Managing Time and Energy When Working for Yourself

One of the great things about working for yourself is that nobody tells you when to start.

One of the dangerous things about working for yourself is that nobody tells you when to stop.

That can become a problem pretty quickly.

When you’re working for somebody else, there’s usually a schedule. You clock in. You clock out. Maybe you work too much anyway, but at least there’s some sort of boundary.

When you work for yourself, especially from home, the work is always sitting there.

The computer is there.

The phone is there.

The unfinished project is there.

The email is there.

And if you’re anything like me, your brain has a bad habit of reminding you about all of it right about the time you’re trying to relax.

At 74, I’ve come to think less about time management and more about energy management.

Because having three free hours doesn’t necessarily mean I have three good working hours in me.

That distinction matters.

I Try to Do the Important Work When I’m Sharpest

Everybody has a time of day when they do their best thinking.

For some people, that’s early morning.

For others, it’s later in the day.

I’ve learned that it makes no sense to waste my best mental hours doing something mindless if I have work that actually requires thought.

If I need to write, plan, make decisions, research something, or work through a problem, I try to do that when my brain is cooperating.

Then I can save easier tasks for later.

Uploading.

Answering simple messages.

Organizing files.

Checking something off a list.

That may sound obvious, but I think a lot of us do it backward.

We burn up our best hours doing little things because they’re easy to start.

Then when it’s time to do the hard thing, our brain has already gone home.

I Don’t Try to Do Everything Every Day

This has taken me a while to learn.

There are always more things I could be doing.

Videos.

Articles.

Amazon Influencer work.

Website updates.

Emails.

Garden work.

Projects around the place.

Research.

Planning.

And the list can get ridiculous in a hurry.

If I try to touch every category every day, I usually end up doing a little bit of everything and finishing almost nothing.

That’s not very satisfying.

I’d rather decide what kind of day it is.

Maybe today is a filming day.

Maybe it’s a writing day.

Maybe it’s an outside-work day.

Maybe I need to spend the morning on the website and leave everything else alone.

Grouping similar work together helps.

It also saves all the mental gear-shifting.

And at this age, if I can avoid unnecessary gear-shifting, I’m all for it.

I Pay Attention to Setup Time

This is one of those little things that can eat a day.

If I’m going to film one product, I have to set up the camera, lighting, background, maybe a microphone, maybe move things around.

That takes time.

So if I’m already set up, I’d rather film several products.

Same with writing.

If I’ve got my brain in article mode, I’d rather write more than one thing if I’m on a roll.

Same with errands.

Same with garden work.

Same with anything that has setup and teardown.

Batching work saves more time than people realize.

And it also saves energy.

I Leave Room for the Real World

This is especially important once you’re retired or semi-retired.

I don’t want every day planned down to the minute.

That sounds too much like the life I was trying to get away from.

Things come up.

Weather changes.

Family calls.

Something breaks.

I decide I’d rather be outside than sitting at a computer.

That’s okay.

The schedule should serve the life.

The life shouldn’t serve the schedule.

I like having a plan.

I just don’t like having a plan that acts like a parole officer.

I Take Breaks Before I Need Them

This one has become more important with age.

When I was younger, I could push through things for a long time.

Now I’ve learned there’s not much glory in sitting at a desk another two hours while accomplishing approximately nothing.

Sometimes the smart move is to get up.

Walk outside.

Get some water.

Move around.

Do something physical.

Let your brain cool off.

Then come back.

I’ve solved more than one problem after stepping away from it.

There’s a reason ideas show up in the shower, in the garden, or while driving down the road.

Your brain was finally given a little room to work.

Physical Movement Helps More Than I Used to Think

If you work online, it’s easy to sit too much.

Very easy.

You start answering email.

Then you check something on a website.

Then you edit something.

Then you realize two hours disappeared and the only muscles you’ve used are your fingers.

I don’t think that’s good for anybody.

Especially not as we get older.

So I like mixing desk work with physical work.

Go outside.

Walk.

Work in the garden.

Move something.

Stretch.

Do a project.

It doesn’t have to be some heroic fitness program.

Just don’t let the chair win.

I Try to Finish the Day Before I’m Completely Worn Out

This is another thing I’ve changed my thinking on.

I used to think productivity meant squeezing every last drop out of the day.

Now I think there’s value in stopping while you still have a little gas left in the tank.

If I work until I’m completely burned out, tomorrow usually pays for it.

If I stop at a reasonable point, I’m more likely to come back fresh.

There’s nothing noble about running yourself into the ground for a side hustle.

Especially after retirement.

That seems like poor planning.

I Keep My To-Do List Shorter Than It Used to Be

I like lists.

They help.

But there’s a point where a to-do list stops being useful and starts becoming a written record of your failures.

If there are 37 things on the list, I already know how the day ends.

With 29 things left.

So I’d rather identify the few things that actually matter.

What would make today productive?

What needs to get done?

What would be nice if I get to it?

Those are different categories.

Not everything deserves the same priority.

And frankly, some things on the list probably shouldn’t be on the list at all.

I Protect Time for Things That Don’t Make Money

This is easy to forget when you’re self-employed.

If something doesn’t make money, it can start to feel unproductive.

That’s nonsense.

Time with family matters.

Time outside matters.

Hobbies matter.

Travel matters.

Rest matters.

Sitting on the porch doing absolutely nothing for a while can matter.

Not every hour has to be monetized.

If you turn your whole life into a revenue opportunity, eventually you’ve just invented another job.

That’s not what I’m after.

I Try to Notice When a Project Is Draining More Than It Gives Back

Some projects are tiring but worthwhile.

Others are just tiring.

There’s a difference.

If something constantly frustrates me, takes too much time, produces very little, and keeps getting shoved to the bottom of the list, I try to pay attention to that.

Maybe it needs a better system.

Maybe I need help.

Maybe it needs to be simplified.

Or maybe I need to stop doing it.

That last option doesn’t get enough respect.

Sometimes quitting a bad project is one of the best time-management decisions you can make.

I Don’t Confuse Busy With Productive

This one is dangerous.

You can spend all day doing things.

Answering messages.

Checking stats.

Moving files.

Tweaking little details.

Researching.

Reorganizing.

And at the end of the day, nothing important actually moved forward.

That’s busy.

Productive is different.

Did I publish something?

Finish something?

Film something?

Solve something?

Make a decision?

Move a real project forward?

That’s what I care about.

Activity feels good.

Progress is better.

I Try to Build a Life I Don’t Need a Vacation From

That may be the whole point.

I don’t want to work so hard at retirement that I need to retire from retirement.

I want useful work.

Interesting projects.

Some income.

Time outside.

Time to learn.

Time to be lazy now and then.

Time to change my mind.

That balance won’t look the same every week.

And I don’t think it needs to.

The goal isn’t perfect scheduling.

The goal is having enough structure to get things done without letting work take over the life you were trying to build in the first place.

At this stage of life, I’m not trying to see how much work I can cram into a day.

I’m trying to make sure the work I do is worth the time and energy it costs me.

That’s a much better measurement.

SeniorGig.com