This is Part 3 of the Time Management series you can find part 1 here, and part 2 here. Mapping out blocks of time to dedicate to your business is very important, knowing what to do in those blocks of time is even more important. Today we will be talking about both prioritizing your time and your activities!
So, you are ready ... you've found blocks of time during your day, now what do you do with that time?
The first thing you need to do, is evaluate when your magic hours are. This is the time of day that you are your best. Your brain is clear, you're at your highest motivation, and you are ready to go. For me, those hours are first thing in the morning, however, I know others whose peak hours are late at night. This is the time of day that you need to do the items that require the most of your brain and energy. Since I know these hours happen for me in the morning, I adjust my schedule throughout the year to maximize this time. It is one reason why even in the summertime, my alarm still goes off at 5:30am. I don't have kiddos to get up and off to school, but I still have work to be done.
During the school year, my work day starts about 7am, that is after the bus leaves and I have had time to let the dogs out and grab a cup of coffee. During the summertime, my work day starts around 6am. In general, I have a lot more gardening activities in the summertime, so having that extra hour is great and doesn't interfere the time I need to devote to work. Sales are also generally slower in the summertime, so I take advantage of enjoying my kids whenever I can.
I don't set my alarm on the weekends unless I must. However, I usually still wake up by 6 every morning. My productivity is greatly reduced when I sleep past 7am. I feel better and I am more productive when I get a regular amount of sleep each day. Pay attention to your body and be kind to it. Think about what time of the day you are at your best and schedule your work activities during that time whenever possible.
Next, we need to talk about prioritizing your activities, and adjusting your time when other things pop up. Plan for unexpected things to pop up. There will always be sick kids, you might get sick, there are traffic jams, snow storms, hurricanes, school projects that kids tell you about the night before they are due ... this list could be endless ... you need to decide now, what activities can be pushed to the back, and what activities need to be done no matter what things pop up. We do this all the time, without thinking about it, so if you are drawing a blank think back to the last time you had a crazy day and what things you still did, and what things you pushed to another day without thinking about it. Also, think about how you recovered and what things were mountains when you finally got back to them.
When I think about activities that are on the priority list, you would think that work, family, house would always be at the top, and they are, to an extent. Gardening is my hobby, but it is also the thing that I do that refreshes my soul and allows me to do all the other hard things that I must do each day. I will let gardening activities fall off my list for emergencies, but only a maximum of two days in a row. I know that I work better when I have whole days dedicated to one job, so my house cleaning/keeping days are either Fridays or Saturdays. Sundays I try not to do any house or work work. Sundays are the day I do more time-consuming garden chores. Monday through Thursdays are my work days. Each day I fit gardening in, each day I do some work activity, and each day I do some household chore, it is the focus of each day that changes and how I use most of that day.
I think about all my activities for home and business the same way I think about gardening. Businesses are like gardening, in that some tasks need more time than others, and some tasks can be put off when unexpected things pop up. However, all those tasks need to be revisited at some point. You must evaluate what tasks are one-time tasks, what tasks need to be done every day or every week, and what tasks you can do to plant permanent seeds. In gardening, things like plowing, tilling, and soil preparation are task that don't need to be done every day or week, but they must get done to establish a good foundation. For business this could mean things like, a good and stable website, or getting a good logo and grasp on what the focus of your business is. Theses things all need maintenance from time to time, but the initial time investment is essential. All my permanent type tasks are scheduled into monthly to do's in my calendar. They generally take a full day or even two of dedication, and I do not schedule them in the busiest months of the year.
Get a planner or calendar that has to do lists for each week/month to map out your important to dos throughout the year.
You also have tasks that are routine, daily, and require constant maintenance. These things area must do's every day or week ... In gardening that is watering, weed pulling, harvesting, and seasonal plantings. For me in business, that is corresponding with customers, advertising on a consistent basis, and making things. All these things are essential to having a steady harvest in the garden, and steady work in my business. These are things that must be done on a regular schedule. All of the routine tasks that I do for home, work, gardening fit within a 3 to 4 hour time period, and even on crazy days I try to get all of them done.
