3 TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS FOR THE ENTREPRENEUR BY SAMANTHA LANE

Guys! I'm so excited to have my friend, Samantha Lane, sharing with us today about her business called Origami Day!

Check out her time management tips below AND do the following to enter to win an Origami Day 2019 planner! The winner will be announced on Monday, November 26!

1. Follow @rebecca.dotson and @myorigamiday on Instagram.
2. Head over to the home page and subscribe to be a Do The Thing Movement Insider!

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If anyone knows a busy life, it’s an entrepreneur! Starting, and running, a business provides a world of to-do’s that can barely be dreamt about before embarking on such a journey. There is always something to do, so the trick of it becomes knowing what to do first and finding a way to get it done. Not to mention, many entrepreneurs spend a fair amount of time juggling side-hustles until their dream gig becomes their only gig, adding to the strain of managing time.

So how on earth do you manage your time to find work-life balance?!

For starters, you have to know what really matters. There are a lot of things we do each day that don’t have any impact on the most important parts of our lives and jobs. To avoid any waste of time, we need to know what is actually important. If you could only do one thing today for your business, what would that be? If today was your last day on earth, where would you spend your time? Define your most important things, personally and professionally, and let those drive you through the chaos. 

Once you have a clear goal, its time to make a plan. I mean an actual written plan. Writing things down helps us remember more. Crossing things off helps us accomplish more. Write down your plan. In detail. On paper. For an entire week, if you can. Once your plan is on paper, it’s really easy to see if it’s a good one or trouble shoot things in advance. Make sure important appointments, tasks or deadlines are included and that the items detailed for each day can actually happen in the allotted time. Also, put personal and professional items on the same plan so you are only managing one information hub. If you aren’t sure what tool to use for this, I strongly recommend Origami Day Weekly Planning Sheets.

Once your plan is in place, protect it. It is ok to say no to things that aren’t on your plan, especially if they have nothing to do with those important items you defined. A lot of what makes a busy season stressful is taking on more than we really need to. The reality is: saying yes to something is really saying no to something else. Remember that when there is a demand for your time, and ask what you may be saying no to in order say yes.

Again, it’s ok to say no.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed with all there is to do in life, especially when running a business.
Thankfully, small steps can add up to big rewards when it comes to managing your time. Remember three simple steps to time management as an entrepreneur: know what’s important, make a plan, and say no.

Samantha Lane is a reformed workaholic and the owner of Origami Day. She now uses her passion for efficiency to help others shape their time for work-life balance.

1. How did you choose the name Origami Day?
The business was originally called Organizational Origami because that was what I
called the weekly planning sheets. When I completed a program with the local
entrepreneur center I was lucky enough to work with some really talented people who
helped me refine my brand very early on. I knew I wanted the word Origami in the name
for a few reasons. One was because the product that started it all is a folding piece of
paper and origami is the Japanese art of folding paper. Also, my grandmother is 
from Japan and I am part Japanese so it seemed like the best way to pay respect to my
heritage and family.

2. What has been the biggest obstacle for you in starting a business?
The most challenging things for me has been the reality of finite resources. When I started Origami Day, I did not have the luxury of quitting everything else to
generate revenue for the business. To this day, I cobble together side hustles to keep
my bills paid until Origami Day can sustain me as a full-time employee. There is always
a battle of having time or money, but rarely both. I’m very transparent about that
because I think it’s one of the biggest challenges for many small businesses, not just
me.

3. What is the most exciting success story that you've heard from a customer who uses
the planner?
I have been so lucky to date because I have countless success stories! It has been my
favorite part of running this business. Some of my favorites are:

• The voicemail from a client who shared with me, through tears, that the words on my website spoke to her in such a way that she believed we could solve her lifelong struggles with time management. 
•  Another client, with ADD, told me the system was the only one that has ever worked for her given the level of her diagnosis.
• One client recently took the first vacation where he did not check his emails for the entire 6 days, AND came back to a manageable work load.
• A long-term consulting client shared that our time together reduced his time in counseling and had a positive impact on some physical health issues due to stress.

Success stories are the BEST part of this business. I can’t wait to reach more people and help
them live their lives with more balance!

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Prayer for the entrepreneur:

Jesus, thank you for time. I'm amazed that you created it and You're not bound by it. You are the beginning and the end. However, I need your help to discern, prioritize and organize my life in such a way that I most effectively can reflect YOU to the world around me. Help me do that today.

In Your name, 
​Amen