JAGGAR International

Sometimes, when you think of an idea for a side business, it’s when you have time spare to take action. Other times, it’s when you’re far too busy and demand that things could be done far more efficiently and that’s when the idea comes about.

For most of us, the idea is closer to the latter – we’re way too busy in life and believe that our idea could change the world for the better, simplify common everyday processes to create the world’s most valuable asset – time.

But how do you manage to explore or better yet, launch this grand idea when you’re juggling a full time job that usually eats into your spare time too, a family perhaps and other commitments?

For most of us, the answer is – you do it anyway. The luxury of time is something the great majority of entrepreneurs just do not have. We are all battling multiple jobs, scarce income and overwhelming stress and self-doubt all in favour of the belief that what we are building is worth it, that it will work out, that it will become everything we’ve imagnied so that one day, we won’t have to work so hard – the reality is that we’ll always work that hard though, it’s not in the nature of an entrepreneur to sit back and relax, it’s our nature to build, succeed and build again.

There are certain things that can help though:

1. Get Organised – as in OCD organised

Whether you’re coordinating family schedules, your business, your blog plan, your appointments or all of the above, post it notes and traditional calendars aren’t going to cut it. Utilising something like Google Calendars where you can synchronise multiple calendars into one place is your best bet and allows you to visually make sense of a busy week or month.

2. Don’t be afraid to say “no”

If you’re one of those people who has always invested themselves in their work to the point of taking work home and working until midnight or staying exceptionally late in the office, in order to successfully launch a business, you will have to learn how to say no and draw back to enable you to apply that passion for work to your own business. It’s the same with social engagements, now is the time where you need to start assessing what is important and what isn’t.

3. Get help

If you have a partner, here’s where those wedding vows get to work, “honey… this is poorer” – work together, coordinate, ask hubby to arrange pick ups if you have meetings, order the groceries online to save 2 hours at the supermarket, just remember that there needs to be an element of compromise. Hubby won’t be happy taking on all the responsibilities all of a sudden so make sure that for the health of your relationship at least, that you’re both finding a way for it to work equally.

4. Work on the go

The benefit of smartphones and tablets is that you can work anywhere and at anytime. Most entrepreneurs will be sending emails in the early morning and late into the evening, you can be updating your online store in the line at the supermarket (if you missed the point above about ordering online) or writing blog posts on your lunch break in the local cafe. You may not have a lot of spare time, but it’s all about leveraging what little time you do have.