GUEST POST – Make Your Own Time Machine by Corrie Wilder

If only you had a little more time, you could have followed up, attended the networking event, gotten to the gym, and written that thank you note. Why do we always feel that we run short on time? As an entrepreneur and as a parent, my experiences have taught me that there is always time to do something when it is very important.

When am I going to do this? As one who is somewhat risk-averse (my full time gig contributes significantly to my mortgage and provides my family with health insurance) my challenge was to find the time (which I was convinced I did not have) to make my dream real. I like a project, sure, but finding time to take a drawing class or learning to knit (and finishing a whole sweater—go me) is hardly starting a business.

I tried simply “adding more water to the soup,” but that just diffused the soup’s flavor; by spreading myself too thin I was leaving things out, making mistakes—basically spinning my wheels and hindering progress in what I know can one day be my sole source of income.

There’s nothing innately wrong with multitasking. Some say when you do too many things at once you don’t do any of them well. I say, watch me. If I can make my kid breakfast, send my boss an email and draw a logo for a client all while learning the names of every Kooky pen and singing them to the tune of Hannah Montana’s “Best of Both Worlds” before 7:00 in the morning, I can certainly find time to turn my brilliant idea into a successful venture. And shower.

Here’s how I do it (and you can, too):

Spend less time doing nothing. If you lose momentum on a project, switch it up. Call a client, clean out a file, pay a bill, order your groceries—accomplish something productive, anything you can cross off your to-do list.

Wake up an hour earlier. Waking up just one hour earlier can give you two to three more productive hours in a day. Put your alarm clock across the room, get a loved one to pour cold water on your face, whatever you need but GET UP. Don’t just get out of bed and start working; you won’t focus. Shower, dress, have coffee and even—gasp—eat something (healthy, think cereal or peanut butter on whole wheat, not donuts or last night’s pizza) before getting started. You will be more alert and energetic this way. Trust me, I’m a mother.

Delegate. Whittle projects down to their basic tasks, and give each task a deadline. Then share the fun with anyone who wants to help out. You know all those people who came out of the woodwork when they heard your good idea? Now is the time to cash in on your newfound popularity. I personally prefer child labor: turns out my 4-1/2 year loves collating, especially if I have a supply of mini M&M’s on hand.

I do live my words: I am a working mom of two amazing kids and a working wife to my amazing working husband. In addition to my full time job I freelance for my daughter’s preschool, arrange parties, play dates and doctor’s appointments, play games, read books, exercise, give my family a tremendous amount of love and oh yes, I am successfully growing my small business. And somehow, I have found the time to sit quietly in bed with a glass of wine and my laptop to write my first ever blog posting. If I can find time when there is no time, so can you.

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Corrie Wilder is a Managing Partner and Founder of GRiPPiES, a "why didn't I think of that!?" invention (except Corrie did)! GRiPPiES (http://www.grippiesonline.com) are the “no-slip solution” for tights, gloves and socks. When the rubbery adhesives are applied to tights and socks, they provide traction to help avoid slips and falls on tile and hardwood floors. Iron or stick them on and GRiPPiES stay for good, even through the washing machine. Yes, you can still wear your shoes even after you have applied your GRiPPiES!

When not working with her fantastic amazing wonderful business partner Yelena Mogelefsky on building GRiPPiES into the “no-slip solution” empire they know it is soon going to be, Corrie is an Art Director of Brand Marketing at Sports Illustrated and GOLF Magazine. She is a hands-on mother of two amazing daughters, who spend a lot of their own playtime helping to test new GRiPPiES products. (4-1/2 year olds can be extremely critical!) Corrie is married to Mark Wilder, Marketing Director at Samson Technologies. The family and the business all live in Bellmore, Long Island.

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