WOW! Where did the month go? I am so glad that the weather has warmed up here in New Jersey. I LOVE the Spring. It is the last day of the month, for some the kids are on Spring Break. For others, they are just wondering where time went, right?
Over the last two weeks, I have been concentrating on being more productive in my business and in my personal life. I was tired of saying “there is not enough time to XYZ” or looking at my to do list and seeing NOTHING checked off yet feeling busy.
My first step was to really put the AMAZING Passion Planner that hubby got me to work. I have been sitting down on Sunday night and planning out my week. I mean EVERYTHING from work to be done in my business to errands to chores in the house to meal times and sleep time. WOW! I now feel like I am accomplishing something. The planner is broken down into 1/2 hour increments so I plan my tasks that way and I keep checking the clock – especially when I am in my office. When it is time to switch tasks, whether the task is done or not, I switch. It took me a little while to get used to it but it has helped me to stay on task. It has also helped me to stay focused and get things done.
Focusing on one task is actually a proven strategy used by many successful entrepreneurs. Okay, maybe not planning every minute BUT “picking 1 task to focus on”. You pick one thing and do it, blocking out all distractions. There is a program called Rescue Time for those who may not have the willpower to be self-accountable when online. I haven’t tried it but I know some who have. It is an application that runs in the background of your computer and measures how you spend your time so you can make better decisions.
A problem area for me is setting time limits when I meet with a hostess, a customer or go to a meeting. Even in my personal life, this is a struggle. I am trying hard to stick to a set amount of time. I assign travel time to the meeting, meeting time (usually an hour unless scheduled for longer) then travel time home or to the next task. Vanessa Coppes said “Meetings can be time vampires. So, be cut-throat when it comes to managing your time so you can focus on high value tasks.”
Get up earlier. It really is true that “the early bird catches the worm”. Research shows that mornings can make or break your day. By scheduling my day with tasks, I push myself to get out of bed earlier so that I can get things done. I know that if I don’t get up and get moving, things will fall by the wayside and tasks will not get done.
For the “people pleasers” out there. Yes, that can include me. Practice saying NO! You don’t need to say yes to every request. When I don’t have everything planned out, I tend to say yes to everything and then I take on more than I can handle. When we do this, we kill our productivity.
Are you the proverbial multi-tasker? Been there, done that! Believe it or not it is the WORSE way to get things done. Research confirms that all the multi-tasking causes our brains to be rewired and as a result we get less done. It will take practice but you will be amazed at the difference when you have mono-focus on one thing.
Finally, did you know that by saying “I don’t have enough time” or anything along those lines, you are actually drawing less time into your life. You want to speak the positive to the Universe because the Law of Attraction really does work.
When you protect your time, you will protect your energy, your business, and your life. What is YOUR best time saving tip?
Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!
Hope Wissel 