‘Time management’ is a misnomer. I can’t ‘manage’ time. No one can. Time passes whether I like it or not. What I’ve discovered is that ‘self management’ is the key to getting more done. And one of the best systems I’ve come across to manage myself is The Entrepreneurial Time System.
The Entrepreneurial Time System (TETS) was created by Dan Sullivan about 10 years ago and applies to both work & personal time. TETS relies on all seven days of the week being allocated as either Free, Focus or Buffer days.
- Free Days - 24 hour periods that involve absolutely NO work. These days are for spending time with your family, exercising, having fun & recharging the batteries.
- Focus Days - 24 hour periods where at least 80% of time is spent on activities that add value to your business.
- Buffer Days - 24 hour periods that are for returning calls, catching up and preparing for focus days.
Sullivan recommends that free, focus and buffer days are used in a ratio of 3:3:1. This means a 3-day weekend every week - sweet!
I’ve started using TETS with 2 free days, 3 focus days and 2 buffer days each week. If I’m disciplined enough I’ll be working towards the 3:3:1 approach and may even make it to 4:2:1 in the future if I can really nail it.
Self management is the key to getting more done and in my experience, the simpler the system, the more likely it is to stick.
PS - if you’d like to know more about TETS - click here
PPS - My free days for the time being are every Saturday & Sunday. Free days mean no work, so I’ll be doing plenty of ironman training, but not blogging. From this week, these posts will appear Mon-Fri..