Have you ever taken a cruise? If so, you recognize that feeling of a BIG ocean with a small ocean liner on it. Yes, that cruise ship sounded large when you booked your trip. But now that you’re on the open seas you recognize the immense space you’re a part of.

That same feeling of space applies to your time. Using the illustration of a cruise again, you may have had the sense that you had hours of free time. No appointments. No email. No phone calls. No deadlines.

It’s this sense of space, particularly of time space, that you need to cultivate in your business. Without it, your days are packed full of activities, leaving you with no time to do the long-term thinking you need to grow your business.

So how do you get this space in your schedule? Here are two methods that work.

1. Schedule it. Actually block out days on your calendar to “do nothing.” While this might initially seem counter-productive, you will find the insight you gain with that space is worth every penny of lost productivity.

You may find that you do best with taking a week at a time, every six to twelve months. Or you may do better with taking every Friday off. It depends on your preference.

2. Add it in. When traveling to a conference, build in an extra day before the conference to clear your mind of day-to-day concerns. You’ll get more out of attending the event.

In addition, add an extra day or two onto the end of your trip. You will have time to process your notes, revise your action plan based on the new information you just received, and generally have some time to think.

3. Repurpose your current time. Much has been said about the value of listening to audios as you commute or exercise. But what if you used that time to listen to your internal thoughts instead? You might be surprised at the results when you allow yourself that quiet, as you drive or walk.

Naturally you don’t need to do it every day. But try not listening to audio programs or the radio as you drive to work on Mondays. You will be surprised at the result!

Now that you have the time, how do you use it?

There are two major approaches that seem to work for most people. Try each and see what works best for you. For the first method, you can just “be”, letting the thoughts flow through your head randomly. If you are a creative thinker who grabs unrelated ideas out of thin air and combines them into new thoughts, this may be your best bet.

On the other hand, you may prefer “planned thinking.” With this method, you list the specific things you want to put your thoughts to, then focus on each item in turn. Some people find it helpful to write the thoughts down as they are coming to you – essentially creating an internal dialogue.

Regardless of the methods you choose or the time you take to do your thinking, it is invaluable to create that time space you need to let your mind wander – and your business grow.

If you’re ready to capture those ideas with your new “time space”, then you need to use the Idea Organization System at OrganizeYourIdeas.com

You already know that there is a difference between planning and actually implementing the plan. And the difference lies in your Planned priorities and your Action Priorities.

Planned priorities are those that we plan to take to help us reach our goal. So in the morning you may PLAN to write a report, set up an optin page, then generate some traffic from Facebook.

But then there are your Action priorities. These are the things that you end up actually DOING. Things like checking your email, responding to customer support tickets, answering a question, commenting on blog posts, preparing for your upcoming webinar.

Now while all of those actions were helpful – and maybe even necessary – they aren’t what you planned. And if you’re not doing what you planned, then you’re not going to reach the goals that you set.

So where’s the gap? Here is a simple process to narrow down WHY you are not making the progress in your business that you want.

1. List your PLANNED activities for this week. These are your Planned priorities to achieve your longer-term goals. So under ideal circumstances what would you like to get done this week to move your business forward?

2. List what you typically DO in a week. Write down EVERY thing you do. Those are your Action priorities. They may be  dictated by prior decisions or present circumstances. But regardless of the cause these are the Action you are taking.

3. Now compare your Action priorities to your PLANNED priorities.

What are you NOT doing?

What are you doing in addition to what you planned. Why?

4. Many small business owners focus on Reactive Actions – responding to one demand on their time after another. Ask yourself why? Why do you allow outside forces to determine how you spend your time?

5. Now it’s Decision time. You can continue to React and merely take Action. Or you can Plan your actions – in order to achieve your goals.

If you are not moving forward in your business, it’s probably because you’re not achieving your Planned actions. And where do you get those actions? From Planning Your Online Business, of course!

Over a series of blog posts, I’ve shared a few tips on getting more done with less time and obviously, our focus has been on keeping things together through the many wonderful distractions of summer. But keep in mind, the approaches we’ve discussed can certainly apply all year round. Most of us started our businesses because we wanted freedom and really, we have it right here for ourselves when we need it.

My time here is done (for now), but I thought I’d do a little wrap up of what we’ve talked about, so you can create the schedule for your business that you want.

• Be Disciplined: It may seem contradictory to tell you to be disciplined when you’re actually seeking freedom, but the more disciplined you are, the more time you will have to do what you really want to be doing. Setting your work hours and planning your work days go a long way to ensuring you have time to do everything you set out to do.

• Be Flexible: On the other hand, not everything has to be written in stone. Sometimes we take on more than we can chew. Other times, we focus on things that just don’t work and we need to make a change. Don’t be afraid to make changes that are good for you and your business.

• Get Help: I can’t stress it enough, but don’t go it alone. If you’re doing everything, you’ll forever be chained to your computer. Hire an assistant, take on a business partner or even barter where you can.

• Focus on What You’re Good At: When you have a team in place, it’s easy to focus on the stuff you like to do and do well. It’s much easier to stay disciplined and motivated when you get to do what you love.

• Plant the Seeds Now: Whether you’re planning a vacation or something unexpected happens, having things in place will help you go far. That includes building your team, growing your mailing list, developing a steady stream of traffic and all the things that you need to keep your business moving along.

I appreciate the time you’ve given me here and I hope that the time you’ve invested will give you back manifold. Enjoy the rest of your summer and enjoy every moment of what you do.