WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH MORE TIME IN YOUR DAY?
Entrepreneurs discuss how they would spend extra time
“At first I would use the time to get a number of nagging projects cleared away. Once that was accomplished, I would use the extra time to enjoy life more — being with friends, play more golf, exercise more and relax.” Bob Chapman, president at Edmonton Travel, edmontontravel.com
“If I had more time in my day I would love to spend it giving back. I volunteer at the Compassion House every week training women. Those are some of my most fulfilling hours. I believe giving back to the community that allows my business to thrive is a must. There is nothing quite like using your passion to give back!” Stacey Hogbin, owner of Wevive Fitness, wevivefitness.com
“I’d love to spend more time connecting in person with fellow entrepreneurs, former classmates, and inspiring members of the Edmonton business community. Sharing ideas and finding ways to collaborate and help one another through our networks is much more meaningful and efficient when done face-to-face.” Jennifer Bergman, president of Jennifer Bergman Weddings and Events, jenniferbergmanweddings.com
“With more time I would work on improving the SEO of my website, do more research for my blog and get a better personal-business time balance.” Kevin MacDonald, business consultant at L6S Business Consulting Inc., L6SBC.ca
“In all honesty, I would want to get more client work done. But (I would also want) to focus on my health by going to the gym more!” Ameet Khabra, online marketer at Ameet Khabra Marketing, ameetkhabra.marketing
“As a business owner I find that the demand on my time over the years has decreased in some ways and increased in others. I found that years ago I would spend a large portion of my time networking and building relationships with customers and vendors. As I grow my organization, my staff either handle customer relations or facilitate relationships with vendors and suppliers and my time is spent on managing the business. I have taken a renewed interest in going back to our roots and getting more involved in networking and cultivating relationships as it’s what I enjoy the most. If I had more time, I would spend my energy in this area as I find it the most rewarding.” Edward Langer, vice president of ThinkTANK Advertising, thinktankads.com
“Family time, physical activity, reading and learning new skills, meditation/visualization and healthy eating. Recent alignment with principles from The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod has added hours to my days along with increased energy. Additionally, batching tasks without distractions has allowed more time — freedom to enjoy the things that I’m working hard for.” Morgan Douziech, director of SET Safety, setsafety.ca
“I would spend it working on the business instead of in the business. Some of the most innovative ideas and insight I have received is when I’ve been away from the office. This allows you to literally think outside of the box and allows creativity. I would spend it on research and find out what best-in-class organizations in my industry do, I would watch relevant videos or read articles/publications and learn new concepts/models. It’s amazing what you can learn when you’re not in the day-to-day operations.” Ashif Mawji, president and co-CEO of Trust Science, trustscience.com “I would volunteer my services to people who need them but can’t afford them.” Chelsea Krupa, owner of Rehab and Retreat, rehabandretreat.com
“Keeping up with new trends, specifically in technology, is really important for my business and my clients’ businesses too. I do schedule time to complete my own review of well-received software or apps that seem to make tasks easier or more efficient.” Laura M. Schuler, general counsel and owner of Laura M. Schuler Professional Corporation, schulerlaw.ca
“As a financial consultant, life is already busy. I also enjoy spending time with my favorite pastime, figure skating. I coach a few hours a week and volunteer my time as an official. I also participate as a board member with the Greater Windermere Community League. I have a handsome, supportive and overall wonderful husband and together we have a blended family of five children who are now all in the 20-something range. Finding quality time with my family is always difficult. If I had a few minutes extra in my day, they would go to my family.” Sandra Nageli, consultant at Investors Group Consultant, investorsgroup.com/en/sandra.nageli/home
The above answers are in response to a question posed by Ashley Janssen, principal of AgileStyle (agilestyle.ca). Here’s her take:
“I recently started telling my story and sharing my expertise through my personal website and blog (ashleyjanssen.com). As someone who hasn’t done a lot of blogging in the past, I find there is a vulnerability in sharing my knowledge, thoughts and opinions with others. At this stage, it takes me a significant amount of time to compose my posts and I am often writing late in the evening. If I had more time in my day, I would invest more time into both sharing my own stories on my blog and reading other blogs to learn more from others.” Ashley is putting on a workshop on time management and storytelling with Karen Unland on April 28. Register at karenandashley.eventbrite.ca.