Being a business owner keeps you constantly busy, making time your most precious asset.

So when you manage to free up an hour by delegating work, it’s a real gift!

The thing is, how you choose to use that hour—whether for your business or yourself—can make a big difference. So, how do you make the most of it?

Let’s explore some of the best ways you can make that hour count.

1. Read a book

Few things in life are as enjoyable as getting lost in a good book. But reading isn’t just a way to relax in your free time—it also brings many benefits that can really help you as a business owner.

Reading reduces stress

Business owners face a unique set of pressures every single day, and the weight of these ongoing challenges can be intense. Stress isn’t just a highly unpleasant feeling—it can seriously impact your cognitive skills, productivity, and physical health, none of which should be neglected if you want your business to succeed.

The good news is, reading can be a powerful stress management tool. So powerful, in fact, that studies show that reading can reduce stress levels by up to 68%!

In as little as six minutes of being immersed in a book, your heart rate slows, your blood pressure lowers, and your muscles begin to relax. For lasting stress relief, experts say that 30 minutes of reading each day can make a big difference.

It doesn’t matter what type of book you read, just as long as you can focus on reading without any interruptions.

Reading boosts creativity, memory, concentration, decision-making, and communication skills

In addition to reducing stress, there are a host of other benefits associated with reading that can enhance your entrepreneurial journey. These include:

• Boosting creativity: By exposing yourself to a range of ideas and perspectives, you open up new ways of thinking. This fresh outlook can spark innovative solutions to the challenges you face in your business.
• Improving memory and concentration: Reading exercises your brain, strengthening your ability to focus and retain information, which is invaluable when managing multiple tasks and responsibilities.
• Enhancing decision-making: The insights you gain from reading can guide you towards more informed and strategic choices. This can help you avoid costly mistakes and make smarter decisions.
• Improving communication skills: Engaging with different writing styles and vocabularies enriches your own communication skills. This is crucial for building strong relationships with clients and colleagues, making your interactions more effective and meaningful.

Reading books aids in continuous learning and development

Studies show that reading can rewire the brain, create new neural networks, and strengthen the white matter in the corpus callosum. This allows you to process information more efficiently, which is crucial for continuous learning and development.

Why is this important?

For starters, it keeps you adaptable in a constantly evolving world. By embracing new knowledge and skills, you adapt to changes, seize fresh opportunities, and tackle challenges more effectively. This growth mindset not only helps to sharpen your competitive edge, it also fosters innovation and resilience.

And it's not just the cognitive benefits of reading that can boost your learning and development.

Reading the right books allows you to tap into the wisdom of experienced entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and experts. Their first-hand knowledge and tips can help you avoid potential pitfalls, stay updated on market trends, and come up with fresh new ideas that could take your business to the next level.

See: 10 Must-Read Business Books To Help You Achieve More In 2024

2. Take a walk

When was the last time you took a walk? In our busy lives, it’s easy to overlook the simple act of walking, yet it can be one of the most beneficial ways to spend an hour.

Physically, it helps improve cardiovascular health, increases energy levels, and supports weight management. But that’s not all!

It’s not just good for your body, it’s great for your mind too.

Mentally, walking stimulates creative thinking. Experts believe that creativity flourishes when our minds have the chance to wander, and walking provides the perfect opportunity for that. When you step away from your desk and let your thoughts roam freely, this relaxed state allows your brain to make connections that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Not only that, walking can also improve focus and concentration. As you move, your body releases endorphins that can elevate your mood and sharpen your mental clarity, making it an excellent addition to your regular routine.

3. Listen to a podcast

Podcasts are quickly becoming the go-to medium for busy entrepreneurs looking to learn, grow, and find inspiration on the go.

With millions of episodes covering an endless array of topics, from business strategy to personal development, there’s no shortage of valuable content to dive into. And the best part? You can listen while doing just about anything—like taking that walk we talked about!

The best thing is that podcasts offer so much more than just convenience. They’re a powerful tool for sparking creativity and innovation. When you expose yourself to diverse perspectives and stories, it opens up your mind to new possibilities. You never know when a chance remark or anecdote might trigger that “aha” moment that leads to your next big business breakthrough.

Like with books, many successful business owners and industry leaders share their journeys on podcasts, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges and triumphs that shaped their success. Listening to their experiences can provide invaluable insights and motivation to keep pushing forward with your own ventures.

See: 10 Podcasts That Will Make You A Better Entrepreneur

4. Connect with others

As an entrepreneur, it’s so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of running a business that this means our social lives are often forced to take a back seat.

When was the last time you had a genuine conversation with a friend or colleague? Not just a quick coffee or a brief catch-up, but a real, meaningful chat?

If you’re like most business owners, unfortunately, it could have been some time ago. According to a recent study, 50% of CEOs report feeling lonely, and 61% believe that this isolation has hindered their performance.

