Make 3 Changes™ Monday Mission #8 : Allocate Your Time

February’s theme is all about time…
The Myth of Time Management & The Power of Self -Management
Mission #6 – It’s About Time… Changing the Way you Think & Talk about Time
Mission #7 – Are you Investing or Wasting Your Time?

This week is all about how you allocate your time and strategies for tapping into the power of time blocking.

Make 3 Changes™ Monday Mission #8: Change the way you allocate your time.

Sorry to go all musical theater on you, but we each have 525,600 minutes this year. Actually, this being a leap year, we have 1,440 more. How do you measure them? How do you allocate them?

Are you…
a) easily distracted?
b) convinced that the only way you can get things done is by multi-tasking?
c) thinking about everything you have to do, all the time?
d) all of the above

If you said yes to one or more of the above questions, I’d love to introduce you to the concept of time blocking.

I was first introduced to the concept of time blocking or unitizing in 2009 by my first life coach, Stacey Vicari. This woman really knew how to allocate her time! Her system for breaking bigger projects down into more manageable chunks and scheduling/allocating really kick-started what has become a game changing habit and strategy for me. Other thought-leaders & mentors in this area for me have been Honoree Corder and her Short Term Massive Action program, Darren Hardy’s The Compound Effect , Hal Elrod’s Miracle Morning and the Pomodoro Technique.

Since then, I’ve adapted my own personal time-blocking strategy that helps me manage multiple projects and priorities. As a result, I rarely feel that old familiar sense of overwhelm and confusion when faced with the number of roles, responsibilities, obligations and opportunities I enjoy in my life and business.

How do you allocate your time?
What if you were able to focus on one project, one task at a time?
What if you could learn to create blocks of time and move them around your day with ease?
What if making changes to the way you allocate your time had a positive ripple effect on those you love, those you lead and those you serve?

An Example
The time blocks I most often use are 12 minutes, 20 minutes and 25 minutes.
When I have an hour and 45-minute block of time and lots of projects to work on – sometimes I use the following time-block strategy.
12 minutes x 5 sessions = 1 hour (using my iphone timer to help me)
Prioritize & Organize (determine priorities for the blocks, gather materials) 12 minutes
Project Block – 12 minutes
Client Block – 12 minutes
Email & Communication Block – 12 minutes
Stretch Break & Hydrate, Move around – 12 minutes
25 minutes x 1 session – content creation or session development
20 minutes x 1 session – finish up & follow up block

Here are some of the time blocks I use in my life & work
• Meditation
• Movement
• Mindful Meals
• Connect (family, friends, etc..)
• Read
• Imagine! What if….?
• Current clients & projects
• Write – Content creation
• Prep Time – Design Time
• Administrative Time
• Professional Development (Study)
• Finish Up & Follow Up

Some strategies for adapting your own time-blocking strategy:
1. Be flexible. If you plug these into your calendar at a particular time and get interrupted you may decide the window of opportunity to work on that block has passed. Instead, think of the blocks of time like post-its that can be moved around on your calendar as they will fit best.

2. Minimize distractions. Put the supplies, materials and resources you need to accomplish the task where you need them. Turn OFF email notifications. Close down open browser windows. Stay focused on the task/project at hand for the duration of the time block.

3. Honor your personal time zones. Think about when you have the most energy and plan your time blocks accordingly. I write and create content early in the morning, before the rest of my world begins to need my attention. I protect this time and honor this time carefully. I look forward to my early morning writing, reading and reflecting time. If I were to expect myself to create great content at 3:30 in the afternoon, I would be doing myself & my clients a great disservice. I simply am not as creative or filled with energy at that time of day. Set yourself up for success by paying attention to when you do your best work.

Mindset: Explore the thoughts you have about how small, focused amounts of time could serve you.

Things to Think About…
• What period of time do you believe is a productive block of time?
• What do you think you could accomplish in 12 minutes, 20 minutes or 25-minute blocks of time?
• If these time blocks don’t resonate with you, what time blocks would you like to set up? How could setting up time blocks serve you?
• What are your personal time zones? When do you work best? What’s the right time for the activities in your world?

Make 3 Changes™
Take 5 minutes right now and think about what 3 changes you could make to the way you allocate your time that would have the greatest impact in your world.

Make 3 Changes to the way you allocate your time.
Write them down on an index card, on a post it, put them in your note taking app on your phone… capture them and then take action.

Declare & Share!
Let me know what you came up with and how you did! Check the facebook page this week for additional resources and inspiration to help allocate your time. Experience how doing so can make a difference in your life, the lives of those you love and the lives of those you lead!

Comments

comments

About Whitney Bishop

Whitney Bishop is a Change Agent who creates transformative experiences for leaders who are committed to making a difference in their own lives and in the lives of others. She has designed a proven process to help leaders and their teams elevate their questions, create new possibilities and take deliberate action. Are you ready to discover the power of possibility and experience breakthroughs that will help you have greater impact and influence in the world? Let’s talk.