How To Find The Time You Need To Create The Practice You Really Want

People often say to me, “I want a full pipeline. How much time do I REALLY need for marketing?”

Here’s the answer (that nobody wants to hear): a lot! Especially in the beginning. When you‘re just starting out, it’s not unusual to spend 40-50% of your time marked out for your business on the marketing. (In fact, some recommend 4 hours per day for that for the first 6 months to a year you‘re in business full time.)

Yes, I said “per day.” If you‘re building your business part-time to start, I recommend spending at least 10 hours per week on attracting clients.

If that seems impossible, I have good news and bad news. First, the bad news: You cannot change the laws of physics (as that guy from Star Trek used to say). The good news is, when you plant seeds, momentum builds - especially when you create simple marketing systems in this initial phase. Systems can cut the amount of time you spend marketing in half or more.

“That’s all well and good,” I hear you saying. “But where am I going to find that time right now?” Use my favorite exercise for finding the time you didn’t know you had: Time Discovery.

Like most things that get results, Time Discovery is simple - deceptively so, in fact. Here’s how it works…

When you say you don’t have time, that means that there’s something taking up your time in your schedule already.

Find the non-essentials that are eating up your time, eliminate them, and voila! You‘ve just discovered, and created, time for yourself, your business, the life you really want.

When you commit to this one concept, the results will be profound - and stretch far outside the realm of time in your life.

First, list all of the things that are taking up your time right now. Just jot down quickly whatever comes to mind. You might not account for everything, and that’s okay - you can finish later. You also might find it helpful to keep a record for a week or so. (This one exercise can be VERY illuminating.) If you‘re still in your job, focus on the time outside of your job. If you‘re working full-time in your practice now, concentrate on the time you‘re working in your practice.

Next, take a look at the list you just made. What can you eliminate, or at least put on hold for 6 months while you‘re focusing on attracting clients and laying the foundation for your dream practice?

You owe it to yourself, the people you serve and your dreams to be really committed here. Aim for at least 5. It’s so worth it! If you‘re having trouble, here are a few quick ideas:

Extra-curriculars that aren’t giving you much of a payoff. This is a biggie for me. As I’ve grown (both as The Marketing Goddess and as a fiction writer) I’ve said yes to a lot of little things under the guise of “getting my name out there” and “getting my foot in the door.” I’ve discovered that such commitments accomplish these goals far less often than I would like. I’ve got to really flex my tough love muscles here, but going forward, all activities will have to earn their keep. In dollars.

Super tough love time: Can you really afford to engage in drama, either yours or someone else’s? Whiners, complainers, and emotionally demanding people are stealing your life, second by second… with your consent. Harsh, but true. Successful people are ruthless about who they let into their circle. You should be, too.


Excessive television. ‘Nuff said!

Chores and errands. Batch them so you‘re doing them once or twice a week, max.

Congratulations - you‘ve just discovered some time you didn’t think you had! The next step is to use that time to build your practice and nothing else. How will you accommodate that new time, so that you can use it on the marketing activities that support your dreams?

Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, jut you can’t find any non-essentials to eliminate. If that’s you, it’s time to ask yourself one of my favorite clarifying questions:

What do you have to say NO to, in order to say YES to the practice you really want?

Your turn:

Take a good look at how you‘re spending your time by completing the Time Discovery exercise. Are your activities reflecting what you truly want, in your business and your life? If not, commit to making one small change that moves you forward towards your goals.

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