It’s Time.

“Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it you can never get it back.” - Harvey Mackay

I have been really focused on time lately, my friends. 

People have always looked to me for help in how to manage it all, often in awe of how I have the ability to get so much done. 

Clone’s motto has always been Here to give you your time back. And I have stuck to it since the beginning. 

It feels surreal to look back at a long client list of startups, knowing where they all started and celebrating the successes they’ve achieved along the way. 

To know I played a large role in some of them is super rewarding. 

I’ve done everything from setting up their systems, alleviating pesky administrative tasks, to building and maintaining their websites so they could focus their energies on creation of new services and products to increase profit.

I’ve done their social media marketing. 

I’ve often acted as a therapist through the rough patches, simply because I am trusted. 

I have taken care of peoples’ homes, written their blogs, scheduled their appointments, designed their events, walked their dogs, paid their bills, ran their errands, coached them through struggles, managed their lives.

On the outside this looked like, “Randi can do everything!” And of course, that has brought many client referrals over the years, which is why I’ve been able to continue being a business owner.

But I’ll tell you a secret. 

Behind the scenes, in my heart and mind, I was feeling

overwhelmed…

depleted…

anxious.

And sometimes a little resentful. 

Because I felt like there was never enough time to focus on my own business or personal passions.

For years I felt completely scattered and distracted by the broad range of services I was providing.

Work was never finished. 

I could never relax knowing how much I had to do.

Client projects bled into my weekends. 

But I had made promises! 

“Sure, I’ll have that for you by Monday because I am SUPER WOMAN!” 

I took pride in being Miss Busy. How many times did I say “yes” to things I didn’t really want to do which led to a “no” to things that my heart really yearned for? 

I don’t think I’m the only one who has fallen into this trap. Work work work, it is the American way, ingrained in us from the get go as school aged children. 

But I also think that my Miss Busy persona was due in large part to my People Pleasing Personality. 

(Raise your hand if you know this experience intimately. I see you.)

All of it led to total burnout.

This past summer, it became really apparent to me that life was passing me by and I was missing out on creating important memories, the kind that I want to reminisce about when I’m sitting on my front porch under a blanket, with grayed hair, wrinkled from head to toe. 

So I did something unimaginable. 

I went on a beach vacation with my family and left my computer at home. 

It was the first time since I started Clone over 10 years ago that I have ever told clients, I WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE. 

By phone. Email. Or any other method. 

And you know what happened? No one blinked an eye. And every single one of them survived.

Well, this gave me pause. 

It made me realize that there wasn’t enough time in the day because I had made it that way. I had created my own monster. I had made the choice to be always available, always willing, always able. 

No one else was telling me when and where I had to be, do, provide, serve. 

This realization gave me a chance to really think through how I wanted to be spending my work days. 

And that was the beginning of Clone’s restructure.

I wanted to eliminate all the noise and focus on the one thing, bookkeeping, that was truly bringing me joy. Aside from a monthly deadline, I knew that bookkeeping wouldn’t force me to be in meetings everyday (introvert here!) or make it so that my entire calendar was booked out based on what my clients’ schedules looked like. 

I started being the creator of my day. 

I enrolled in trainings with business coaches and manifesting gurus.

I rebuilt my website and started writing again.

I learned a robust accounting software system. (Everyone should be using Xero, by the way.)

Now I’m setting up my own systems. 

I am feeling excited about work again! 

And this energy flow has already helped Clone to grow in the direction I want it to–I’ve signed four new clients in the past month who need my help in the way I want to give it. 

And to think, all it took was for me to pause and ask myself, What do I want to do with my time?

Many of you probably already know how important your time is–for you to flourish, build, bloom, create–and you guard it like the precious commodity it is. 

It took me a while to get here. So if you’re in the same boat that I was, this is for you. 

Put yourself first. 

Say NO. 

Define your boundaries and then stick to them. 

Turn off your phone. Or don’t answer it when work hours are done. 

Make space for you. 

And don’t feel bad about it. 

I’m still learning how to rewire my brain to create this new time mindset. 

I recently enrolled in Marie Forleo’s Time Genius training. OMG, y’all... I’ve been doing it all wrong! 

There is a way to do it better.

I’ll be sharing what I learn with you in the months to come.

In the meantime, I’m curious… 

Do you have tricks that help you make your time work for you?

Send me a note and tell me all about it!