Is your To-Do List a mile long and you never seem to get to the important stuff? If you are an accidental entrepreneur, there are great books to help you get on purpose fast. As an entrepreneur book author, I was interviewed recently about this very topic.

Try this exercise to discover how you are actually spending your time:

For one week keep a daily record of what you do from 8am to 7pm.

• Jot down actions in increments of 30 minutes. For example: 12:30 - 1:00pm--travel to networking luncheon; 1:00 - 2:30pm--Attend luncheon
• Don't forget to include time spent for things like: meeting with clients, getting ready for a meeting, follow up calls, reading and sending email, walking the dog, grocery shopping,
• Keep track of exercise, time with kids, family and friends, in short, everything you do in a day.

At the end of the week, review your daily activities. Look at any patterns.

• Are there obvious periods of procrastination?
• Too much time spent on unimportant details?
• Overscheduling so that you miss or don't have enough time for important appointments?
• Write down the time wasters on your list.

Did you know that one of the biggest issues of small business owners is procrastination? One recent client discovered that she was actually wasting 2 hours a day doing small, unimportant tasks, writing emails, or driving all over town when she could have organized her deliveries to take less time. Rethink your daily to do list and you may find out that you can actually streamline your work time so you are twice as productive.

The benefit is--you have time for the rest of your life!

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Do you feel exhausted already when you wake up in the morning? this is a sign to take some time out from your daily work schedule. No, no, no, you say---I don't have time to take time out. My To do list is a mile long. I can't do it.

Why even consider time out? Would you like to feel energized instead of exhausted? The amount of time can be 15 minutes, an hour, a day, a long weekend, a long awaited vacation to an exotic location or anything that gives you a chance to stop, breathe, go within, enjoy life and relax.

In a few days, I am doing just that. I have chosen a long time out. An adventure journey to Bhutan and India---I will be checking email and phone messages very occasionally for 24 days! I take at least one vacation per year to somewhere that's entirely different from my usual way of life. I have found this to be invigorating, enchating, educational, and eye-opening. It fills me with gratitude for the abundance of like minded souls all around the world. We may look different, speak different languages, but I have found that we have very similar hopes and dreams and curiosity aout each other.

And....you can do the same by sitting on a beach for a weekend, by taking your family somewhere you all enjoy, going to a spa or anything you choose.

A time out is quality time with yourself  and also a time to delegate every day tasks to a trusted colleague or employee. A time to listen inwardly to your own wisdom, dreams, and plans; to regenerate, regroup, relax, remember your purpose. I guarantee you will return invigorated, refreshed, excited, and enlivened. Yes, you can do it. Allow yourself to take a time out. Enjoy!

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