In your business as well as your life, how far ahead do you need to plan your activities in order to feel like you are in command of your schedule? In other words, how far ahead do you plan your productivity?
A day?
A week?
Do you plan your sales quarter?
Or do you pencil everything in your schedule and go with the flow?
Have you ever scheduled your entire year in advance? Most people would say no, but I highly suggest you give it a shot!
You see, time is the great equalizer. There is one thing that each and every person on the planet has the exact same amount of, and that is time. We all have 24 hours in a day. The difference between successful people and unsuccessful people is how they spend those 24 hours.
Successful people have a number of common habits and routines that set them apart. One of those things they have is command of their schedule.
This is not something we are taught how to do well. In school, we are taught how to record required tasks, watch the clock for schedule changes, and meet deadlines. But we are not taught how to intentionally schedule our time with activities that keep us productive and successful.
So, how do you intentionally plan your year?
START by planning your leisure time. Why? What happens when we don’t intentionally put leisure time in our schedules? It becomes wasted time.
So, consider your priorities and your schedule. Consider:
How many vacation days do you want to take?
Do you want to take every Friday off?
A week every month?
Do you want to schedule a month of mid year somewhere?
There are no wrong answers here, and there is a lot of freedom! Fill this time with the hobbies you love, the vacations you want to take, and the things that help you relax.
Alongside leisure time, make sure that you schedule time for self care. Once again, if we aren’t intentional about taking care of ourselves, what happens? Burnout happens because we haven’t properly taken care of ourselves!
Is it time to schedule work yet? Nope!
Schedule time you want to set aside for your family or loved ones including your spouse, extended family, children, or friends.
Now you’re ready to start thinking about what you want to do for your individual work days.
As you plan your days, begin with the end in mind.
So, before you schedule anything for work, write down what time you are going to END your work day. If you want to end at 4:30, try to schedule everything you need in by 3:30 to account for any unforeseen situations that may cause you to be in longer than usual.
Consider: what does an ideal work day look like for you? What makes you most productive? Most successful individuals start their day with productive tasks that keep them ahead for the day. So, what are those tasks for you?
Finally, start scheduling your days hour by hour. Here is where you will determine exactly when you will make calls, schedule appointments, meet with your prospects, and work.
So there you have it – your entire year at a glance! Doesn’t it feel empowering to know ahead of time what you will be doing with your time this year?
Now, sticking to your schedule doesn’t just happen. YOU make it happen.
Now, sticking to your schedule doesn’t just happen. YOU make it happen.
Here’s to an amazing 2020!
