One thing I've been reflecting on recently is the gap between the time I spend at my computer and the time I actually bill to clients.
For a long time, I'd look at my monthly figures and wonder where the time had gone. If I wasn't billing clients for those hours, what had I been doing?
The answer became much clearer when I started tracking my non-billable time as well.
Once I began tracking everything, I realised those "missing" hours weren't missing at all. They were simply being spent on the many other activities required to run a business.
Things like answering emails, drafting proposals, invoicing, business development, marketing, networking, CPD, and all the other tasks that sit behind client delivery.
Tracking those hours gave me greater visibility over where my time was actually going. It also helped me identify the biggest time drains and consider what could be delegated, streamlined, restricted, or automated.
More importantly, it encouraged me to be intentional about how I structure my time.
Rather than squeezing these activities around client work, I now allocate dedicated time blocks throughout the week and month. Business development, social media, and networking have a place in my weekly schedule, while invoicing, bookkeeping, and CPD are scheduled monthly.
As a result, the conversation has shifted from “Where has my time gone?” to “How should I intentionally structure my time?”
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Photo by Alexander Hafemann on Unsplash
