All About Time
August 19, 2003
Oops nearly a week since the last blog, it's appropriate that this one is all about time.
Since starting this business - all of 2 months ago now - I've learned to put a much higher value on time than ever before. My definition of time has been stretched and changed so it resembles something far different to what it was.
The time that elapses between having that first meeting with a potential new client to being paid for that work is certainly longer than I imagined. Time stretched. The amount of time devoted to administrative/red tape chasing is huge. Time dissolved. Time spent on the phone to one of Ireland's beloved telecom providers. Time evaporated.
I'm beginning to begrudge the amount of time I'm spending on admin tasks. The last couple of weeks I've jotted down the total amount of hours I intended to work in that week. I divided the time into hours spent on client work, hours spent marketing the business, and hours spent on self-promotion. Then I recorded where my actual time went.
An hour on the phone to my mobile provider querying an exorbitant bill. A couple of hours researching printers and learning the spec's of what's on offer. A half day trip to the accountant..
The list goes on.
So today, in a bid to help with the marketing work and develop a killer contacts database I have someone starting work for me. His name is Adam, he's deadly keen, and I'm sure he's going to be very good. He's due to arrive in 35 minutes, so excuse me while I nip out to buy some croissants and put the coffee pot on!
Time spent briefing Adam in - aagh!