Making Time For Your Dream Venture Until You Can Afford the Housekeeper

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I had the pleasure of hearing Dan Morris of Letters From Dan speak at BEECH retreat. One thing he talked about was that bloggers should invest a portion of their profits in their stock holders and their stock holders are their family.

His suggestion for investment, hire a housekeeper to free up time to spend with family. I agree with what he said, but what do you do while your waiting for your dream venture to yield a profit?

How in all the chores of life does one make time for their dream venture and not push aside the needs of their loved ones (their shareholders)?

Here is how I am making time for my dream

1. I  am becoming okay with the imperfect

I try not to look at clutter piles and see failure, instead I try to see time spent playing a board game with my daughter.

2. I am becoming okay with asking family members to help

My children realize if they help me with chores it means I have time to sit down and cuddle and watch a movie with them.

They also realize by helping with chores they are freeing up my time to follow my dream of  freeing their dad of over time hours through blogging, and they love helping me with that. Hopefully one day I can return the favor.

3. I am accepting good enough

Our meals are simple yet generally nutritious, and that is okay.

4. I am allowing myself to choose the easy way out sometimes

I would love to say we eat a 100% whole foods diet, but its more like a 75% whole foods and 25% convenience food and that allows me to keep a window of time open for blogging every day no matter how busy we are with other activities.

5. I am saying no to self

I love to work out, A LOT. When I first complained to my husband about not finding enough time in the day to blog successfully  he pointed out that perhaps I could cut back the workouts.

I won’t lie I didn’t like him at that moment but he was right.I have now cut the length of my workouts way down.

6. I am becoming the queen of multitasking the fluffy stuff

Tasks that don’t need my full concentration I multitask . For example, I listen to podcasts on improving my blog while baking. I read books on topics I write about while warming up and cooling down on the treadmill.

7. I am saying no

I don’t go to every event I am invited to. I don’t do everything I am asked to do.

8. I am getting up early

I am an early bird by nature, like 5 am early. I use these morning hours to get work done before the children need me. When they are up they become my top priority.

9. I rarely watch TV

I probably watch 1 hour of TV a week and I am usually doing other mindless tasks while watching it.

10. I am sacrificing my Saturday

Saturday use to be my do what I felt like day. Now my hubby takes over caring for the kids and making dinner and I spend the day writing.

These sacrifices I hope one day will lead to the ability to pay back my shareholders, but hiring a house keeper is second on my list. First I want to pay back my biggest and most supportive shareholder, my husband, I dream of the day I can tell him “say no to over time”.

How about you? What are or could you do to make time for your dream venture without harming your shareholders?

How to Handle 1000 Things At Once is one of my favorite time management books, Aslett does an amazing job of showing his readers how to use their time wisely to get more things done.