HOW TO MANAGE YOUR SCHEDULE + PRIORITIES TO TAKE TIME OFF THIS SUMMER
ARE YOU READY TO MAKE 2022 THE YEAR WHERE YOU GET MORE DONE, ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS, AND STILL HAVE TIME FOR YOUR FAMILY? LET ME HELP YOU GET YOUR TIME BACK WITH MY FREE PRODUCTIVITY PLANNER!
For those of you who might be new here, I used to be a middle school physical education teacher before I jumped into full-time entrepreneurship. And as you know, one of the best things about being a teacher is having those 8 weeks off in the summer. It was so nice to have a BREAK from work and enjoy some time with the family.
As an entrepreneur, while I do have the flexibility of where + when I work, I can’t exactly take a full 8 weeks off over the summer because that would just be a disservice to my clients.
However, my goal in the summertime is to make sure my family is still the priority and maximize my time with them, while still running + growing my business. And I’m sure you have that goal as well but haven’t quite figured out how to make that happen.
Well, you’re in luck, my friend! I’m going to walk you through how you can manage your schedule + your priorities so you can take time off this summer… WITHOUT feeling guilty or seeing your business come to a standstill.
ONE || EVALUATE YOUR PRIORITIES
This is part of the first phase I teach inside of Control Your Calendar because it’s just that important! In fact, if you think of productivity as a pyramid, this is the based of the pyramid.
If you don’t know your priorities, you’re going to constantly feel scattered with what you need to be focusing on.
If your priority this summer is to take 2 weeks off for vacation with the family (hi 👋 that’s me), then we need to make sure we adjust our tasks + schedule around those things.
I also like to take Fridays off in the summer so we can spend more time at the pool, which means adjusting my business goals + priorities to make that work for me.
And good news, we’re going to dive in to how to make those priorities happen in the next steps!
TWO || CREATE A SCHEDULE
Just like priorities are phase one of Control Your Calendar, creating a schedule is step 2. I know not everyone is as passionate about planning as I am, but let me tell you, having a schedule for when I work for the summer (and then communicating it with my family) helps me create boundaries with my time and prioritize the things that are really important.
If I don’t want to work on Fridays during the summer, that might mean I need fit an extra hour of work into my day a few days each week. Or, finding ways to do less during the summer months so I have more time for my family.
A good place to start is to break down your schedule into work, personal, and leisure time. I teach this in my Time Blocking 101 course – when do you have time to work? When do you have time for you? And when do you have time for fun? I always start my day with personal time (i.e. working out, showering, etc.) before moving into work because that’s typically the ONLY time I’ll have to myself until after the kids go to bed (and in the summertime, they go to bed much later than they do during the school year).
I schedule in my work hours for the day (and again, COMMUNICATE that to my family) and then the rest of the day I can spend with them, read outside on the patio, or do something else that’s super fun.
But, it starts by creating that schedule first.
THREE || SET BOUNDARIES
The last and final phase of Control Your Calendar is getting in alignment with your priorities and schedule by setting boundaries.
And honestly, no matter how well you accomplished steps 1 and 2, setting boundaries will always be the HARDEST part because it not only takes discipline on your end when it comes to your time, but you also have got to be willing to say NO to the things that don’t serve you.
One way I do this is by not creating anything new over the summer (no new blogs, emails, etc. – after May it’ll ALL be repurposed… shhhhhh, don’t tell anyone else!), and not taking on any new 1:1 clients in June or July.
Part of that is simply because I know I can not give 100% to new 1:1 clients because my focus will be elsewhere, but it saves me SO much time by not trying to create anything new.
I also have to turn down guest expert trainings and podcast interviews (which is why I’m fully booked in May) because I know it’s not only a disservice to the person I am giving my services to, but also to my family (since I have to be locked up in a room for an hour or 2).
In addition to those boundaries, I try to be really strict with myself on my work boundaries. When I set my schedule, I want to stick to it as much as possible. That means if I tell my family my workday ends at 3PM, I better not be opening my laptop or phone and doing work after those hours. It takes A LOT of self-discipline to do this, but it is sooooooo worth it in the end!
I know as an entrepreneur, it can be challenging to take time off during the summer while still running and growing a business. By knowing your priorities and adjusting tasks and schedules accordingly, you can ensure that family time remains a priority while still achieving business goals. Creating a schedule that includes work, personal, and leisure time allows for better time management while setting boundaries helps in achieving alignment with your priorities and schedule. Though it takes discipline and saying no to things that don't serve you, these steps are worth it in the end. By following these steps, you can take time off this summer without compromising the growth and success of your business.
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