In fact, feeling socially isolated can be much more detrimental than we may realize. It increases the risk of depression and has even been linked to premature death in some cases. When we lack that sense of connection and support, it can take a major toll on our mental well-being, making us feel overwhelmed, anxious, and adrift.

On the other hand, having a strong social support system can lead to a host of incredible benefits:

• Individuals with supportive social networks tend to maintain healthier weights and have greater control of their blood sugar levels.
• They’re also more resilient when facing serious health challenges like cancer and heart disease.
• Engaging with friends and loved ones can help alleviate symptoms of depression and PTSD, while reducing the risk of loneliness and isolation.

As entrepreneurs, building meaningful connections isn’t just about networking. It’s about creating a support system that helps us thrive. So when experts agree that our relationships and social interactions play a vital role in our overall well-being and success, making time to connect with others is truly worth it.

5. Get organized and plan ahead

This might not sound like the most exciting way to spend your free time, but hear me out!

Taking a little time to tidy up your workspace and map out your schedule for the next day can pay off big time in terms of your productivity and peace of mind.

Clear the clutter

Keeping your workspace clutter-free can make a huge difference in how well you work. Experts have linked cluttered environments to poorer mental health and well-being, impaired cognitive skills such as visual processing and memory, and even unhealthier eating habits.

When your desk is organized and free of visual distractions, you'll find it much easier to stay focused and get more done.

Plus, you’ll save a ton of time (and avoid a lot of frustration!) when everything is in its place and easy to find. It’s amazing how much smoother your day can go when your workspace is tidy—you’ll feel less stressed and more in control, which makes it so much easier to do your best work.

Embrace the power of planning

As a business owner, you have a lot on your plate at any given moment. Despite your best intentions, chances are that you often find yourself "winging it" or “going with the flow” and taking the day as it comes. Unfortunately, this makes it all too easy to get lost in the day-to-day challenges of your business operations.

So when it comes to maximizing your productivity, many people underestimate how much of it is the result of effective planning and prioritizing. Taking some time to plan helps you stay focused on your goals, prioritize tasks that will have the greatest impact on your journey toward success, and allocate your time and resources effectively.

Plus, when you plan your daily and weekly tasks ahead of time, you can jump right into what matters most instead of spending time each morning figuring out what to do. It also helps you avoid decision fatigue, where the more decisions a person makes, the harder each decision subsequently becomes, and choice paralysis, where the more options we have in front of us, the harder it becomes to choose one.

6. Delegate more tasks

If you gained this free hour as a result of delegating tasks from your workload, the question is: why stop there?

Simply put, the more you delegate, the more your reclaimed time grows. As these tasks are taken off your plate, you'll find yourself with increasing freedom to focus on higher-impact activities, strategic planning, or anything you choose!

Again, the more you offload, the more you'll boost your productivity and potential.

Focus on delegating recurring admin tasks

While it's true that the more tasks you can offload and the more time you can reclaim, the better, the fact remains that not all tasks are created equal when it comes to their time-saving returns.

Imagine you have to choose between delegating a one-time task that takes two hours or a daily task that takes 20 minutes. The first option would seem the best choice, because you can do much more with two hours than 20 minutes, right? But we need to remember two very important things.

Firstly, no matter who you delegate to, it will take time to properly hand a task over. Let’s say it takes about 40 minutes to explain everything, including creating instructions and setting up any necessary login details.

Secondly, we need to think long-term, not just about the here and now.

So with all this in mind, you would save about 1 hour and 20 minutes by delegating the one-time task. Your total time saved at the end of the month, and even the year, would stay the same.

But if you delegated the daily 20-minute task, you’d save around 6 hours each month. In a year's time, this would add up to around three full workdays!

Just think about what you could do with that extra time—and that’s just from delegating one recurring task!

What's the bottom line?

Finding free time in your busy schedule might seem like a rare luxury, but when you do, how you choose to spend it can significantly impact your life—both professionally and personally.

By investing this small but valuable chunk of time into purposeful activities, you're not just making the most of your day, but also setting the stage for long-term success and satisfaction.

So, the next time you find yourself with an hour to spare, consider it an opportunity to advance your business and nurture your own well-being. By making intentional choices about how you use this time, whether through strategic planning, development, or self-care, you can create a ripple effect that will benefit your business now and in the long run.

And if you want to maximize the time you can reclaim to boost your productivity and potential, outsourcing tasks to a virtual assistant can be the game-changer you need.

Not sure where to start?

• Enter your regular task list into our to-do list optimizer to see which tasks can be handled by a virtual assistant and which ones should stay in your remit.
• Answer a few simple questions and our task wizard will set you up with personalized task ideas tailored to you and your business. (Not only that, but you'll get $150 off your first month of virtual assistant support with Time etc!)

So, ready to give it a shot?

Speak to our expert team to get started, and we'll handle the rest! We know how important your time and resources are, so you can rest assured that you'll save between three to six weeks of recruiting an assistant yourself, plus up to 90% of the cost of hiring!

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