I stayed focused over the past month so I could visit my cousins in Ohio, attend an Opportunity International conference on eliminating poverty, and spend time with my parents. Why do you need to stay focused?
I wrote this guest post for Chic Entrepreneur — a great resource (by another great Elizabeth ;o) for women looking to start a business.
Although having a flexible schedule can seem like a dream, it can soon turn into a nightmare! That’s why as a time coach and trainer, I help people take back control of their time and then channel it toward their personal and professional goals.
Here’s how to time block your schedule to stay focused and motivated:
Decide on Start and Stop Times: Not only will setting your hours keep you from feeling guilty, but also it will keep you focused when you are working because you have established a time when you are free to stop.
Set Your Top Goals: Each week, Review your top priorities and write them at the top of your weekly calendar or put them in a visible place on your digital calendar. This will keep you thinking about what’s most important.
Time Block Your Projects: To keep moving forward on your goals each week, “soft schedule” blocks of time when you will complete projects or devote time to certain activities. For instance you could block out two hours on Wednesday to write up a proposal or set aside one hour each morning to answer e-mail.
Plan Your Day: Each morning, make a quick list of your meetings and your top tasks. Number your activities in order of importance and write down how long you think it will take you to do each one. Then start moving through your day, moving from one project to the next in number order. If a project is taking longer than you expected, reevaluate whether you should continue with it or move on to the next task on your list.
Time blocking is so effective because it:
Gives you a clear outline of what needs to get done and when you can complete it so that you feel less overwhelmed.
Keeps you moving forward on key priorities on “autopilot” instead of procrastinating and stressing out about big projects at the last minute.
Turns your days into quick sprints of work instead of never-ending marathons.
Allows you to feel good about what you accomplished
Helps you realize when you’ve overcommitted and need to scale back.
Gets you back on track quickly when unexpected activities arise.
Elizabeth Grace Saunders does Schedule Makeover coaching with clients throughout the country. If you’re struggling to stay focused and motivated, contact Elizabeth at esaunders@RealLifeE.com to get help today!
Inc magazine, NBC, and The Chicago Tribune are just a few of the places where Elizabeth has appeared, and she’s happy to offer you tips on savvy scheduling and time management for work/life balance. You can sign up for more info at http://www.RealLifeE.com/coaching or http://www.ScheduleMakeover.com
What happens when you let your business take over your home!
If you’re a home based business owner struggling with guilt, overwhelm, and frustration, check out my recent Webinar on finding peace, focus, and moving forward: MyEntre.Net Webinar description.
Click on the link at the bottom of the page or click here to go directly to the Webinar.
Elizabeth Grace Saunders is a key note speaker, trainer, and does phone and e-mail coaching on time management for work/life brilliance™ through her exclusive Schedule Makeover™ process. Inc magazine, NBC, and The Chicago Tribune are just a few of the places where Elizabeth has appeared, and she’s happy to offer you tips on savvy scheduling and time management for work/life balance. You can sign up for more info at http://www.RealLifeE.com/coaching or http://www.ScheduleMakeover.com
Here are my time saving moving tips in video format. If you’d like to read the related blog post, check out Move Stress Free & $500 From Penske.
This post was inspired by the fact that I won $500 in a Penske Share Your Move sweepstakes with a story and photo of my journey from Des Moines, Iowa, to Ann Arbor, Michigan. To check out my story, and find out how Penske can help you save time and money, go to: Share Your Move
Have a brilliant day! Thank you Penske!
Elizabeth
P.S.–Also, you can find other fun photos of my moving adventure in this Facebook album: Click Here
Elizabeth Grace Saunders is a key note speaker, trainer, and does phone and e-mail coaching on time management for work/life brilliance™ through her exclusive Schedule Makeover™ process. Inc magazine, NBC, and The Chicago Tribune are just a few of the places where Elizabeth has appeared, and she’s happy to offer you tips on savvy scheduling and time management for work/life balance. You can find out more at http://www.RealLifeE.com/coaching or http://www.ScheduleMakeover.com
Over the last nine years, I’ve averaged 1.4 moves/year (i.e. almost as much time packing, moving, and unpacking as simply settling into a place). No matter how many times you move, it’s not easy.
Fortunately, I’ve discovered a few time coaching strategies to reduce moving stress:
Start a List
As soon as you decide you’re moving, a million little to-dos from talk to your banker to pack grandma’s vase in bubble wrap will start to float around in your head. This can lead to two not-so-helpful responses:
Manic running around in an attempt to do way more than you can do in a night or weekend.
