Entrepreneurship will have you pulled in a million directions all day, only to be left with one burning question at the end of the day… “Where did all the time go?” Sometimes it feels like no matter how early you start your day or how late you work, you still can’t get ‘enough’ done.
Tip 1: Time Block Your Calendar
Time blocking has changed my work-life balance completely. It’s a time management method that encourages you to divide your day into blocks of time. Each block is dedicated to accomplishing a specific task or group of tasks, and only those specific tasks. This method prevents decreases in productivity due to multitasking and improves your effectiveness. This is helpful for people who spend their day on small tasks and have no time for big projects.
I think of time-blocking as creating game-changing daily work plans to focus on your work and balance your personal life. I’m actually going to be deep diving into time blocking, how to do it, and overcoming the “life” distractions that derail your time blocks in a presentation at the Females on Fire Summit on Monday. I’ll be going more in-depth about what time blocks you should have, why time blocking hasn’t worked for you in the past, and how to create time blocks on your calendar.
Tip 2: Choose 3 “ focus projects” for the day.
Just three? Yep. Anything above three things can feel overwhelming and take up too much brain space. And the last thing I want is for you to be feeling anxious all day. I typically set my intention for the day with 3 must do focus projects for the day so that I don’t pile on too much. So instead of making a mile-long to-do list and then feeling ‘inadequate’ at the end of the day because you didn’t get everything done, just pick three projects to do for the day. List the most important task first, followed by the second most important task, then the lowest priority task. Let me show you an example…
Today my 3 projects were:
- High Priority: Do an in-person business strategy with a client.
- Medium Priority: Schedule client project status updates for tomorrow.
- Normal Priority: Send off my email newsletter.
As you can tell, each of those tasks can be quite time-consuming, so it’s important to acknowledge that a time estimate to complete something is 3 times longer than you expect. Something that you think may take you 15 minutes may take you 1 hour. So instead of having a long list for the day and then crossing your fingers hoping you’ll get it all done. Just pick 3.
Tip 3: Use the pomodoro method.
The pomodoro method is all about splitting your work into 25-minute chunks (pomodoros), with little breaks in between. It’s a cool trick to stay focused, beat fatigue, and keep distractions at bay. It’s totally a game-changer. You’ll be ticking off your to-do list one ‘pomodoro’ at a time. Here’s how you can implement the strategy of using the pomodoro method:
- Grab your list of 3 focus projects for the day.
- Grab your favorite snack or drink for the day.
- Turn on your pomodoro timer and get to work.
💡 Pro Tip: Try the Flow App as a pomodoro timer if you’re a Mac user. If you’re a PC user, try Pomofocus.
Tip 4: Co-work or Body Double with an accountability partner.
This one is one of my favorites! Body doubling is a productivity method where you work on tasks in the presence of someone else who is also working. The idea is that the presence of another person can help reduce procrastination and increase focus, even if you aren’t working on the same task or collaborating together. Pair this with the pomodoro method, and you will get so much done.
I body double with Intellectual Property Attorney and past client Ruky Tijani of Firm for the Culture on the regular, and it’s such a blessing. Sometimes we call each other by phone and work silently, and other times we log on to the Flown App to co-work.
⭐️️ Resource: Check out Flown’s co-working app. I’d love to work alongside you.
Tip 5: Streamline Lead Management & Service Delivery
No really. I constantly encourage entrepreneurs not to pass go or collect $200 until they streamline how they manage leads and service delivery for their clients. Failing to do so just continuously puts them in a constant time deficit with high stress and very little accomplished after a long day’s work. Think about the vicious cycle. Many service providers don’t spend time setting up systems and workflows because they don’t have time. But, it’s really that they don’t have time because they haven’t set up systems and workflows. At some point, the cycle has to stop so you can fulfill service deliverables, end your day on time, and have some actual personal time to fill your cup.
🚨 Action Step: Check out my intensives to see how I can help you set up workflows and productivity systems.
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