2 min read…

time (as a noun) is a precious commodity; probably the most valuable of all our assets. time moves only in one direction. It’s possible to move forward in time, but never back…unless of course we. live in the world of Back to the Future!

noun

• the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole. “I cannot get that time back.”
• a point of time as measured in hours and minutes past midnight or noon. “the time is 9.30

verb

• plan, schedule, or arrange when (something) should happen or be done. “the flight is timed for 12.15.”
• measure the time taken by (a process, activity, etc., or a person doing it). “we were timed during the exam.”

Clients turn to the service of a PA for many reasons. Generally, that reason evolves around the need to spend their time elsewhere or doing other tasks. In many cases, I’ve found my clients also seek a work-life balance. If you cannot budget for the services of a PA then here are a few time-saving hacks:

Most people should ‘eat the frog’ on a daily basis. For those who are not familiar with the phrase, it is a method that was made well-known by productivity consultant Brian Tracy. His book Eat the Frog: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time is worth a read. To save you time, (did you see what I did there?!) the general principle is to remove the one task that requires your most energy and focus; so do that task first thing. And if you have two frogs to eat, then line them up in order of the heaviest. As a PA to ultra high net worth clients who demand a very high and fast standard of work, I’m regularly eating heavy frogs!

Next, on my list of time-saving principles is to have ‘social media boundaries.’ I know I don’t need to expand on this, as we all know what happens when we start scrolling. Get strict with your social media time! Work out the best time to post; that gets you the best engagement. Then schedule fifteen minutes to post and interact with your engagement. Then leave it at that! Break free from the distraction that often leads you to loosing hours. Practice. Practice. Practice. Very much like an exercise regime or an eating plan, it requires discipline. You will fall off from time to time, but work at it. When you start to see results the motivation to keep those boundaries will start to reap you rewards and productivity where it is needed.

My third nugget of time-saving hacks – make a plan! I can’t say this enough. Plan your week either using a digital diary or even a notebook and pencil. Use what works best for you. Try to plan out weekly and spread out the energy-draining tasks throughout the week. Try to identify those tasks that reap direct financial rewards and prioritise, but don’t ignore the admin that supports those money making appointments. Admin is often the scaffolding that holds up the building during the construction phase.

On that note, I bid you farewell and hope you are inspired. Feel free to drop me a note if any worked well, or even any ideas on time-saving you wish to share.

Ana