Are you overworked? This might help

Do you feel as though you're being overworked? Sidnee Peck, Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship, provides a basic outline for utilizing your time more efficiently.

By Sidnee Peck  |  Director, Center for Entrepreneurship

Because of some limitations on resources, I am working much harder and longer than I think is sustainable. What can I do to get out of this cycle?

It’s a common theme across all industries that many of us are overworked. This is magnified for business founders and owners, who carry the ultimate burden. You’ve probably read or heard about the craze (or hopeful fantasy to some of us) of getting more done in less time, as popularized by Timothy Ferriss’ book "The 4-Hour Workweek."

Ferriss focuses on the concept that most of us view more time as equaling more money, and he aims to shift that viewpoint. I agree there are many ways we can all improve the usefulness of our time by making the up-front investment in creating a strategy and supporting systems.

As former PepsiCo Inc chief executive officer Craig Weatherup shared with my W. P. Carey School of Business students last week in his discussion on leadership, it is vital to live and act with intention, and setting your intention is the starting point. Try these activities to help:

1. Create your overall strategy. Right now, pencil in four hours in the next two weeks to set or remind yourself of your intentions and create your personal and professional strategy.
2. Recruit and ignite your team. Schedule a similar window of time to spend with your key partners or leaders within the company, as well as your partners in life (spouse, children, close friends). Share with them your intention and your strategy. Engage them to not only support you, but also to join you.
3. Develop systems. Identify the areas that take up your time, but are not strategic. Make bold decisions to get those off your plate through the development of systems. You may need a powwow with some of the most creative people in your life to come up with solutions that do not involve more resources, but take the time to do this.
4. Give yourself a break. Take time to get away from the regular day-to-day activities that may wear on you after a while. Spend some time reading books, meeting new people and expanding your perspective. The bigger your world is, the less overwhelming life can feel, and the better viewpoint you can bring to your business. We are often inspired and changed by things we never anticipated. Give yourself a chance for serendipity to happen.

Ferriss’ book is a great one to start with, if you have not already read it, but there are other choices that may resonate better with you, as well. The point is not the specific strategy or concept you follow, but rather, that you take the time to do it. Let’s start today by acting with intention.

First published in The Arizona Republic, October 28, 2014.