Reader —

Want to know the dirty secret about time management? It doesn't exist.

Time is a fixed resource that moves at a constant rate. That’s not something that can be managed.

When clients come to me, they usually have the following complaints:

• They feel overwhelmed, unable to keep up despite working constantly
• Their business is consuming their entire life. Family, health and relationships suffer.
• They feel guilty about not being "productive enough" even though they are exhausted

So while it’s not uncommon for women to tell me they need help with time management, what they are really saying is they want:

• More time with family and friends, without guilt
• A ratio of work-to-life that feels sustainable
• Freedom to step away from the business without everything falling apart
• Enough energy at the end of the day to have a life outside of work
• Confidence that they’re focusing on the right things in business

This is where true accountability and complete alignment support your success.

When your business is aligned to both your values and your goals, your priorities (and the boundaries protecting them) become clear. You avoid taking on too much responsibility. You stop defining success by other people’s standards. And all of that allows you to operate strategically instead of reactively.

Instead of trying to manage time, leverage it. Embrace the constraint presented by your allotted work hours and consider the following actions:

• Set clear goals that reflect your true definition of success
• Identify which activities directly drive results
• Focus on high-impact activities during peak performance times
• Match tasks to your natural working style and rhythms
• Say no to tasks that don't align with key objectives
• Build in recovery time to maintain sustainable output
• Develop routines that support consistent execution
• Build accountability systems to stay on track

If you’re looking for help with any of the above, reply here to get the conversation started.

I’m cooking up a plan for the beginning of the year that specifically addresses the last two bullet points (which women tend to struggle with the most).

Not ready to talk about it quite yet, but when I am, you’ll be the first to know about it.

To embracing the fixed resource of time,

Gwen

Beware the Growth Trap

Most entrepreneurs believe that working harder and adding more resources is the path to success. But what if that approach is actually holding you back?

This week on the podcast, Tonya and I unpack the critical difference between growing and scaling. Growth is usually more of everything — more revenue and more resources to support the actions driving the revenue. Scaling, on the other hand, means revenue is increasing while resources are maintained (increasing profitability).

If you're tired of working longer hours without seeing proportional results, this episode will show you how to break free from the growth trap and create the sustainable, profitable business you really want.