There is only so much time in a day. If you don’t take control of your time, then someone else will. I was the queen of thinking the day would fill itself…..and it did…with nothing that I wanted to get done scheduled in. First off, I am a people pleaser and that never seems to bode well when I am trying to be productive and efficient. It is always the number one reason I don’t get done what I want. That was one of the first things I changed in my habits to be more productive and efficient.
Earlier in my career, I thought the longer I worked the more I would get done. However, research shows this is not the case. Get in and get out through targeted focuses and themes seems to be a better plan. So… that is now my mantra…get in and get out, and then go live your life. Here are some hacks that have helped me to be more productive, efficient, assertive and clear. The first thing I did was research the giants of time management. Giants like Michael Hyatt and Ed Mylett. Next, I took a hard look at my calendar and realized that I had ZERO time scheduled in to recharge and energize. In fact, here is your first action…reflect on whether or not you have scheduled in time to recharge and re-energize. You might be surprised at how little time you have built in for that. I soon realized relationships and healthy habits suffered because I simply did not prioritize them.
I found the best way to take back control of my time was to literally take control, set boundaries, learn how to prioritize, and then split my time into mini days within one day. As soon as I did this, it helped prevent me from overworking, helped me to find clarity, and gave me clear boundaries to set so that I could decide how and what got done. Here are some steps that I followed to help me organize my time so I could get more down time.
Step 1: Find a calendar template or app that works for you.
Step 2: Create your ideal week. Write down all the things you want to get done, personally and professionally and schedule them in first.
Step 3: Assign a theme for each day. This means finding themes throughout your week. I always batch my activities into themes rather than scattering them throughout the week. This helps me to focus and get things done quicker, rather than trying to spread it out. As you create your list, you will see themes emerge. I recommend grouping your activities into batches. This will allow you to maximize your productivity. Some examples of themes might be classroom visitations, budgeting, content planning, etc.
Step 4: Set hard boundaries. Set times where you will work, what you will work on, and when you will not work. It is super important that you also set times for rest and play.
Step 5: Prioritize and do the top priorities on your peak times within working hours. These are the places where you will theme, batch duties, and put your A + effort. Everything else gets a B+ effort and you fill those tasks around the top priority blocks.
Now that you have a plan on how you will schedule your ideal week, it’s time to also consider your mindset. This will determine whether or not you actually stick to your ideal week or go back to your old ways. Here are some things I learned from Ed Mylett that helped me to set a routine and stick with it and get stuff done in a more efficient way.
Take on the one more attitude. Every time you do something hard, just do one more. One more minute, one more rep, one more phone call, one more report card, one more conversation, etc. It is a powerful tool for mindset and productivity and efficiency. If you want to know the power of doing one more, think to yourself what if someone took the opportunity from you to have it? What I wouldn’t give to have one more conversation with my wise mama. And so when you can lose it, the power, the impact, the preciousness of having one more, it dawns on you. And then the opportunity every day to do little one mores, one more rep, one more marketing piece, one more phone call, can make all the difference.
Break your days into mini days so you can 3X the work done. Split your day into three parts and theme the parts. I run a mini day from 6 a.m. to noon. And then at the end of that day, I reassess, and a little alarm clock goes off, and day two begins. And from noon to 6:00 p.m. is my second day. Same thing: meetings, calls, text, fun, whatever it might be, fitness. And then at 6:00 p.m. to midnight’s my third day. I have started to do this regularly and it has been a game changer. However it does take some intentional organizing and practice. At the end of a given day, I’ve got three days when an average human gets one. And some of those days are just three fun days. Take inventory at the end of each day to reassess what you got done and what needs to get set up for tomorrow.
Finally, If there is something that you really really want, ask yourself this question, ‘what would I need to do to make this happen or to have it serve me? What do I need to believe?’ Fill in the blanks and then do that action and see what happens.
There you have it. A step by step by step way to increase productivity and efficiency and provide clarity on where you really want to spend your time. It is a way to get your life back and a chance to take your own life into your own hands. It is that important!
I have a free guide that teaches you a start up and shut down system to your day to increase productivity. You can download it here!
Hyatt, M. (n.d.). Take Back Control of Your Schedule. In Fullfocus.co.
Porterfield, A. (n.d.). A Tangible Approach to Trippling Your Time Management. In Online Marketing Made Easy Podcast.
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