The Time Budget

How to Use the Time Budget Calculator

Stop Lying to Yourself About Time

Most people treat time like it's infinite. They stuff 12 hours of work into an 8-hour day and wonder why they're burnt out. This tool forces you to face reality: you have limited time, so use it wisely.

Step 1: Set Your Reality Check

Work Days Per Week

  • Enter how many days you actually work (not how many you think you should)

  • If you're constantly "on" but only productive 5 days, put 5

  • Don't include weekends unless you genuinely work them


Hours Per Day

  • This is the big one. Be brutally honest.

  • Include lunch, coffee breaks, bathroom breaks, life interruptions

  • If you say 8 hours but actually get 6 hours of real work done, put 6

  • Your kids don't care about your productivity schedule


Why this matters: Most people budget 8-10 hours but actually have 5-6 usable hours. Start with reality, not fantasy.

Step 2: List Your Activities

Add every recurring work activity:

  • Newsletter writing

  • Client calls

  • Email/admin

  • Content creation

  • Business development

  • Social media (if you must)


Time each activity honestly:

  • Track yourself for a week if you're not sure

  • Include prep time, not just execution

  • Round up, not down (things always take longer)


Common mistakes:

  • Forgetting about "quick" tasks that add up

  • Underestimating how long things actually take

  • Not including context switching time


Step 3: Set Priorities Ruthlessly

🔥 High Priority = Moves the Needle

  • Directly generates revenue

  • Builds your audience/reputation

  • Creates systems that save future time

  • Examples: Client work, newsletter, key content


⚡Medium Priority = Important but Not Game-Changing

  • Necessary but doesn't directly move the business forward

  • Could be batched or systemized

  • Examples: Email, admin, some networking


💨 Low Priority = Nice to Have (First to Cut)

  • Feels productive but doesn't impact results

  • Could disappear tomorrow without consequences

  • Examples: Most social media, perfectionist tweaking, busy work


The test: If this activity vanished, would your business suffer in 30 days? If not, it's probably low priority.


Step 4: Read the Brutal Honesty Check

The tool will call out your time allocation problems:

"You're wasting X on low-priority fluff"

  • Cut these activities immediately

  • Batch similar low-priority tasks

  • Set strict time limits

"Only X% of your time moves the needle"

  • Aim for 60-80% high-priority activities

  • Question everything that isn't directly valuable

  • Stop confusing motion with progress

"That's way too many activities"

  • You can't do everything well

  • Pick 3-4 core activities maximum

  • Say no to everything else

"You're over budget"

  • Something has to go

  • Cut low-priority first, then medium

  • Don't just work longer hours


Step 5: Make the Hard Cuts

If you're over budget:

  1. Kill low-priority activities first - They're stealing time from what matters

  2. Batch medium-priority tasks - Do all email once/twice per day

  3. Systemize high-priority work - Templates, processes, automation

  4. Question "urgent" requests - Most aren't actually urgent


If you have buffer time:

  • Good. Keep it.

  • Life will fill that buffer with unexpected stuff

  • Don't immediately add more activities


Step 6: Stick to Your Budget

Weekly review:

  • Did you stick to your time allocations?

  • What pulled you off track?

  • What activities crept back in?

Monthly adjustment:

  • Are your priorities still the right ones?

  • What's actually moving the business forward?

  • Cut anything that's not delivering results

Quarterly reset:

  • Business priorities change

  • Revenue sources shift

  • Update your time budget accordingly


Common Traps to Avoid

"But I need to be everywhere"

  • No, you don't. Pick 1-2 channels and do them well.

"This will only take 5 minutes"

  • Those 5-minute tasks add up to hours. Batch them.

"I can't say no to this opportunity"

  • Yes, you can. Every yes is a no to something else.

"I'll just work longer hours"

  • That's not sustainable. Work smarter, not longer.

"Social media is important for my business"

  • Is it? What's your actual ROI? Be honest.


Success Looks Like This

  • 60-80% of your time on high-priority activities

  • Clear boundaries around low-priority work

  • Buffer time for unexpected stuff

  • Saying no to time-wasting opportunities

  • Working your planned hours without constant overtime



Remember

Time is your most valuable asset. You can't make more of it, so stop wasting what you have.

The goal isn't to fill every minute—it's to fill the right minutes with the right activities.

Now stop reading guides and start using the tool.