Office Mentor

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It's challenging to make time for original thinking in a world that's dominated by clock time.

As business owners in Toronto, we aim to get more done in less time. This does not work well when we want to allow time to create.

Most entrepreneurs are driven to create. Our businesses also thrive when we make time to create. Therefore, we benefit most when we block off time to develop new ideas and products.

Finding the time is our challenge. It does not seem to happen by accident. A time log helps us decide which timeframe will works best for us. A time log is a line by line record of the specific things we do in our day. It lets us get a snapshot of our working style to determine if that pattern is working well. We can spot ways to improve it when we track three or four days and analyze the information.

We can decide if it will be easier to block off a couple of hours or even a couple of days to develop or create our newest project. There are as many ways to deal with creative time as there are hours in the day. Here are four ideas that work well in business.

Peter has creative mornings. He wakes up to do his morning pages. This is a concept that's presented in Julia Cameron's book, The Artist's Way. Peter writes free form for about 20 minutes each morning to clear his head of lingering thoughts and then makes coffee. He does not book appointments in the mornings as this time is spent writing or working on photos. He shifts into business mode over lunch.

Mary lets the muse lead her. When she's ready to create, she drops everything to develop her new product idea. She calls to cancel appointments and takes whatever time is needed to finish her new one-of-a-kind creation.

Susan blocks off one Friday per month to develop new directions. She keeps the weekend that follows free of commitments, in case the urge to create overtakes her. If she gets on a creative roll, she continues to work throughout the weekend.

I develop new ideas on the subway or train. I travel to and from appointments for 10 to 12 hours per week and play great music on my headphones and write down new concepts. I keep the ideas together and review them in a coffee shop if I'm early for an appointment. I refine these concepts further at a time I block off in my office.

Each of these methods to develop new ideas is a good match for the business owners' working styles and their business models. Do you spot one that may work for you? Give it some consideration.

Choose and test one of these ways to continue to develop new ideas or products. Then, measure the results of how it went. Were you able to create within the confines of the time you blocked off? Was it satisfying? If not, try one more or develop another way that fits your schedule. Find what works well for you and repeat it on a regular basis. It's vital to your success. We must continue to develop new ideas or products to thrive in business.

Elizabeth Verwey, of Small Office Mentors is hiking Toronto parks this summer to remain refreshed and recharged. She also guides entrepreneurs to become more effective in their businesses - so that they can get away this summer. Call her at 416-463-1713 or visit www.officementors.com.