Time Management: How I Handle My Time

12 February 2020

I put an Instagram poll up yesterday asking you guys what you want me to talk about, and I got a big response about time management and money! I have a love/hate relationship when talking about money, but I’m going to go for it and film an episode Tuesday. No holding back!

Additionally, I’m speaking with an organizing mentor Monday for TILU and that episode will air on Wednesday!

Mark Twain once said, “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And If it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.”

What’s that mean? Handle more of your bigger, time consuming tasks in the morning. Don’t wait until 4 PM to film that podcast episode or wrap up that business proposal. It’s worse to email something to someone else out of office hours and way better to do that in the earlier part of the day. When 4, 5 and 6 PM come around you don’t want to be struggling to finish a proposal of some sorts when you could be heading home.

A lot goes on in one day for all of us. From waking up to working out to going to work and remembering to eat, how do you make sure there’s enough time in a day to handle it all!?

I would like to say I have perfected time management now that I have a team and can afford to have an assistant helping me with my scheduling. Outsourcing has made my life easier.

Back in the day when I was BROKE I constantly felt like I was running 100 MPH without knowing where the breaks were.

Am I doing enough?

How do I keep doing this everyday for the rest of my life if it doesn’t work out?

Can someone help me!?! But I’m so broke I can’t afford to pay anyone so back to writing every task and phone call down in my notebook. 

These were sentences that would run through my head on repeat. That doesn’t mean I don’t struggle with time management now, I just know how to handle a lot at once. I’ll remind you first how important keeping a schedule is.

Being as I run my own company, it’s not easy to maintain a set schedule every day, which is why I always like to stay consistent with when I workout, when I go to bed and when I meditate. You’ll notice that keeping the most minor (yet important) parts of your day consistent help you stay more organized throughout the day.

productive time management tips

I’m not one of those people that has a organized planner and suggests you all buy a planner to organize. What happens if you’re a student and have nothing to do all day besides class? Write your morning ritual in your planner and something at the end of the day that you’ll do everyday in your planner. By putting those few tasks in your planner, you’ll feel more organized than before (and busier!)

If I’m busier than usual (like during summit season) I write down a list of daily tasks in my notebook. I keep my notebook with me at all times because I don’t like to write notes in my cell phone. I bought a sticky note planner from Molly & Rex that has made my notebook extremely organized. I write “payments” and “tasks” and “brands” etc., on the stickies and organize my notebook with those. The M&R line has a fabulous selection of products that are affordable and have helped me stay organized and manage my time better.

Separate your business and personal life as best as you can so that you learn to turn off when you get home. I keep my working hours between 9 AM – 6 PM, so if someone is calling me after 6 PM unless it’s urgent, I won’t answer.

If someone calls you randomly, don’t answer! There are times when you’ll have to be strict with your schedule and random people calling you to ask a question about an email you probably didn’t have time to reply to don’t help you keep your time managed. 

Something I wish I did back in the day when I was starting is used an online phone scheduler like Calendly. Now I use Zoom and Uber Conference for scheduling (both are free) and I’ve noticed that I feel much more organized when scheduling a call that way vs. who is calling who directly.

I can’t preach enough to many of you aspiring entrepreneurs that if you are passionate and driven to be successful with what you are pursuing, you need to make the time for it. If you have a day job and are working on a side project, get up one hour earlier or go to bed one hour later. Don’t spend your time THINKING about getting up earlier, just GET UP EARLIER. You can’t be passionate about something without any passion.

I hope these tips help you!

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