The want for more flexibility and ownership of our work schedule is one of the most common reasons I hear from clients and colleagues for starting a business. And yet...

I have a lot of thoughts on part time and flexible working. Like, a lot! I’m tempted to dive into those a little here, and yet I don’t trust that I have the self discipline to stop if I were to start. I’ve worked several variations of ‘part time’ and ‘flexible’ hours, both as an employee and entrepreneur, and both before and after becoming a mum. For now, I think it’s suffice to say that time spent working is not the thing that determines how much progress I make in my business.

That being said, I know that many of us here who are starting or running a business, do have real restrictions on our time. For me, the time I spend working on my business feels really precious and I do have this sense of wanting to ‘make the most’ of it.

So, here are my top 10 tips to do just that:

1, Know what you (really) want from your business

If you are anything like me, this is not a one-time question! It’s something that grows and evolves and changes, as life naturally does the same and as you learn more about yourself. I would really recommend checking in with yourself regularly to ask what it is that you really want from your business. Is it a particular level of income? Or is it connection with like minded people? Is it building your own community? Once you are clear on that, then choosing what you do and how you do it becomes a lot more simple.

2, Be super clear on how much time you (actually) have

I found it a really eye opening exercise to go through my calendar for a typical week and block out how much time I actually had to work. Once I’d factored in time to get the kids out to school, take a lunch break, do some exercise or fit in a yoga session, give my parents a call, the total number of hours was less than I’d imagined. In doing this, it’s also been really helpful for me to let go of the story that the amount of time I spend working is what indicates my level of commitment to my work.

3, Decide on your ‘must do’s’

This sort of goes back to the last two points. Once you know how much time you have and what you want to achieve, I’ve found it really helpful to pick a small number of things that I ‘must do’ each week. Now, when I say small, that might literally be one thing. It means that when inevitably someone gets sick or life throws a curve ball, you don’t have to spend the time prioritising, you know that you can drop the rest and just get your now thing done.

4, Plan the plan

Choose a time each week when you sit down and review the week ahead. In my own calendar, I have a certain number of recurring things that I do every week, and then some other times that are more open and flexible.

5, Prioritise action

I am a big advocate of small steps that fit your intention. I am also a very skilled procrasti-planner! If there’s something that I find a bit uncomfortable or don’t really want to do, then I will always find a behind-the-scenes job to keep me busy out of the spotlight! But planning only takes you so far! If the thought of an Insta post makes you cringe, then how about reaching out to someone directly or popping a comment on someone else’s post instead.

6, Work in cycles

I started working with cycles a few years back, but really embedded this idea last year when writing my book. As a physicist and lover of maths, I never thought of myself as particularly creative. But actually, I think so many projects benefit from a creative cycle approach. Experimenting, testing and iterating to find what works and what feels good.

7, Find community

I notice a distinct difference in my levels of focus when I am part of a group and when I am not. Your community might be one other friend, it might be an online group, it may be a WhatsApp thread. But either way, being around people who ‘get’ what you’re doing has been super duper valuable to me.

8, Observe yourself

I have learnt so much about myself from running a business, the good, the bad and the downright ugly! A lot of it, I’ve learned just from doing things (or not doing things!) and noticing how it feels. That being said, my own patterns of perfectionism are so well ingrained that often I can’t even see them myself, and so that’s when I’ve also found it super helpful to have support from my own coaches.

9, Practice gentle discipline

I’ve found that there’s a fine line in knowing whether you really don’t want to do something, or whether you just need a little nudge to get over the initial resistance. Especially when it’s evening time, and the kids have gone to bed and Netflix is calling! I would say to hold this one lightly, experiment a bit and learn which is which for you.

10, Bring the joy!

There is so much room for JOY in business! Choosing colours that you love, putting flowers on your desk, sending appreciation to those you work with, sipping on some lovely tea while you work, wrapping yourself in a blanket. Whatever it is that does it to you, bring the joy!

And with that, I’d really love to know your thoughts. Do you run your business part time? What is your biggest challenge? Do you have any tips to share back with me? Let me know in the comments below.