Some people have also recognized the permanent seeds in their business. For gardening, these are called perennials, bushes, or trees ... there are also some self seeding annuals that I put in this category. These are things that you can count on every year, and do not require the constant time commitment like other things. However, generally the harvest is short lived and seasonal. In gardening these are things like, fruit trees, bushes and vines that grow fruit, perennial flowers and bushes, and my zinnias that generally reseed themselves each year. In my business, these are my products that are seasonal sellers, or customers/contacts that provide me with a smaller but consistent income during different seasons. These could also be contacts that are in your network and provide you with a small percentage of the sales they make. While these things don't need constant time, they do need a dedicated time commitment, or they will stop producing. These items are also scheduled, and in general one day per week is dedicated to doing them.
These are also things that I make choices about when they are done, and they have been carefully planned so they do not all happen at the same time. For instance, In the perennial flower garden, you want flowers that bloom in winter, early spring, late spring, early summer, late summer, and fall. If everything you plant blooms at the same time, you will have a lot of flowers one time per year, and everything will look dead and lifeless the rest of the year. Take time to plan and note these permanent things in your business, garden, and home life so they don't all happen the same time per year. In business, this means not scheduling and making appointments with all your repeat customers in the same month each year. Space them out so you can give each one the attention it deserves. If you sell products that are mainly for weddings, spend time to develop products for the holiday season, or focus on wedding themes that entice folks having spring, summer, fall, and winter weddings.
You may be wondering why the routine tasks are only a 3 to 4 hour block of my day, and what do I do with the extra hours? I've talked about prioritizing a lot in this post, but not so much about the things that I do that aren't necessarily priorities. The rest of my day is spent doing the things that are #2's and #3's on my priority list. This way, when things come up, I have a plan for getting the most important things done, and I don't get off track as easily. Take a moment and make yourself a list of all of your to dos and give them priority numbers, #1 being the most important, #2 being the things you would really like to get done today, #3 if you get to these things today then great, but if not the world will not come crashing down. Work on the #1's first, then the #2's and then the #3's.
I hope that this has given you some great ideas on prioritizing your activities! Part 4 is coming tomorrow and is a stern warning about squeaky wheels ... those things that are always stealing your bits of time!
So, you are ready ... you've found blocks of time during your day, now what do you do with that time?
The first thing you need to do, is evaluate when your magic hours are. This is the time of day that you are your best. Your brain is clear, you're at your highest motivation, and you are ready to go. For me, those hours are first thing in the morning, however, I know others whose peak hours are late at night. This is the time of day that you need to do the items that require the most of your brain and energy. Since I know these hours happen for me in the morning, I adjust my schedule throughout the year to maximize this time. It is one reason why even in the summertime, my alarm still goes off at 5:30am. I don't have kiddos to get up and off to school, but I still have work to be done.
During the school year, my work day starts about 7am, that is after the bus leaves and I have had time to let the dogs out and grab a cup of coffee. During the summertime, my work day starts around 6am. In general, I have a lot more gardening activities in the summertime, so having that extra hour is great and doesn't interfere the time I need to devote to work. Sales are also generally slower in the summertime, so I take advantage of enjoying my kids whenever I can.
I don't set my alarm on the weekends unless I must. However, I usually still wake up by 6 every morning. My productivity is greatly reduced when I sleep past 7am. I feel better and I am more productive when I get a regular amount of sleep each day. Pay attention to your body and be kind to it. Think about what time of the day you are at your best and schedule your work activities during that time whenever possible.
Next, we need to talk about prioritizing your activities, and adjusting your time when other things pop up. Plan for unexpected things to pop up. There will always be sick kids, you might get sick, there are traffic jams, snow storms, hurricanes, school projects that kids tell you about the night before they are due ... this list could be endless ... you need to decide now, what activities can be pushed to the back, and what activities need to be done no matter what things pop up. We do this all the time, without thinking about it, so if you are drawing a blank think back to the last time you had a crazy day and what things you still did, and what things you pushed to another day without thinking about it. Also, think about how you recovered and what things were mountains when you finally got back to them.
