How to Find 15 Hours Each Week to Work on Your Business

Your business is your future. It’s going to transform your life.

In order to get there, this venture requires regular attention in order to turn your dream into a reality.

Here’s a secret for you - “I don’t have time” is a myth.

Your business idol, your competitor, your best self - they all have time. How? They created it!

You can, too.

Believe it or not, you can find 15 hours each week to dedicate to your business.

1. Wake Up an Hour Earlier ( = 5 hours/week)

DON’T HIT SNOOZE! Think about it, every time you hit that snooze button you’re pushing off the start of your new business venture.

Wake up before your kids and use the time to get in some uninhibited productivity.

It's amazing what you can get done in an hour without any interruption.

Or perhaps beat the morning rush and get to the office an hour earlier. You’ll save time on your commute and you can use that time on your side hustle.

2. Use Your Lunchtime Wisely ( = 5 hours/week)

Being ambitious means you likely already work through your lunch break most days. But why not give that time to working ON your business?

Visit a coffee shop nearby or sneak off to a cozy corner somewhere.

Carve out specific tasks that you know you can complete in under an hour.

You will start making huge progress in no time with this tactic alone.

3. Work an Hour After Dinner ( = 5 hours/week)

At night, be smart about your downtime.

Figure out the fun tasks you can fit in while lounging on the couch for an hour.

Whether it's pulling IG inspiration, doing market research on competitors, or pinning brand ideas on Pinterest.

There are ways to tackle tasks while winding down (with or without the silly TV).

BONUS: Other Ways to Work In Business Hours

1: Meal Prep

Spend time on Sundays preparing the coming week’s meals. Lunches in particular are perfect opportunities to execute on your side hustle.

These easy take-and-go meals allow you to stay in while everyone else battles lunch-hour traffic and helps you not have to make another decision to figure out what’s for lunch.

Meal prepping can shave off hours from your week. Just pull it out of the fridge, throw it together and heat it up in the oven, microwave or crockpot.

Take advantage of meals that can be cooked while you’re at work in the slow-cooker. When you’re coming home from a full day of work and you have a full night of work ahead of you, there’s no better feeling than having a fully cooked dinner waiting for you.

2: Cut Out Social Chatter

Remember, while you’re catching up on the latest drama, idolizing everyone else’s (staged) picture-perfect lives and feeding your Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO), you’re business launch date is being put on-hold.

Replace your first instinct of checking social media ... with checking your to-do list instead. Knock out a few tasks or conduct research when you have the free-time.

The same goes for in-person social interactions. Find ways to cut out people and activities that don’t serve you.

You know the toxic people in your life that take more than they give. This is your time to put you and your business first. Cut conversations a little shorter, skip a few inessential gatherings and instead, tackle your business to-dos.

3: Shut Off the Screens

YouTube, Buzzfeed, Netflix, cable, premium television, movies, etc. There is an endless pool of entertainment at your fingertips at all times.

When you add-up the time spent in your recent Netflix binges, YouTube spirals, TV sessions etc. you may be able to find hours of time spent stuck to a screen in the last week alone.

Even for casual watchers, cutting out one of your shows, a rerun or an hour of evening/morning news can easily add a whole hour of execution to your weekdays.

4: Turn Gaps Into Productivity

Stuck in a long line at the store? Were you able to make it to your daughter’s school 10 minutes earlier than usual? Are you caught up with your 9-5 work and your next meeting is in 30 minutes?

The most successful people in the world know how to maximize these little 5, 15 and 30 minute intervals and turn them into serious productivity.

With a dedicated planner and to-do list, it’s that much easier to reference your tasks, choose one and complete it while you’re waiting in line or waiting for dinner to finish cooking.

5: Use the Whole Village

The old, “It takes a village” adage is typically applied to parenthood, but the same can be said for starting a business.

Whether it’s a vendor or a family member you can always rely on to help lighten your load, an extra pair of hands can give you crucial hours to spend on building your idea into a tangible business.

6: Create Alone Time

For all you moms out there, this one is for you.

Motherhood is a full-time job alone. And as Mom, you become the default for a number of tasks that can derail your professional growth.

If you’re really struggling to find extra time to dedicate to your business, lean on your family to create hours of quality productivity. When it’s crunch time in business, it’s the perfect opportunity for a fishing trip with dad or a visit to grandma’s house.

This solution not only gives you the chance to work on your business, but it gives your children new experiences that they will appreciate almost as much as their time with mom.

Even asking your husband or family to watch the kids a few hours on a Saturday can be a simple way to make significant progress on your to-do list.

7: Outsource What You Can

If you’re a solopreneur, it’s ok to accept that you can’t be a social media expert, a web developer, a product development master and an accountant.

Even if you feel confident in your ability to complete a given task, the time you can save is well worth the $15 or even $50/hr if it means you’re that much closer to starting your business.

Head to Upwork, Guru or Freelancer and find a reliable freelancer to handle your SEO, social posts or analytics while you focus on finalizing your LLC or finding the right office space to suit your business needs.

Starting a business doesn’t require you to run yourself ragged.

The information in this article should create more than 15 hours each week.

Use the resources that work best for you and adopt the mantras that will best motivate your dedication to your business.

Above all else - have fun, remember why this business means so much to you and know that you CAN do this!

Leave your questions or comments below!