Today, let’s talk about our daily schedule. Don’t fret! I’m not going to go on about maximizing every 10 minutes of your day while mainlining Turkish ground quadruple espressos. An inflexible strategy like that has failure built into it from the beginning. We’re all human beings, and we need to rest, recharge, and give ourselves the space to meet all the demands we (and our clients) place on us.
However, it’s pretty normal to fall into the bad habit of trying to squeeze too many things into our days. Usually, in hindsight, we realize that we don’t get good results when we try to get more done in a short amount of time. We miss details. Quality goes down. Things can get misplaced or forgotten. Your clients may start to notice that you’re not fully engaged, and the last thing any of us want is for our 5-star reviews to become 3.5 or 4-star reviews.
Looking back at our calendars from the last few months, we can learn a lot about our time and results ratio. We can also start to strategize about what our schedules actually need.
Would it benefit you to start your day slow, taking time to wake up and get some things done before jumping into work? Then block that time out for yourself.
Would planning a longer lunch make your day a bit more restful and allow you to get outside for some fresh air and sunlight? You may finish your workday a little bit later, but you may also feel more satisfied and productive. Schedule that walk.
Would setting aside time at the end of your day to plan the next morning give you some extra peace of mind? Plan ahead so you’re not as rushed and frantic in the morning.
My task for you this week is to look back at the last three months of your work calendar. How can you change things so that there’s more of you left at the end of the day? We bring our whole selves to work with us every day. That can be a worn-out, stressed, reactive version of ourselves, or it could be a more relaxed, confident, forward-thinking version.
If you’re having difficulty managing your personal bandwidth, we’d love to help. Let’s set up a time to talk.