Are you time poor and overwhelmed?

So many people, both friends and clients, that I speak with lately, seem to be complaining about how busy they are. I have to admit, even me!

Although even though I sometimes (well maybe often) complain, the truth is that how busy we are is up to us. We decide what to give priority to in our lives and if we don’t make these decisions through conscious thought and planning then generally we are not taking ownership of our time.

We all have the same amount of time and we have the power to make the decisions that will affect how much time we feel we have.

Last month the topic of Time Management was covered in a call with my Inner Circle members, and it re-inforced for me that I have to remain disciplined and focused on my time. Otherwise time thieves will quickly swallow my time - things like surfing the internet, emails, tv, coffee breaks, chatting - you know the culprits!

Now considering so many of us are complaining of being time poor, there are many of us spending hours on social sites like Twitter and Facebook. Why is this so and is it a waste of time or a time investment?

I’ve been spending more time on Twitter lately because I do truly believe it’s a valuable social and business tool. However when in work mode I think it’s important to have a plan and rules around how much time you will spend on social sites to avoid leaving yourself with no time to get your work done.

Social Media is still a relatively new time eater, but it is certainly proving popular and the mainstream media are loving it. You’ll find the likes of Channel 7’s Sunrise program, Rove McManus, Mia Freedman, Kyle and Jackie O all participating actively on Twitter.

I’m certainly no Twitter expert (it really hasn’t been around long enough for many to claim that status!). But in my time participating in Twitter I’ve picked up many new newsletter subscribers (if you are one of these, then thanks & welcome :)) and I’ve picked up at least 2 new clients.

So imagine, if I spent even more time tweeting would this mean I would get even more subscribers and clients? … that’s the thing, I’m not entirely sure it would. Oops sorry if that’s not what you were expecting me to say.

If you are using Social Media it is very easy to get hooked and for it to swallow up your time. Be strong, be informed and be disciplined. Always keep in mind your business goals and priorities, and put a limit on the amount of time you will spend on these sites.

There is not much point picking up a new client on Twitter if at the same time you are losing an existing client because you are too busy to return their call or do their work.

Be sensible people and I’ll tweet to you on Twitter

You can connect with me on Twitter www.twitter.com/webchameleon

by Belinda Jackson

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