Paralyzing despair that you can never get everything done so you might as well flip through channels or flit through Facebook for hours.
May I suggest this much more helpful alternative: Create a list in a word processing document, your phone, or PDA where you write down everything that comes to mind.
As you add to this list, categorize to-dos by date and/or by milestone. For instance, if you know you need to have your apartment cleaned out by September 20, you can put that task under that specific date on the list. But if you know you need to talk to your insurance agent after you’ve decided where you will live, you can categorize that action under the heading “Once I know where I am living.” To keep yourself on track, set aside specific times each week when you will review the list and move forward on what you can accomplish right now. Everything that you can’t do until a future designated time or milestone stays out of your mind and on the list.
Block Off Your Schedule
No matter how well organized you are, unexpected delays and activities will happen. To stay on the safe side, block off one to two weeks before and after your move to focus solely on packing and moving activities in your time outside of work. I know it sounds extreme, but it’s critical that you limit lunch dates, sporting games, TV time, networking events, and almost everything else that’s even somewhat optional from your schedule. Try to avoid planning personal and professional meetings during that time frame, and if necessary, put up out of office messages that tell people your response will be delayed.
It’s so much better to give yourself extra time and space before and after your move than to freak out on your friends when you’re no where near done and the moving van is pulling up or to spend months getting settled because you didn’t unpack using the initial post-moving momentum. (Trust me-this works!)
Recruit Help
You can move alone, but I don’t advise it. If you’re not having professional movers pack you up, ask friends & family to come over and help you pack or at the very least assist with lugging boxes. If you choose the former, make it into a movie and pizza night that happens to include boxes and packing tape in place of a tub of popcorn in their hands.
If you need help the day of the move, I recommend contacting a large number of people about a month in advance and then sending out reminders, two weeks, one week, and a day before. Offer free food and drink and express your undying devotion and appreciation for their service to you. (Believe me–you’ll be so happy you did!)
Also, if you’re planning on renting a truck, check out Penske! When I did my research, I found that they had much less expensive truck rentals than other companies (especially if you sign up to be a AAA member). Plus the staff helped me with all of the timing of picking up and dropping off my truck and car trailer in the most efficient manner.
I had such an amazing experience with Penske that I entered their sweepstakes with a story and photo of my journey from Des Moines, Iowa, to Ann Arbor, Michigan. And I won $500! To check out my story, and find out how Penske can help you have a stress-free move, go to: Share Your Move
Have a brilliant day! Thank you Penske!
Elizabeth
P.S.–Also, you can find other fun photos of my moving adventure in this Facebook album: Click Here
Elizabeth Grace Saunders is a key note speaker, trainer, and does phone and e-mail coaching on time management for work/life brilliance™ through her exclusive Schedule Makeover™ process. Inc magazine, NBC, and The Chicago Tribune are just a few of the places where Elizabeth has appeared, and she’s happy to offer you tips on savvy scheduling and time management for work/life balance. You can find out more at http://www.RealLifeE.com/coaching or http://www.ScheduleMakeover.com
I’m really excited about sharing my passion for time management for work/life balance in a couple of Fun, Free ways this September. Please join me and invite your friends. Promise it will be worth your time!
FREE Real Life E® Teleseminar: “Freeing Yourself From Guilt: Respecting Your Capacity” Understanding the psychology behind your habits of overcommitment and your feelings of overwhelm can help you regain control of your life and achieve balance–without guilt. Join me for this 30-minute teleseminar, which will end with me answering questions e-mailed to me by Sunday, September 6:
Anyone can participate: Phone: 712-432-0600, Code: 775908#
FREE Real Life E® Webinar:“Help! My Business Has Overtaken My Home!” My time management secrets for running a home-based business without having it overtake your life:
Thursday, September 17, at 12 p.m. CT
Log in to http://www.MyEntre.Net Web site and click on the “View Live Webinar” button on the upper right side
I recommend becoming a member of http://www.MyEntre.Net in advance so it doesn’t take extra time on the 17th. (It’s free and easy!) For questions, contact esaunders@RealLifeE.com or info@MyEntre.Net
Also, I want to give a quick shout out to two other Web sites that you should check out and who kindly are promoting these events: www.theworkathomewoman.com and www.mybusinessadventures.com. Thanks Holly and LeNesha!
Have a brilliant day and look forward to talking with you soon!
