Like you, I’m always trying to make my life better. Whether it means eating healthier, making better use of my time, or being more present for my kiddos.
Pushing your personal bounds and taking yourself to the next level is stimulating and exciting. However, it also comes with risk.
The risk of setting expectations too high and then not achieving them.
Which ends up making you feel low, sucky, unmotivated and worst of all, inadequate.
You might berate yourself over why you can’t keep it all together or why you’re not good enough to get it done.
You might even convince yourself that you’re not cut out for what you set your mind out to do.
I hate that. Because it’s simply not true.
We put ourselves in situations that are not achievable even by the smartest, most productive and highly organized person but then blame ourselves when things don’t go as planned.
Let’s put the kibosh on this self-inflicted experience of inadequacy once and for all, shall we?
There’s one simple tool I use all the time with my clients to set realistic expectations, take control of their time and end each day feeling successful (instead of like a failure).
It’s Time Blocking.
Time blocking is just as it sounds – blocking out your time every day.
Time blocking is about assessing what you need to get done, how much time you have and where you’ll fit it in. It’s the difference between feeling accomplished and feeling like a failure.
My to-do list has over 50 tasks on it.
When I DON’T block my time, it’s overwhelming, and no matter how much I actually get done, I always end the day feeling like I got nothing done.
On the other hand, here’s what my to-do list will look like when I DO block my time:
- Call dentist 9:00 – 9:15
- Write blog 9:15 – 11:30
- Input email addresses 11:30 – 12:00
- Go to bank 12:00 – 12:30
- Edit one book Chapter 12:30 – 2:30
- Kids pick up and activities 2:30 – 5:00
- Groceries 5:00 – 5:45
- Walk 7:30 – 8:30
Yup, 8 tasks. Just 8. Not a dozen, not five dozen. But eight.
With time blocked out on my schedule I can see exactly how much I can realistically fit in, including work, errands, family, and health.
I don’t end up with a list of 40 other tasks I didn’t get done.
Which means even if I get to six of the eight tasks on my time blocked schedule, I still feel like a winner. A lot more inspiring and motivating than six out of forty on my non time blocked list.
It’s not enough to think about your tasks in your head. Thoughts get jumbled and times get confused. You have got to get it down on your calendar, (or paper), where you can see it throughout the day.
Personally, I’m a fan of blocking my time on my Google calendar for several reasons:
- I have access to my schedule all day long on my phone, so no fear of losing my schedule
- I get reminders throughout the day to help keep me on task. (This is a big one!)
- Other people, like my hubby or business partners, can see my calendar (you can give them access) so they know when I’m busy and when I’m available for a meeting or an event
Important Tip: Do not underestimate the value of taking five minutes to go through this exercise every night for the next day.
Time blocking forces you to take a look at your meetings and appointments and scheduling what is truly most important around them. It forces you to prioritize BEFORE you begin your day, which arms you to be proactive vs. reactive throughout the day.
It allows you to make educated and rational decisions about what future commitments you should say yes to and what requests you should say no to.
For example, if a friend or colleague asks to “pick your brain,” or “grab a bite,” before immediately responding “Yes!” you take a glance at your day’s schedule and let them know that right now isn’t a great time, but after 2pm you are wide open.
If you regularly find yourself feeling like you’re not achieving what you set out to do, please embrace this simple yet powerful strategy.
Time blocking truly is the magic pill for setting realistic expectations and improving your results.
Will things always go exactly how you planned? Of course not!
But with a time blocked schedule you can move tasks around or re-prioritize far more successfully than mindlessly getting through your to-do list without a plan or strategy. (P.S. That’s also where decision paralysis and brain fatigue stems from. Just sayin’).
If you’re thinking, “I so need to be doing this but my brain hurts just from thinking about it,” I’ve set aside some time to talk and map our your own personal time blocked schedule for getting structure into your day and results into your life.
If you’re looking to get more control over your career… not be a “slave” to your demands…and have time for your family and health…
Book a time, let’s talk about a plan that works.
Here’s to getting more of the right things done!
Xo,
Mridu
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