OK! Are you still with me for Step 5 of 7 Steps to Save Time and be Free from Overwhelm?
We've set up our systems so we always have quick and easy access to our information and our schedule.
Here are the links to the previous steps of this series, in case you missed them:
Step 1 - Declutter to focus
Step 2 - Passwords
Step 3 - Digital Note-taking
Step 4 - Calendar
Now we need to make sure we're set up to make the best use of our time when we are getting things done.
To do this we need to do some planning. Imagine if you were to get in the car and start driving before you had ANY idea of where you were going. Or even if you had SOME idea, you could waste a heap of time going the wrong way or the long way.
So think of today's action like checking on Google maps the night before, so you know how to get there and how long it will take.
STEP 5 - Plan Your Week
Yes, we need to use a bit of time on this, in an already busy schedule. But think of it as an investment. Spending this bit of time now, getting clear on your plans for the week ahead, will return HUGE time savings during the course of the week.
AND you actually have more time than you think. You've already freed up some time in the last few days. You're no longer wasting time looking for your information, notes, passwords and appointment!
I recommend you schedule in a planning session AT LEAST once a week.
Even better if you can take 5-10 minutes at the end of each day to review and plan the next days activities.
How This Saves You Time and Reduces Overwhelm
Watch this video to find out!
Today's 30 minute Actions
This is longer than the 15 minute actions from other steps in this series, and it may even take longer than 30 minutes. Remember this is a time investment to maximise your time on other days. If you don't have more time available, just do as much as you can! A little planning is WAY better than no planning at all.
1. Make sure your Inbox (from Step 1) has been processed and you know which items need to be acted on.
2. Pull up your Google Calendar and look at the meetings and appointments you have booked in for the week ahead. Is there anything you need to prepare for?
3. Schedule a time to do this process EVERY week, put an actual entry in your calendar.
4. Follow the steps in this blog post to plan what you need to get done in the coming week - How to create and organise your to-do list
5. Once you have planned your to-do list for the week, check the time available in your calendar. Do you have enough time free to actually accomplish your tasks? Try to schedule your tasks in your calendar so that you don't overbook yourself with more appointments.
Extra steps
If you want to take this a step further, try out my planner pages. And here is the video that explains how I use it - click here (and skip to 2:30).
What's next
There's a good chance you're feeling a bit stressed with this big long to-do list and limited time available in your calendar. I totally get it, and I have 2 things to say right now.
#1 - Don't give up now! The fact that you now have it written down and not just floating around in your head is HUGE. You won't forget, and you've freed up some of that mental bandwidth to actually focus on the next task at hand.
#2 - Stick with me! Tomorrow we'll get more into what we can REMOVE from that list. Relief is on the way!
Looking for more help? Get in touch with me today and learn how Positively Sorted can make a positive difference in your business life!