Elizabeth
Elizabeth Grace Saunders is a key note speaker, trainer, and does phone and e-mail coaching on time management for work/life brilliance™ through her exclusive Schedule Makeover™ process. Inc magazine, NBC, and The Chicago Tribune are just a few of the places where Elizabeth has appeared, and she’s happy to offer you tips on savvy scheduling and time management for work/life balance and sales success. You can find out more at http://www.RealLifeE.com/coaching or http://www.ScheduleMakeover.com
I focus on time management coaching but my clients naturally end up asking me about other topics related to their business and life. One question that recently came my way from a client who decided to pursue full-time entrepreneurship was: “How did you feel making the first steps into self employment? Were you nervous?”
I loved this question because it reminded me of the importance of authenticity in sharing about our experiences and supporting one another. Here was my response:
“So glad you shared your heart and I’m so happy to share mine back with you—
The answer is, Yes! I felt incredibly nervous when I quit my job without a clear idea of what was ahead. I remember feeling like there were two enormously strong forces inside of me: One was my heart telling me that I needed to do what God had called me to do. That following God and obeying what He was calling me to do was no risk at all because He is a good and perfect father. But on the other hand, my head was screaming at me that this was impractical and that I didn’t know what was to come and that I should just wait–that it wasn’t worth it.
But I followed through and left my job and was actually truly amazed at how supportive my personal and professional contacts were about the whole situation. Right after I started my business, I experienced fear again. Not because I didn’t have work at the moment but because I felt like the future was a black hole of uncertainty. But thankfully, the Lord has taught me to find my security in Him and to daily do His will.
I encourage you to stand firm, pray hard, and as you said, be careful with who you share your dream. You not only need practical advice but also lots of support and encouragement as you step out in faith and take flight.
Take care! I’m confident God has beautiful things in store for you!”
Elizabeth
Elizabeth Grace Saunders is a key note speaker, trainer, and does phone and e-mail coaching on time management for work/life brilliance™ through her exclusive Schedule Makeover™ process. Inc magazine, NBC, and The Chicago Tribune are just a few of the places where Elizabeth has appeared, and she’s happy to offer you tips on savvy scheduling and time management for work/life balance and sales success. You can find out more at http://www.RealLifeE.com/coaching or http://www.ScheduleMakeover.com
Balance leaves time for summer pleasures like sailing
Always in the car, on the phone, or in a meeting, sales people compete with entrepreneurs on who has the highest level of work/life imbalance.
Because they typically have flexible schedules, infinite to-do lists, and performance-based incentives, their work can easily consume their lives physically, mentally, and emotionally. (Ever wake up dreaming about your CRM tool?!)
If you’re in sales, you may wonder, “Is it possible to be in sales and still have a life?” Fortunately, the answer is, “Yes!” As a full-time entrepreneur for almost four years and a time coach to both entrepreneurs and employees, I’ve found these strategies can help you overcome overwhelm and achieve work/life brilliance™:
Set Your Hours: Clearly defining your ideal schedule, including when you start, stop, and take breaks, increases your productivity and focus during work hours and your freedom to relax when you’re “off.” You could start at 5 a.m. or 9 a.m., take a three-hour lunch or no lunch. When I help clients set up their ideal schedules during a Schedule Makeover consultation I emphasize that you need to develop a custom routine that works with your lifestyle and work preferences.
Plan Your Time: Laying out your day, week, and month helps you stay proactive and avoid last-minute stress. It also allows you to use your time efficiently so you can group out of office meetings in a similar location or make calls all at once.
Process Your Inputs: One of the easiest ways to get overwhelmed is to not set aside time each day to go through your inboxes and to-do lists and to not block out time for follow up on sales calls and meetings. If you know that it will take you two hours to complete a proposal but you book your day solid with meetings, you’ll inevitably end up working late.
Know Yourself: If you have a really hard time with setting limits, make commitments with friends or family in the evening that will force you to take a break or sign up for an exercise class that you have to pay to attend. If necessary, leave your laptop, Blackberry, or iPhone in the car or at the office.Accountability and boundaries are the best way to help you break the habit of working 24/7
Sales will always demand a high level of energy. But with the right time management for work/life balance strategies, you can accomplish more and have time to enjoy life.(Plus if you work with me on time coaching, I can help you overcome some of the limiting beliefs that could be holding you back from taking time to rest.)
To sales/life brilliance™!
Elizabeth
P.S.–If you’re in sales, check out Valerie Dennis’ blog where this article appeared as a guest post. Valerie is all about Sales Savvy!
