Are you claiming your ‘tiger time’?

Learning to protect and optimize time

Ever since I’ve stopped going to my full-time job, believe it or not, I have not been in the mood for a holiday.

I’ve just wanted to get to work - my work! The projects I have been nurturing for the past 2 years that I’m so excited about that I can finally dedicate some real time to.

The beginning of my new chapter was aligned to start with summer holidays. So far, we have been to Kenya and India; and I am writing this newsletter from the tail end of our break in Scotland.

Great photo by the lake near my mother-in-law’s home in Glasgow; taken by my sister-in-law!

Don’t get me wrong, I am super grateful for these holidays. They have been so important for the kids who have had a great break exploring new places, spending time with family and escaping the oven that Dubai becomes over the summer.

And the holidays have given me the much needed mental rest I’ve needed to plan my next steps so I can go full steam ahead in my business starting September.

So, all is good, however I won’t hide that I have been restless. Being relieved from my 9-5 has given me so much mind space that I cannot bear to waste.

Finding my ‘Tiger Time’

My to-do list for new projects is enormous and I have already started feeling that there are not enough hours in the day.

Ironically, the main reason I have chosen this path is to not work all the time, but work smartly so that I can build my career whilst being a present mum.

“Feeling like there is not enough time to do all the work you need to do means only one thing: you have arrived! Welcome to the real world of entrepreneurship,” writes Amy Porterfield in her new book Two Weeks Notice, a line that gave me some solace.

In between our holidays, whilst in Dubai, it took me a week or so figure out how I plan my days. Between managing the kids schedule, house errands, life tasks, upcoming work opportunities and desires to try new exercise classes and see close friends, I quickly realized that I need a system or nothing will get done.

What are my priorities? If I wanted to be serious about starting my own work, I needed to allocate serious time to it that could not be disrupted by kids or errands or yes, desires that are fueled by newly available access to time!

When is my Tiger Time? Tiger Time is a concept coined by Amy Porterfield and refers to the part of your day that you fiercely protect “like a tiger with her cub”, to give yourself dedicated space to focus on the areas that matter most for your business right now. “The rules are strict, but the rewards are huge,” as she emphasizes.

I tried having my ‘Tiger Time’ at different hours of the day every day. I worked around other things I wanted to do (because of newly available access to time!), however I quickly realised that I wasn’t doing anything properly, nor was it an efficient use of my time. The work I am doing requires large chunks of uninterrupted time.

So, at the moment, my ‘Tiger Time’ is 9am-1pm every day, and then 2 hours in the afternoon depending on my kids pick-up schedules, and moods!

Still not enough time

I end up working at odd hours in between things too, because when you are setting up shop, there are so many things to get done. However, I keep my morning ‘Tiger Time’ for the most mind-requiring, time-consuming creative work I need to get done - which in my case is researching, strategising and writing.

Emails, social media engagement, admin, invoicing etc can be done in bits and pieces here and there as they do not require extended focus.

Every morning I write down my must do’s for the day, and as long as those are done, I’ve had a good day.

Thanks to a recent interview I did with a working mum, I discovered Parkinson’s Law that says ‘work expands to fill the time allotted for its completion’. This has made me rethink how I allocate time to tasks and I must say it’s a game changer.

Clockify and Pomodoro Timer are great tools to help you focus and keep track of the time you are spending.

Once summer is over and we are all back into our routine, I will reassess and see how my time is managed.

The truth is, only you can create your own system, but you do need one.

What is your Tiger Time? Do you have any other such system? What works best for you? Do share!

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Links I’m learning from…

On a separate note, there so many interesting links that I have come across lately that I feel compelled to share:

• Letter to a friend who is thinking of starting something new:

I felt this was written for me as someone who has quit her job to enter the ‘passion economy’. It provides a list of questions to ponder as I explore the possibility of merging my career and passions to design the life I am looking for.

If you are in the process of starting anything new, this is a must read.

letter to a friend who is thinking of starting something new

• CEO level tools and skills you learn through parenting

“Parenting teaches you to say no, to quit, to pivot, to resource yourself more fully, to persevere, and it demands that you create solutions in the times when you don't have the luxury of quitting or stopping”. Really well written article. We truly become super heroes overnight when we become parents!

• The Morning Brew*

Thank goodness for The Morning Brew that comes to me every morning and gives me an overview of whats happening in the world in under 5 minutes. It’s easy to skim through, keeps you on top of things and gives you the slight edge you need. Well worth checking out + it’s free! Subscribe here. (*This is an affiliate link)

Thats all for today,

See you next week!

Love,

Abha