In an alternate universe, which we now know as our pre-pandemic lives, we can juggle our work, a small startup, and child care. The kids go to school in the morning, leaving it wide open for us to go to work and manage a small business on the side. But the pandemic disarrayed this carefully-woven schedule of ours. We are now struggling with working at home, homeschooling the kids, and managing a business remotely. This wasn’t how we imagined 2020.
Business
You started your business a year or two ago, thinking that the economy is on an upswing. Who would have thought that after your planning and obsessive accounting of the balance sheet, you’ll still be struggling with paying your loan for your small business? You thought you were over the hump a year ago when you made some strides in your business.
Use technology to manage your business better. Since you’re strictly following quarantine rules, use the internet to reach customers and manage employees. Think of ways you can boost your product line. Find out what the market needs right now and carve a niche for yourself. You have to make your business work for you, and not the other way around.
Employment
How much time do you need to be working? Can you ask your boss to put you on flexible working hours? This way, if you’re done with your work ahead of the eight-hour shift, you can log off early and take care of your other tasks for the day. You can also get in as much household work as you can on weekends, so you can focus more on work on weekdays.
At best, you need to be in front of your laptop until five in the afternoon. Make every second productive. Finish as much as you can, so you don’t need to extend the hours or log on during weekends. Focus on your work alone because it demands that from you. Don’t get sidetracked by TV shows, snacks, and other mundane things around the house.
Child Care
Who will take care of the kids while you are on your desk? Can you bring them to the business site? Or, can you make a schedule with your partner about who needs to take care of the kids on a particular day and time?
The kids are your priority. Even though you have demands coming in from all aspects of your life, put your kids above it all. Healthy and happy kids will make you a better employer and employee, too. If you know that your house is in order, you can focus better on your job and in running your business.
Time management is a tricky little skill not everyone is born with. It’s a continuous learning process. You have to be committed and dedicated. You have to eliminate all kinds of distractions so you can actually follow the schedule you set for yourself. And above all that, you need to know your priorities. Once you have a clear vision of what you have to do and who you are doing it for, it becomes easier to manage your time.