Elizabeth Grace Saunders is a key note speaker, trainer, and does phone and e-mail coaching on time management for work/life brilliance™ through her exclusive Schedule Makeover™ process. Inc magazine, NBC, and The Chicago Tribune are just a few of the places where Elizabeth has appeared, and she’s happy to offer you tips on savvy scheduling and time management for work/life balance and sales success. You can find out more at http://www.RealLifeE.com or http://www.ScheduleMakeover.com
My first nine months in business, I could barely keep up with the work. I had an extensive network in the journalism industry, and in 2005, there was still more than enough magazine freelance work to go around. But in 2006, everything changed. I went from saying, “No” to work that wouldn’t fit into my packed schedule to hearing, “No” when I asked editors if they had any assignments for me.
Ouch. If I wanted to stay afloat, I needed to adapt.
I took a careful examination of my magazine journalism skills and decided that writing offered the most potential. As a writer, I could offer my services to marketing firms, lead a location-independent lifestyle, and charge a substantial hourly rate. So in 2006 and 2007, I started to build my marketing professionals network, and by the summer of 2007, I was so busy that I barely had time to chew and swallow my food.
Although I had financial success, I felt bankrupt emotionally and really wanted to do work that let me leave my computer and interact with people. I explored new business possibilities with a coach and decided to pursue public speaking to share a message of hope and encouragement. (And leave my keyboard!) In December 2007, Real Life E was born and has developed into a time coaching and training company to empower women in business to achieve work/life brilliance™ through Schedule Makeovers™
Here are lessons I’ve learned from rebranding my business to meet my personal and professional goals:
·Dip or Dead End: Before you rebrand, ask yourself if you’re in a dip or a dead end. If you’re in a dip, pushing through the hard times will lead to exponential success (See Seth Godin’s The Dip). If you’re in a dead end (like I was with magazine journalism), exerting extra effort will lead to little benefit.
·Fix Problems: Instead of looking for “opportunities,” look for problems. I saw that many of my friends felt overwhelmed with work or struggled to build a business without burning out. Schedule Makeovers™ are a solution to their struggles.
·Set Your Hours: When you first start this process, it will be really difficult to spend time doing sales and marketing for your new brand. I recommend setting aside specific blocks of time for this task. (I started with five hours a week.) Then as your new company becomes larger, it will naturally take more of your time and you can phase out your older products and services.
To thrive in these uncertain times, you must consistently adapt your products and services and brand to meet market demand and achieve more and more of your ideal lifestyle.
If you’re struggling to rebrand your business, check out www.ScheduleMakeover.com or contact me at esaunders@RealLifeE.com. I can help you develop a system for moving forward on your goals in a focused manner so you don’t feel overwhelmed.
Elizabeth Grace Saunders does key note speaking and phone and e-mail coaching to empower women in business to build businesses and achieve work/life brilliance™ through her exclusive Schedule Makeover™ process. Inc magazine, NBC, and The Chicago Tribune are just a few of the places where Elizabeth has appeared, and she’s happy to offer you tips on savvy scheduling and time management for work/life balance and business development.
Sticking to my schedule allowed me to enjoy a relaxed weekend with the awesome Simmons family on the East Coast!
Making a schedule is the first step to a life of peace and success, and keeping it is the second step. (To get a sneak peek at how I organize my time, check out Part I in this series.)
Once I’ve done my morning processing, I use these strategies to stick to my ideal schedule and complete the most critical tasks:
In the afternoon, I take a quick assessment of how many hours I have left and what needs to be done to hit my ending goal. This could mean moving on to a new project, pushing to complete an assignment, or revising my expectations for the day.
To really ensure I stick to my end time, I try to schedule activities right after work. It could be something as simple as a scheduled phone call, a walk with a friend, or going to a networking event. Knowing that I will cause inconvenience to someone else by working late really helps me stop myself. (My clients who have trouble starting work in the morning use this trick at the beginning of their day.)
As a final level of reinforcement, I time block out my evening. Like Tim Ferriss says in The 4-Hour Workweek, you have to clearly define what you will do to fill the void created by working fewer hours. For me that means inviting friends over for dinner or planning a specific projects like entering receipts in my budget or doing laundry. By giving myself a clear objective, I remind myself that working beyond my set schedule comes at a cost. If I procrastinate or over commit, I’m acutely aware that I’m keeping myself from doing other activities. This motivates me to plan my time and my responsibilities so I can stick to 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. and then stop—guilt free!
