During the day, J.R. “Sankarasivam” Jeyaranjan works 40 hours a week as a bank risk manager. At night and on weekends, and during pretty much any spare time he has, Jeyaranjan is president of his Jersey City co-op’s board of directors, a position he has held for the last two years.

For the past two decades, Carol Hodes has been secretary of her board of directors for the Deerwood Farms Homeowners Association in Old Bridge, New Jersey. She said she joined the board because her home she says was her most precious investment, “so I had better do what I could to protect it!”

Deerwood is a small, self-managed board, and over the years the amount of time that Hodes has devoted to the board has varied, depending on what tasks other board members wanted to take on. Presently, her responsibilities include more than just taking minutes at the monthly meeting. She is responsible for all board correspondence, newsletters, and dealing with attorneys, banks, and realtors when owners are selling or refinancing. She also keeps the checkbook and pays the bills.

“We do a lot by phone or through informal meetings as well,” says Hodes. “There are stretches when the demands are more hours and others when we are ‘quiet’ and between projects that it occupies very little time.”

Committing to It

If you want to volunteer on your board like Jeyaranjan or Hodes, it’s important to first know that there is a time commitment involved. What that commitment will be depends on your individual board and how much volunteering you want to do and, according to Edward Andron, vice president and director of management for Leebar Management Corp. in New York, what position you want to hold.

“If you’re the president, it’s overall responsibility,” says Andron. “The secretary is responsible for the monthly minutes as well as any newsletter the board distributes to all residents/shareholders. If you are the treasurer, your responsibilities include the budget, monthly income and expenses and management of the reserve fund including allocation of all payments for capital improvement expenditures such as exterior waterproofing, new roof tank, new roof or boiler.”

Some months, Jeyaranjan estimates that his board responsibilities can take about 50 hours to complete. Other months are even busier, and he might work twice as many hours between committee meetings and building activities.

Although she doesn’t keep track of how much time her volunteer duties take her, Hodes estimates that she spends between eight and 10 hours a month on board responsibilities.

“Their time can vary from an hour a day or less… made up of phone calls and emails, but may take longer depending on the size of the building, its needs and how involved the board is,” says Andron. “There should be constant communication between the management and board, but there should be a balance as management should be allowed to do their jobs and work together as a team without being overloaded with constant emails and phone calls.”

Striking a Balance

If you want to be a successful board member, you must also learn how to juggle all of these board responsibilities with a regular job, family, hobbies and other commitments—which can sometimes be difficult.

Jeyaranjan, who is also married with a family, considers himself a very organized person to be able to do what he does. He performs all of his job, family and board responsibilities. In addition, he even sits on the board of another association, attending a minimum of two meetings per month, which can last up to four hours apiece.

“My passion for the community made me run for board president; I wanted change,” says Jeyaranjan. “I don’t want to scare people off from being a board member because you can spend time as a member just listening at meetings. However, when you’re passionate, you find the time.”

In addition to her board life, Hodes is also a freelance writer who covers the horse racing industry, and has family, friends, and pets to attend to. Although, she admits that she has a little more free time than others, she still finds it difficult to hang up the “closed for business” sign and move on to other work.

Jeyaranjan admits that his passion can sometimes get in the way of more important things. “[Sometimes,] I do compromise my quality… time with my family, and even my health for that matter, because I have incentive to do what I need to do for the community,” he says.

Claudia Tracey identifies with Jeyaranjan’s sacrifice. Until recently, she worked full-time in a position that required a great deal of travel as well as serving as board president of the Hampton Vistas Condominiums in Manorville, New York. Recently, the development went through an $860,000 assessment for major renovation work spread out among 48 owners. During this time leading up to the assessment the board would meet weekly, although they usually meet once a month.

In addition to her presidential duties, Tracey has also been a member of the board of directors of the Community Associations Institute (CAI) of Long Island and chair of the CAI trade show committee. Each board and committee typically meets once a week. Her schedule can often be chaotic.

“I am fortunate to be married to a very patient man, and my three children are grown,” says Tracey. “Family life can get pushed to the back burner sometimes, so the cooperation of the entire family is needed.”

Write it Down

Sharmen Lane, a New York City-based life coach reminds board members that it doesn’t matter how much money you have, or what school you went to, or where you were raised when it comes to budgeting your time and keeping your various roles organized. “We all only get 24 hours in a day,” she says. “The way to be most efficient and effective with your time and get the most out of your 24 hours is to follow simple time management steps.”

Lane suggests writing down everything you need or want to get done in a day. “You don’t have to overcomplicate this one,” she says. “Simply write down what needs to be done to free up your mind and instantly be more focused,” she says.

Hodes admits that she writes a “to do” list every night before she goes to sleep. “I don’t necessarily complete everything on the list but I do move those things forward to the next day [boy can that be discouraging!],” she says.

Eliminate Distractions

“Distractions or interruptions are the primary cause for people to not be efficient and get done what needs to be done,” says Lane. “Either remove the distractor—for example, turn off the phone or don’t log on to email—or remove yourself from the distracter.

Set an Alarm

Lane suggests an alarm to help you to focus. “Allotting a specific amount of time will enable you to concentrate on just the matter at hand without concerning yourself with the clock or other things around you,” she says.

Stay in the Moment

Many times people do not use the present moment effectively because they are projecting in the future or dwelling on the past. “By nature, I’m a very proactive guy,” says Jeyaranjan. “I’m not egocentric and I try to stay focused and positive on what’s happening now and not get dragged into a debate.”

Reward Yourself

“Nothing is better than having a little incentive when you are learning a new habit,” says Lane. “The next time you are struggling with managing your time, give yourself a reward for when you finish.”

Sharon Beason, personal concierge and owner of All About Brooklyn Concierge, Inc. also suggests distributing work and tasks to others, if possible. “Is there an assistant or other committee member who can help you?” asks Beason. If your personal responsibilities are overshadowing your board responsibilities, there are concierge services, such as Beason’s, who can help you complete those tasks, while you focus on board duties. This might be helpful during an especially busy time.

The bottom line is by managing your time well, with whatever system works for you, will allow you to stay focused and complete your responsibilities in a timely manner and of course, the true reward is a well-run and efficient board.

Lisa Iannucci is a freelance writer and author living in Poughkeepsie, New York.