3 Steps to Guilt Free Fun!

I have a great day planned and I’m super excited! First I’m meeting a friend for lunch in a new trendy restaurant in a part of town I don’t visit often, then we’re taking a walk along the riverbank to the Tate Modern where we will see the Andy Warhol exhibition.

Does that sound like fun to you? It’s heaven for me. But what about all the other stuff I need to do? I’m launching a digital course in a few weeks, I have a live webinar to prepare, I have to do all the back end stuff like sales pages, checkout pages, email sequences and ads preparation, half term is coming up and I will have 6 back in the house for two weeks and on and on…

Does this ever happen to you? You want to do something fun for yourself, but all the things get in the way. Whether it’s all the stuff you have to do for work or for your family, a layer of guilt washes over you and tells you that you can’t take the time for yourself.

This used to happen to me all the time, especially when the kids were younger. I felt that time spent working on my business or on myself was taking away from the time that I “should” be spending with my kids. But here’s the thing, as a stay at home mum, I spent loads of time with my kids. That’s why I became an entrepreneur in the first place, to spend my time in the way I wanted according to my own schedule.

Sound familiar?

So why did I feel so bad about spending time on myself or my work before? And more importantly, how come I don’t feel bad about it anymore?

The answer my friend, is that:

1. I clearly defined my priorities
2. I allocated time to each of those priorities
3. I made the work hours really count so that I could enjoy my other hours guilt free

Let me break those 3 steps down for you a bit.

1. Define Your Priorities

It’s not all about work and it’s not all about family time and it’s not all about me time. There is a balance to be found between the three and that balance is completely different for every person. I have a great 5-minute video that illustrates this beautifully called Big Rocks for a Happier Life – check it out here. Discovering what that balance is for you begins by asking yourself some big questions about how you really want to spend your time. Some questions to get you started include:

• How many hours a week do you want to work?
• How much exercise do you want to do?
• What are non-negotiable family hours?

2. Plan it In

I always say that if it’s not in my calendar, then it doesn’t exist. Why? Because there are too many things coming at me every day and too many things already in my head to retain even half of them.  By recording my tasks in my calendar, two very important things happen:

1. I define and clarify how my time will be spent. There is no confusion about what I’m supposed to be doing with that hour because I have it written down in front of me. I know exactly what I need to do next and there are no excuses not to get cracking!

2. I make a commitment to spending that time in the way I have decided. This bit is super important because not keeping commitments with ourselves is where so many of my students struggle – and I did too! For example, if you allocate two hours to writing a sales page, that’s a commitment you have made to yourself and your business and you know that it is critical to moving your business forward. No sales page, no sales, no money, right? It’s not email time, it’s not internet “research time” it’s not take a walk with my husband time, it’s work time. This also applies to exercise, other self-care and family time. Make a commitment, write it down and stick to it.

3. Make Those Hours Count

I said it before, and I’ll say it again: multitasking is not a good thing – that’s fake news. It has been scientifically proven that trying to do more than one thing at a time seriously compromises our ability to complete tasks safely and well. Equally important, repeatedly switching back and forth from project to project, can impair our ability to function at our finest.

When you are doing something, make it count. Go all in and meet your commitment at 110% so that you know the rest of your time is free for you. For example, I have set aside this morning for filming, writing and editing. Once I have worked through my tasks in the time I have set aside I am done. I will be satisfied that I met my commitment to myself, worked on an activity that genuinely moves my business forward because it is tied directly into my goals and that I went all in and did it well. That means that I can go to lunch and an art exhibit with my friend and enjoy it - guilt free. I can fit all these things in because I have established what is most important to me and when I’m going to do it.

I know that sometimes it’s hard to figure out what you should focus on and prioritise in your calendar and that’s why I have created an amazing free resource for you called:

6 Easy Steps for Female Entrepreneurs to Get More Done in Less Time

If you are trying to take your business to the next level, but don't know where to start, then you can use my step-by-step process to identify the crucial activities you MUST focus on right now to get bigger results in your business (in less time).

With my FREE worksheet, you just follow the steps to get more big wins while spending less time and energy to make them happen. Just click the link above and get your free copy today!

I would love to hear about how you spent some guilt free time recently. Let me know in the comments below!

Committed to your success,

Marina x