bad, the ugly, put what you love to do in one column, and what you don’t like to do in the other.
Understanding what pours energy into you, and what depletes your energy will give you good insight into what increases your capacity and almost more importantly, what decreases your capacity.
Stop Doing What You Don’t Want To
If only it were that easy, right? But the truth is, while you cannot get rid of everything you don’t want to do, there is a lot to do that you do not have to be the one doing. The more you can fill your calendar with what fills energy into you, and then decrease what takes it out, the more energy you will have.
This week Maranda and Cassie with Merry Maids were cleaning my house, and ever curious, I asked how they got into this line of work. Both shared how much they love to clean – floors, windows, bathrooms. Plus, they both shared how happy it makes them to make their homeowners happy. See, cleaning houses pours energy into them while it takes it out of me. By hiring them to clean my house, I was able to fuel both our energies.
Hire A Pro
And last but not least, once your list of “What You Don’t Want To Do” is complete, it’s time to hire a pro. This gig economy is amazing, and you can hire anyone to do anything. Don’t like organizing your closet? Hire a pro.
Don’t like running errands? Hire a pro — Or if you are like me and don’t like cleaning your house, hire Merry Maids!