We could all do with some extra time to ourselves. Women are doing - and achieving - more than ever before, but with a life packed to the brim with family, friends and work, all that rushing around can mean there’s no space for any me-time. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a few more hours in the day?
That’s where Red and Sky+ can help, with the ‘It’s Your Time’ campaign, packed with real-life solutions to help you manage your time better. Sally Ann Law, a psychologist and life coach specialising in helping people achieve work-life balance, is our Time Doctor. Her prescription provides essential tips to take out the guilt and put back the pleasure into the way we manage our days, so you can get on with doing what you really enjoy.
Last month, we looked at how to get some order back into our busy hours. This month, we ask four successful women, who manage to juggle the commitments of career and family, for their tips on reclaiming some important me-time.
We make every second count
Meet four women who successfully cope with the demands of their families and a busy job - and still have time for a social life and some special moments to themselves. Their time-management tips, and those of our Time Doctor will be invaluable!
Beverley Aspinall, 48, is MD of London department store Fortnum & Mason, and is married with two children.
‘I work in the capital during the week, and spend weekends at our second home in Suffolk. I work late, so my husband David and I know we won’t see each other much. Each day begins with an all-important diary meeting with my PA.’
‘My beauty routine has to be simple: my hair is cropped and my face cream works day and night. But a long bath at night helps me relax, and I love the odd facial or massage.’
‘I keep my wireless laptop in the kitchen, so that it’s easy to come in from gardening and send emails. Broadband is a godsend - I can be online all the time and never miss out.’
Beverley responds well to the demands of her career, partly by separating herself from her family during the week. To make time flexible, try to embrace technology like Beverley does - use a Blackberry when travelling and install a broadband network for working at home.
Sandra Ellis, 41, is international sales director for designer Zac Posen, overseeing distribution around the world. She lives in London.
‘I’m travelling for three months a year, attending the designer catwalk shows and visiting stores to locate new outlets for Zac Posen’s clothes. As a result, many of my friends work in the fashion world, so my social life mixes business and pleasure. ‘As I travel so much, I keep a checklist to make sure I don’t forget anything and have two sets of toiletries - one for home and one for the case.’ ‘The events I have on each trip dictate my outfits, so I don’t waste time packing unnecessary clothes.’‘I make time to escape from my hectic routine by watching films that I’ve missed on the Sky movie channels.’
Net-a-porter.com sells the best designers and has a same-day delivery service, which is perfect, ‘I stock up on birthday gifts for friends when I’m travelling.’‘I don’t do a weekly shop as the food just goes off. Instead, I pop to M&S on my way home if I have a rare night in.’ ‘My mobile phone and Blackberry are essential, and mean that I can put all that travelling time to good use.’
Sandra has worked out how to handle the travel demands of her job very well. If you are travelling alone, your main responsibility is to yourself - working effectively, keeping on top of stress and staying connected with friends. Recognise, like Sandra, that technology is there to help you, but not to take over your life. When travel demands are high, it is important that we relax and have fun, otherwise work can seem never-ending; watch that we eat, drink, exercise and sleep well; and look for ways to learn about life and culture in other countries.
Sara Mccartney, 42, is a consultant gastroenterologist and co-founder of pelirocco. co.uk, a childrenswear company. She lives in London with her husband and four children.
‘I cycle to work every day, which means I can cut out going to the gym.’‘On a Saturday morning, I’ll sit in bed with my laptop and order the groceries online. I’ve got it down to five minutes.’‘For pure escapism, I love to relax in front of Desperate Housewives when the kids have gone to bed. I have it stored up on my Sky+ box.’
‘The children do any extra activities, such as ballet or football, on weekdays, so we don’t spend weekends rushing them from place to place. ‘We use Sunday lunchtime to entertain. It’s informal and is less preparation than a dinner party. ‘We use a next-day ironing service. It’s cheap and it would take me about 20 hours to iron all the clothes we need, so it’s time- and cost-effective.’
Sara is not only doing well juggling two jobs, but more importantly, she is loving what she’s doing. Even when we’re busy, it’s important to maintain social ties, so entertaining at lunchtime, like Sara, makes sense, and using cleaning agencies and online delivery services are great time-savers that can be cost-effective in the long term. Sara is motivated to manage both her careers as they bring great personal benefit. When financial need pushes people to juggle two jobs, it can all feel quite different. You need to get support - lots of it; make sure the money/stress trade-off is worth it; and review the effects on your life and your family, over time.
Emma Thomson, 39, is co-founder of The Baby Gurus that offers luxury weekends of antenatal classes and pampering for busy professionals. She lives near Aberdeen with her husband and three children.
‘I’d always wanted to run my own business, then I met Sonia in 2002 when we were both training to be antenatal teachers, and we decided to be partners. The Baby Gurus has been going a year, and at the moment I can fit the work into my children’s school hours. We run one or two weekends a month, when my husband or my mum will look after the kids.’
‘We have a whiteboard in the kitchen, divided into days of the week. Each member of the family writes in what they have on, so we can plan ahead.’ ‘If I have a meeting or I’m on a working weekend, I plan what clothes I’m going to wear the night before I go.’
‘I use the time I spend walking the dog to plan tasks for the day, and I don’t take my mobile, so I won’t be disturbed.’
‘I meet friends for a night out when I can. And my husband and I sit in the hot tub in the garden most nights to catch up.’
Emma is able to pursue her long-held goal of running her own business while still being around after school for her children. She’s doing whatever she can to minimise stress by planning ahead, allowing time for reflection and spending time with her husband. If you are considering working for yourself, the adjustment in lifestyle for the first year can be pressured. It is important to organise your work day, set limits and use technology to help you.
- Time doctors star the year tips
- Take a break during the day to boost your energy levels. Go for lunch, take a walk, or simply talk to colleagues. You will benefit from a clear head and renewed enthusiasm.
- Make a to-do list for the following day before you leave. That way you can ‘switch off’, knowing you’re clear about what you’re facing tomorrow. Keep it realistic!
- Review relationships with colleagues. Are they as good as they could be? Could you delegate more? Try to eliminate barriers to effective communication.
The Sky + time Solution
If you’re a super multi-tasker like Beverley, Sandra, Sara or Emma but don’t want to miss an episode of your favourite programme, Sky+ can really change the way you watch TV by enabiling you to watch what you want, when you want. It allows you to record at the touch of a button, pause, and rewind live TV, and automatically record episodes of your favourite series. Sky+ can even respond to a text message from your mobile asking it to record something while you’re out. Find out more about what Sky+ does at sky.com. For more Information about the Time Doctor, visit sallyannlaw@lifecoach.co.uk
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