When I think about activities that are on the priority list, you would think that work, family, house would always be at the top, and they are, to an extent. Gardening is my hobby, but it is also the thing that I do that refreshes my soul and allows me to do all the other hard things that I must do each day. I will let gardening activities fall off my list for emergencies, but only a maximum of two days in a row. I know that I work better when I have whole days dedicated to one job, so my house cleaning/keeping days are either Fridays or Saturdays. Sundays I try not to do any house or work work. Sundays are the day I do more time-consuming garden chores. Monday through Thursdays are my work days. Each day I fit gardening in, each day I do some work activity, and each day I do some household chore, it is the focus of each day that changes and how I use most of that day.
I think about all my activities for home and business the same way I think about gardening. Businesses are like gardening, in that some tasks need more time than others, and some tasks can be put off when unexpected things pop up. However, all those tasks need to be revisited at some point. You must evaluate what tasks are one-time tasks, what tasks need to be done every day or every week, and what tasks you can do to plant permanent seeds. In gardening, things like plowing, tilling, and soil preparation are task that don't need to be done every day or week, but they must get done to establish a good foundation. For business this could mean things like, a good and stable website, or getting a good logo and grasp on what the focus of your business is. Theses things all need maintenance from time to time, but the initial time investment is essential. All my permanent type tasks are scheduled into monthly to do's in my calendar. They generally take a full day or even two of dedication, and I do not schedule them in the busiest months of the year.
Get a planner or calendar that has to do lists for each week/month to map out your important to dos throughout the year.
You also have tasks that are routine, daily, and require constant maintenance. These things area must do's every day or week ... In gardening that is watering, weed pulling, harvesting, and seasonal plantings. For me in business, that is corresponding with customers, advertising on a consistent basis, and making things. All these things are essential to having a steady harvest in the garden, and steady work in my business. These are things that must be done on a regular schedule. All of the routine tasks that I do for home, work, gardening fit within a 3 to 4 hour time period, and even on crazy days I try to get all of them done.
Some people have also recognized the permanent seeds in their business. For gardening, these are called perennials, bushes, or trees ... there are also some self seeding annuals that I put in this category. These are things that you can count on every year, and do not require the constant time commitment like other things. However, generally the harvest is short lived and seasonal. In gardening these are things like, fruit trees, bushes and vines that grow fruit, perennial flowers and bushes, and my zinnias that generally reseed themselves each year. In my business, these are my products that are seasonal sellers, or customers/contacts that provide me with a smaller but consistent income during different seasons. These could also be contacts that are in your network and provide you with a small percentage of the sales they make. While these things don't need constant time, they do need a dedicated time commitment, or they will stop producing. These items are also scheduled, and in general one day per week is dedicated to doing them.
These are also things that I make choices about when they are done, and they have been carefully planned so they do not all happen at the same time. For instance, In the perennial flower garden, you want flowers that bloom in winter, early spring, late spring, early summer, late summer, and fall. If everything you plant blooms at the same time, you will have a lot of flowers one time per year, and everything will look dead and lifeless the rest of the year. Take time to plan and note these permanent things in your business, garden, and home life so they don't all happen the same time per year. In business, this means not scheduling and making appointments with all your repeat customers in the same month each year. Space them out so you can give each one the attention it deserves. If you sell products that are mainly for weddings, spend time to develop products for the holiday season, or focus on wedding themes that entice folks having spring, summer, fall, and winter weddings.
You may be wondering why the routine tasks are only a 3 to 4 hour block of my day, and what do I do with the extra hours? I've talked about prioritizing a lot in this post, but not so much about the things that I do that aren't necessarily priorities. The rest of my day is spent doing the things that are #2's and #3's on my priority list. This way, when things come up, I have a plan for getting the most important things done, and I don't get off track as easily. Take a moment and make yourself a list of all of your to dos and give them priority numbers, #1 being the most important, #2 being the things you would really like to get done today, #3 if you get to these things today then great, but if not the world will not come crashing down. Work on the #1's first, then the #2's and then the #3's.
I hope that this has given you some great ideas on prioritizing your activities! Part 4 is coming tomorrow and is a stern warning about squeaky wheels ... those things that are always stealing your bits of time!
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