Too Busy? Here’s How to Get It All Done

If you’re going to be an entrepreneur, you’ve got to have a plan. In my experience, this rule applies to the grittiest details, even (especially??) planning out work days and work weeks. Above all, plans help us focus, set goals, and bang them out. When I don’t have a plan and things get too busy, I get completely overwhelmed and just sort of spin out. Worst case, when I’m too busy, I don’t plan at all.

Best case, being too busy can result in some serious goal-crushing.

How about you – do you plan your day and week, or do you just work your to-do list as you get the time? When I was a corporate professional, things always felt too busy. I had to create a quick daily method to help ensure things got done efficiently and on time, for myself but also for my team. For some reason, once I left corporate, I hesitated to keep applying my mad corporate-planning skills as an entrepreneur.

Eventually I learned to bring the best parts of my “old” into my “new.” After a little practice, I got my planning and productivity back on point, including the Me Things.

 

I nicknamed my method The 3 P’s and here’s how it works (super-simple):

The Three P’s Method

First, look at your week and create a schedule. (You may find that this is best done on a Friday afternoon or a Monday morning.) Your schedule should include appointments, office hours, client or personal commitments, and time for your “daily disciplines.” (Daily disciplines are things you do every day or consistently on certain days. For example, social media planning, reach-outs and follow-ups, reading, meditating, cold calling could all be considered daily disciplines. I need to find a more fun word for this. 🙂

Now, apply the three P’s:

1. • • P1 – Priorities
       Once you’ve made your commitment list, review it and prioritize. What are the top 3-5 items that you absolutely 100% must complete and by when? Put a little star by them, pencil them into your calendar and commit to getting them done, on time and fabulously.

    

   • • P2 – Plan
       With your priorities in place, look at your office hours for the week and fill in the remaining tasks.
       Things to consider:
       1. Can you do your daily disciplines at the same time each day? I find this helps with consistency, plus you get faster as you practice.
       2. Are there any tasks or projects that depend on other tasks being done first? (Example: creating an event invitation after securing the venue/date/time) Note those during your office hours.
       3. During office hours, don’t forget to include time for things like “travel to doctor’s appointment” or “school play buffer” if the event may run long, etc.

    

   • • P3 – Promise
       Now that you have outlined your schedule for the week, set an intention. Promise yourself you’re going to complete all of these commitments, and promise that you’re going to honor ME TIME.
       Me Time can be personal development, self-care, reflection, meditation, exercise, or any other activity that helps you stay centered. You have to fill your own bucket before you can pour into others, and isn’t that where we find the most joy?

    

Intention

If you’re not familiar, an intention is very simple. You simply state your commitment to an outcome that you intend to create. Give it a try – create an intention and speak it out loud. Write it in your calendar or journal every day all week. Say it in the shower! Whisper it as you’re standing on line at the grocery…continually remind yourself that you’ve made this promise and above all, KEEP IT.

 

Tools

Don’t forget that there are lots of tools to help you get your planning done. Tools like Google Docs, Evernote, and others can help get (and keep) you organized.

 

REMINDER!

Give yourself grace if things need to change, and know that flexibility and adapting to change are two of your many talents.

 

Cheering you on –