You can move forward on important projects and keep up on mundane task by setting a schedule that works for you and then strengthening these new habits (kind of like training muscles with consistent lifting). If you need help with this process, contact me about a Schedule Makeover.
You don’t need to feel frustrated, overwhelmed, or guilty any more!
Elizabeth
If you’re struggling to set a schedule, check out www.ScheduleMakeover.com or contact me at esaunders@RealLifeE.com. I can help you develop a system for moving forward on your goals.
Elizabeth Grace Saunders is a time coach and keynote speaker who empowers women in business to build businesses and achieve work/life brilliance™ through her exclusive Schedule Makeover™ process. Inc magazine, NBC, and The Chicago Tribune are just a few of the places where Elizabeth has appeared, and she’s happy to offer you tips on savvy scheduling and time management for work/life balance and business development.
My schedule helps me to spend time with my family.
When I started my first business in 2005, I had a completely haphazard schedule and would answer e-mails after going out with friends and stay up until 2 a.m. finishing projects. This lead to almost constant feelings of stress when working and guilt when not working.
Something had to change.
So less than a year into entrepreneurship, I started setting a schedule and making a goal of working a certain amount of hours per week. These constraints helped me to carve out time to invest in the relationships that make my life truly rich–without feeling guilty for taking time to relax!
Here’s My Routine:
Each weekday, I get up at 6 a.m. and go through my morning routine—breakfast, prayer, shower, stare out the window, etc. By 8:15 a.m., I’m at my computer and answer a few personal e-mails before starting to work at 8:30 a.m. One of my first activities of the day is going into an Excel spreadsheet where I record when I plan to start and stop work and take my lunch break. Then I spend the first 1 ½ to 2 hours of my day doing my routine processing.
Going through this checklist each morning has a number of benefits:
• I don’t waste time deciding how to start.
• I can operate on autopilot if my brain still needs to wake up.
• I feel confident that I’m up-to-date on all recent communication.
• I feel no compulsion to answer e-mail or answer the phone throughout the day.
• I’m able to set a clear list of objectives and time block based on the most recent data.
Once I’m done with processing, I do sales calls and e-mails for about an hour. I set this as my next time block because it’s one of the most important ways I can grow my business but one of the activities I most avoided. By putting it first, I actually complete this task and it doesn’t even stress me out anymore! (To keep myself motivated, I sometimes treat myself by moving to a new location–like the sunny backyard–before contacting women in business conference organizers and potential time coaching clients.)
The rest of my hours contain an ever-changing mix of business development projects, client assignments, and meetings. At the beginning of each week, I roughly time block these into my schedule to make sure I’m fitting in the most important projects. Then each morning, I review my daily plan, number the tasks in order of importance, and then set more precise time sprints.
This system:
• Forces me to be very realistic about how much I can get done and still be able to wrap up by 5:30 p.m.
• Directs my focus to the most urgent and important tasks first. If I don’t complete the items at the bottom of my list, it usually doesn’t matter if take care of them the next day.
• Puts me on autopilot. I start on the first task and then move to the next and the next without questioning what’s most important. To allow my mind to make the mental shift between projects, I’ll usually get up from my computer and get a cup of tea or let myself take 5-to-10 minutes to check e-mail. Then it’s on to the next project.
I hope you find this sneak peek into my world insightful. In next week’s blog post, I’ll share more details about how I stay focused and build in motivation and accountability.
But the big thing I want you to remember is that setting the right schedule can play a huge role in your ability to stay positive and make progress toward your goals–whether those include looking for a job, building a business, making more sales, or simply having more time to sleep. I have some Schedule Makeover clients that get up at 4:30 a.m. and others that rise at 9 a.m. Both schedules work well because they suit my clients’ personal preferences and body rhythms.
The key to success is find the system that works for you!
Have a brilliant day!
Elizabeth
If you’re struggling to set a schedule, check out www.ScheduleMakeover.com or contact me at esaunders@RealLifeE.com. I can help you develop a system for moving forward on your goals.
Elizabeth Grace Saunders is a time coach and trainer who empowers women in business to build businesses and achieve work/life brilliance™ through her exclusive Schedule Makeover™ process. Inc magazine, NBC, and The Chicago Tribune are just a few of the places where Elizabeth has appeared, and she’s happy to offer you tips on savvy scheduling and time management for work/life balance and business development.
Enter your e-mail address here
to receive Elizabeth's
monthly newsletter on
time strategies to create a
brilliant life in a burnt-out world
and Real Life E® updates.
