Struggling to Reach Your Goals? Find out What's Stealing Your Time
You know that feeling when you’ve been flat out all day, properly exhausted by 6pm, but you look at your goals list and realise you haven’t moved forward on anything that actually matters and are even further from reaching your goals than before?
You’re not alone…
Most business owners we speak to are drowning in busy work whilst their real goals sit gathering dust on a to-do list somewhere. The truth is, being busy has become a weird badge of honour. But being busy and being productive are completely different things. And if you’re constantly shifting priorities in your business but never actually reaching your goals, something needs to change.
Why You're Always Busy but Still Not Reaching Your Goals
Here’s what’s probably happening, you’re dealing with everything that lands on your desk as it arrives. Client emails, team questions, random phone calls, a supplier who needs something right this second. Reaching your goals is probably on a page of your to-do list that you don’t visit anymore. You’re reactive rather than proactive, and you haven’t stopped to work out whether any of these tasks are actually important, urgent, or even necessary. Most business owners have no real idea where their time goes. You might think you know, but until you properly track it, you’re just guessing. And if you don’t know exactly what’s eating up your time, you can’t fix it.
The other part of the problem is that you’re probably doing tasks that don’t need your specific expertise. Things that could be automated with the right software, handled by a system you set up once, or delegated to someone else. But because you’ve always done them, you keep doing them. It feels easier in the moment than stopping to create a better solution.
Your trusted business partner from Oxford & Wantage
Turn business overwhelm into clear, confident decisions
From financial chaos to clarity – we give you the insight and control to run your business confidently
How to Fix Your Problem with Lack of Time and Reach Your Goals
The first thing you need to do is keep a distraction diary. I know it sounds like another task to add to your list, but give it a try. This isn’t something you’ll do forever, just for two weeks to get proper data on what’s actually happening in your business.
Get yourself a notebook or create a simple spreadsheet. Every time someone or something pulls you away from what you planned to do, write it down. Note who interrupted you, when it happened, what they wanted, whether it was genuinely urgent, and how long it took you to deal with it and get back to your original task.
After two weeks, you’ll have gold. Real information about where your time is actually going. You might discover that most interruptions come from the same three clients who could easily use your booking system instead of calling, or that your team asks you the same questions repeatedly because there’s no written process for them to follow.
Once you’ve got this information, you can start fixing things properly. Look at each distraction and ask yourself three questions. First, was this actually urgent or could it have waited? Second, could a system or piece of software have handled this automatically? Maybe an FAQ page, an automated email response, or a better project management tool? Third, if it genuinely needed doing, did it need to be you doing it? Could a virtual assistant have handled it, or could you train someone on your team?
The point isn’t to become some untouchable boss who never helps anyone. It’s about being smart with your time so you can focus on the work that actually moves your business forward and helps you reach your goals. The strategic stuff only you can do, and the goals that have been sitting there waiting whilst you’ve been busy being busy.
So start with the distraction diary this week. Just two weeks of tracking, then you can make real changes based on facts rather than feelings. Your future self will thank you when you’re actually reaching those big goals instead of wondering where another year went.
At Joanna Bookkeeping, we help business owners across the UK make smarter business decisions and reach their goals. Whether it’s supporting you with accounting software, or planning out your goals, we’re here to help you feel more in control of your business finances.
Book a free discovery call with our Oxford and Wantage-based accounting and bookkeeping team and find out how we can help you create better systems, improve your cash flow, and feel more confident with your numbers.
Your Accountant in Oxford
Oxford Office
Joanna Bookkeeping
The Wheelhouse Angel Court
First Floor, Angel Court
81 St Clements St
Oxford
OX4 1AW
Connect
joanna@joannabookkeeping.co.uk
01865 591952
