Gold Time

Have you noticed that there are times when you get into a flow, and get so much done you surprise yourself?

When I was a single working mom writing my first book, I had to find time that was quiet and mine alone. I chose to get up at 4:30 am. Then I had an hour to write before I got ready for work, made sure my daughter was up and on her way to school, and was on the road to the hospital by 7:00 am. The rest of the day belonged to my job and my daughter, but that first hour was all mine.

My work has always required I read or work on projects outside of the usual work day. I resolve that need by using my “gold time” early in the morning. As an entrepreneur, I restrict business meetings and phone calls as much as possible to the afternoon and evening. If I must attend a meeting early in the day, it tends to eat up my most productive time. So especially when I am on a deadline, I stay in the office and work.

Not everyone is a morning person, and you don’t want to force yourself to try to work then if it doesn’t suit you. Maybe you get a second wind late afternoon, or after everyone else in the family is tucked in for the night. If you may find your evenings are better for creative thinking, you need to learn how to carve out that time for yourself. It has always amazed me that a writer like Debbie Macomber managed to start writing in the kitchen after taking care of her husband and four kids. No one could argue she knows how to create magic out of the time she had. Over her career she has sold over 170 million books.

As a business owner, you can decide when you want to work and control your schedule to make sure you work on the most challenging projects during your Gold Time.

Do you have any pointers that could help others to keep Gold Time on target? Would love to hear from you.

Dr. Kaaren