It was just 9 a.m. on Monday morning and now it’s noon. I meant to have this written and posted long before now. Ironically, the topic I wanted to write about was making time for blogging and marketing. And here I am, a living example of how hard it is. 

This post almost didn’t exist. I have a lot of very urgent things to take care of. They are important and the people for whom I am doing them are important. But the reason you are reading this is that I made it a priority over everything else. Yes, that’s difficult. There is no deadline. It’s not billable time. And there won’t be anyone calling and asking why it’s not done if it isn’t.

But, here is why I’ve made this a priority: You deserve great marketing, whether that’s your blog, your social media or sending emails to the people you met at the last networking meeting. People should know about what you do and how much you can help them. You are the one responsible for that.

So how do you make something like this a priority? One way is to think of yourself as your own client – a client who needs your time as much as everyone else. Start by setting parameters – decide how much time you can/should devote to this project this week. Two hours? Three hours? Ten? Maybe it won’t be as much as you want or think it needs, but start with what you can do. Then, schedule it. Make an appointment with yourself. Try breaking it down into smaller chunks of time – 30 minutes, 45 minutes or an hour. Set a timer and do nothing but work on the project for that amount of time. I usually set the timer for no more than 45 minutes knowing that is about the amount of time I can actually concentrate without distraction. Experts might call for a hard stop at that point. I admit that I may keep going if things are flowing.

Sometimes, I’ve put off getting going because I’m not sure where to start. There’s too much to do or I’m not sure what the priority should be. I’ve found it to be helpful to set the timer for a 15-minutee session to sort it out. Having that time helps me determine what’s actually holding me back and set up the steps for what I want to do next.

During your time, focus on the current activity rather than the finish. It may take longer than you expected and you may not get it done. But you will be closer. When you’re done, make a note of where you’ve left off and what comes next. One suggestion I’ve heard is to leave something undone so you have a place to start when you get back to a project.

Give yourself the time you’ve promised and don’t feel guilty or obliged to give more even if you didn’t finish what you want. The goal is long-term accomplishments, and if you take more time than you’ve set aside now, you may be less inclined to try this again. But, if you set aside three hours and actually give yourself those three hours, you will get something done. And you will have a better sense of what is realistic so that you’re not beating yourself up for not doing the impossible.

• How much time can you give yourself this week?
• When will you give yourself that time?
• What will you try to do during that time?

And please, pass along your hints and tips on time management – I’m always looking for ways to do things better!

If you want to talk about how to be more efficient with your marketing and blogging, send me an e-mail to set up a consultation, jpowell@excellentwriters.com