Have you ever had one of those days/weeks/months where you felt so busy, but didn't have anything to show for it? If this happens more often than you'd like, there's an easy solution that you've definitely heard of, but you aren't doing it. Planning, scheduling, calendaring -whatever you call it - you've got to do it. AND, one thing you may have never heard before, the best way to do it is by putting the actual results you want to create on your calendar.
Most people at least have meetings on their calendars because they're easy - they are set to start and end at a specific time. You get (or send) a calendar invite for a meeting, BAM, it automaticallly appears on your calendar! But, when it comes to working on a task, checking email, or doing your job, it often happens without a plan and doesn't have a place on the calendar.
Some people don't take the time to plan because they think they don't have enough time! Some don't take the time to plan because they're not sure how much time to plan for each task or job. It's amazing how much time you will gain in your day/week/month by spending a short amount of time estimating the time the thing you want to accomplish on your calendar.
An example might be that you would like to create a webpage. Instead of putting "work on webpage" on the calendar, you will best set yourself up for success by breaking it into tasks and putting each in a time slot on your calendar. In the case of a web page, the things you might put on the calendar are: 1) Research and select a webpage builder, 2) Gather pictures for the various pages, 3) Create the Home page, 4) Create the About page, etc. Completing all the steps until you finally PUBLISH the webpage.
By breaking it into smaller tasks, you will feel more motivated to accomplish each task. And by accomplishing each task, you will feel successful along the way with each little success as you check it off the list. The larger "work on webpage" plan can be nebulous. Some might spend an entire day researching the best website builder (yes I did), some might spend a good portion of their day viewing other successful webpages to model (yes I did). But, finally when you are a week in and your significant other asks, "Are you still working on your webpage?", you'll realize that you could've saved a lot of time and energy by just taking the time up front to be intentional about the process, the tasks, and the amount of time allotted for each.
Ultimately, you will feel productive getting things done instead of feeling busy all the time. Sound better to you?
If you’d like to discuss managing your time so you can feel more productive, book a free 30 minute call with me.