Lots of people ask me HOW I work a full time job and run a very successful business. The simple answer is just time management. I have to schedule almost everything out, it means discipline and sometimes it means sacrifice but I know in the long run it will be worth it.
Here are my top time management tips:
- Always have a place to record your ideas. Sometimes this is on your phone, other people prefer a notebook. Often times you are doing something and another idea pops in your head but you need to stay on task. If you have a place to right down the new idea and revisit it.
- Get a planner. A fun, sparkly, inspiring one. I just got one from a friend that says “Shine Bright, Sparkle More”. That is just SO me and I will be using it for 2016. I love Erin Condren!?To-do lists get longer and longer to the point where they’re unworkable. Appointment books work. Schedule appointments with yourself and create time blocks for high-priority thoughts, conversations, and actions. Schedule when they will begin and end. Have the discipline to keep these appointments.
- Schedule time for interruptions.?It is realistic for you to be 100% focused during 100% of your work time. If you think something is going to take you 30 minutes, set aside 45 minutes. You will be way less stressed and frustrated if it takes you less than your alotted time.
- Take the first 30 minutes of every day or the last 30 minutes of the previous day to plan your day?and get moving. You should wake up and bounce around!?Don’t start your day until you complete your time plan. The most important time of your day is the time you schedule to schedule time.
- Take Sundays to plan your week. Just as you would want to spent 30 minutes at the beginning/end of each day planning your day, you also want to spend some time at the end/beginning of the week to lay out what you need to accomplish.
- Take five minutes before every call and task to decide what result you want to attain. This will help you know what success looks like before you start. And it will also slow time down. Take five minutes after each call and activity to determine whether your desired result was achieved. If not, what was missing? How do you put what’s missing in your next call or activity?
- It’s OK to say “I am busy, I can’t” or even “It’s my first downtime all week so I am going to pass”. You don’t need to make excuses for being busy
- Set Business Hours. Your challengers and coaches aren’t available 24/7 and you shouldn’t be either. Practice not answering the phone just because it’s ringing and e-mails just because they show up. Disconnect instant messaging. Don’t instantly give people your attention unless it’s absolutely crucial in your business to offer an immediate human response. Instead, schedule a time to answer email and return phone calls.
- Block out other distractions?so if you are working on a blog post on your computer, just have that window open and silent your phone.
- Remember that it’s impossible to get everything done.Don’t beat yourself up.
Here are some additional tips:
Instead of creating a to-do list with 25 items, re-focus your attention to the top 3 most important things to do for the day that are going to bring you the most value.
If you?re a Beachbody coach reading this, I want you to think about the 3 vital behaviors:
- Inviting is the secret sauce to this business. The more that you invite the better you become at the skill and the more efficient you are at making the connection with others.
- Be a product of the product.
- Do your personal development daily
If you don?t do those things with passion and consistency, your business won?t grow and you won?t have anything to manage. The only thing you?re going to manage is mindlessly scrolling thru your news feed or your phone.
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