Sister Snog

British summer time. Lazy hazy days, ice-cold lemonade, cupcakes in the garden, buttermilk scones, home made jam and clotted cream. So you have to say goodbye to an extra hour under the duvet. So what? But imagine if you could actually get it back. And some. Just conjure up another 60 minutes a day. Every day. What would you do? Get some exercise. Have a relaxing massage. Catch up with a friend you haven’t spoken to in ages. Or would you answer a few more emails, send a couple of extra tweets and fill the minutes with more work.

Stressing about a lack of time is pretty widespread. Yet there are people who find time for a daily workout, a hobby, a family, a social life. And run a business.

You could aspire to be Mrs Thatcher and train yourself to exist on four hours’ sleep a night. But would you really want to end up looking like the Iron Lady. Debatable. 

Want to magic that extra hour a day? 

All it takes are just a few minor adjustments.

One for each day of the week.

MONDAY Less is more 
OK so lists may serve a purpose. However if you're a List Queen, here’s a radical thought. Abdicate. Strip down those endless lists to the bare bones. Learn from glossies on packing a capsule wardrobe.  Take your list. Halve it. And halve it again. Everything doesn’t have to be done today. And you don’t have to do everything. Become a Mistress of the art of delegation.

TUESDAY Three is the magic number
Take three tasks. Work on them. If you find one hard going, rotate them and work on each for 20 minutes at a time. Then come back and finish what you started. And www.teuxdeux.com is a nifty little tool which can help you mange your tasks.

WEDNESDAY Keep it real
Be realistic about the timeframe. If you have three hours, you’ll know from experience what you can expect to accomplish. If this is the first time you’re working on a given task, under-promise so that you can over-deliver. Less stress for everyone.

THURSDAY Delicious distractions
Ignore pings, pokes and tweets however amusing, interesting or diverting. Turn them off. Put aside 20 minutes or so at the beginning and end of the day (and the middle if you’ve gone cold turkey) when you can respond. It's rare an immediate response is expected. Try it. You’ll be amazed at how much you get done without become a social media slave.

FRIDAY Meet yourself
Set regular meetings. With yourself. On the agenda. Expenses. PR and marketing. Planning and development.  Turn up at the same time every week and treat yourself with the same respect you would any other important client. Down to the biscuits.

SATURDAY All systems go
This is hard to get your head round if you think of yourself as a spontaneous type but if you have a system in place for managing contacts, expenses, subscriptions, account passwords, standard e-mail responses and client contacts you won’t waste time looking for information. And might even have time for a spot of spontaneity.

SUNDAY Life beyond the desk
Tied to your desk?  Stop worrying about the world crashing down while you’re away. Even better. Let someone else do the nitty gritty.  Use a call minding service, find a bookkeeper and hire a VA. Taking time out feeds the mind. Grab a cappuccino. Walk the dog. Or better still, as you've found some extra time book the next Sister Snog event and hook up with the Sisters! 

And start a new week with an extra day. Who says you can’t have 8 days a week?