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A million & 1 things are screaming for attention every day

They’re not all urgent
Most aren’t even important

& that’s the real problem with time management
It isn’t time

We’re confusing “spending time” with “investing it”

& we’re experts at fooling ourselves into thinking we’re investing when we’re really spending … or worse … wasting time.

The excuse flags we love waving…

Let’s start with:
“I’m too busy”
“I didn’t get to it”
“I forgot”
“I lost track of time”

& sprinkle in a little bit of:
“I ran out of time”
“I couldn’t finish”
“It needs more research / another edit”

We all say at least 1 (usually more) of these

But the real question isn’t whether you’re busy…
it’s whether that busyness is paying off.

If you’re “too busy” & it’s not because you’re overwhelmed delivering your product/service to clients…

Chances are you have 1 (or all) of these problems:
→ focusing on the wrong things
→ letting others steal your time
→ doing the “right” things at the “wrong” time

“yeah but”

Before we start waving the excuse flags again, let’s talk about what’s really going on & where time keeps slipping through our fingers

→ focusing on the wrong things

What’s your offer?
free or paid (preferably both) … what is it?

If you don’t have an answer, you’re focusing on the wrong thing.

“yeah but I need a website”
→ Without an offer, what goes on it?

“yeah but I need to learn how to use (_insert any email or social media platform_)”
→ If you don’t have an offer, what content will you use for it?

“yeah but I need to finish learning / reading / watching ___”
→ If you don’t have an offer, how do you it helps?

See where I’m going with this?

You’re putting the cart before the horse.

You need an offer … a product / service / package / something
& you need to know who (specifically) needs it (free or paid)
so your what / how / where benefits them.

& until you have that, nothing else matters
because it’s not going to you move forward today

You’ll have a lot of motion without momentum.

Remember that something is better than nothing
& done is better than perfect

So …

Priority #1: What’s your offer?

Now that you have an offer …

The only thing that matters is putting it in front of people.

That means leads!

If you’re “too busy” doing things & aren’t talking to (& growing) your contact list,
you’re focused on the wrong thing

& the best place to start is with people you know

“yeah but I don’t know anyone”
→ how many contacts do you have in your phone?
→ how many friends (& connections & followers) do you have on social media?
→ how many contacts do you have in your email addresses (past & present)?

“yeah but they’re not going to need my help”

Not everyone you know (or talk to) in your network becomes your client
(& for me, so far, no one’s become a client)

But … & it’s a big but…

All of my clients have come from referrals
All except 2 that found me on Linkedin, which is still networking!

It’s like the 80’s commercial for Faberge Organic Shampoo
“I got this shampoo … & told 2 friends … & they told 2 friends … & so on … & so on

That’s the power of networking

The people you know may not need your offer
But you don’t know who they know (or know about)
or who those people know (or know about)
or who those people know (or know about)
… & so on
… & so on

I don’t know Taylor Swift … but I know someone who does.
I don’t know King Charles … but I know someone who knows someone.

Your network knows someone several potential clients.

Priority #2: Putting people on (& talking to) your personal & social contact list

Focusing on those 2 things (offers & leads) in that order scales back on “busyness”

That’s what you need…

Now let’s look at how you make that happen …

You’re making to-do lists & blocking time on your calendar
You know what you gotta do
But things still aren’t getting done
Because “life happens”

Sometimes it does.
Yesterday I lost my 15 ½ year old dog, Connor
The day before that was the 1-year anniversary of Mamma Mia’s passing

The week before that I had an accident that left me with 3rd degree burns on my thigh

Yes, life happens
& we get hit with things we can’t control

But they’re exceptions, not the rule

Truth is, more often than not, we’re relinquishing our power

→ letting others steal your time

Where is your attention going during the day?
Can you list everything you’ve done & how long you spent on it?

Try it on your yesterday.
What did you do?
How much time?

Now compare it to what you wanted to do & the time you wanted to spend on it.

Time Vampires

In the book, No B.S. Time Management for Entrepreneurs by Dan Kennedy, Time Vampires are people sucking the life out of your day & leaving you feeling drained.

That totally applies to non-people-related things too.
→ social media
→ email
→ the news
→ pets

Set & Honor Your Boundaries
Dan Kennedy will hang up on you mid-sentence if you go over your allotted time, especially if you show up late to a meeting … even if the meeting is to sell his own stuff!

I’ve sat in on calls where he’s done it

That doesn’t mean you should hang up on people, but you can start setting boundaries

→ clients do NOT get my phone number
→ I don’t have WhatsApp
→ a free Zoom hangs up for you after 40 minutes … that’s still 30% more time than scheduled for a half-hour call

When I’m in my office, I’m in work mode.
If it’s not work-related, it’s not happening.

Mamma Mia learned that the hard way.

My office was under her kitchen.

She was legally blind, hard of hearing, & walked with canes … which she also used to bang on the floor to call for me.

The problem was that her banging was more want than need.
& they all carried the same urgency, until we created a scale.

“change the channel on the TV”
“fill da water bottle & put by da plant so I can water dem”

There were days I had more of a workout than work done.

We found a new system that worked for both of us.
The faster & harder she banged, the more urgent it was

Think about it …
If you were at an office working for someone else (instead of at home working for yourself), would that same interruption happen?

We need boundaries.
Especially when we work from home.

Priority #3: Identify who’s banging on your ceiling & set up an urgency scale

the point isn’t just keeping people out.

It’s about creating space where you can actually do work that matters.

& that leads to the next challenge …

Not all hours are created equal.

→ doing the “right” things at the “wrong” times

Your time is your own, & nothing short of a medical emergency or natural disaster will distract you.

But if you’re a night-person instead of a card-carrying member of the 5-am club, all that planning, prioritizing, & protecting is going to backfire … badly

I fall into the 5-am club.
Most days I wake up without an alarm
& that’s when I’m most productive.

I read books & exercise my brain.

But if I try to do that in the afternoons or evening,
I’ll re-read the same paragraph or stare at a blank screen for an hour …
assuming I don’t doze off.

I have clients who are the opposite.
They’ll send emails in the middle of the night
I had 2 hit my inbox before 4am today

That’s the beauty of email over text messages, WhatsApp, & phone calls.

You work on your time.
I’ll work on my time.

As long as there’s a bit of overlap, it’s going to be a win-win

The key is knowing what time works for you!
If you’re not sure, try different times.

Give it a week or 2 so you can see if it “sticks”

Doesn’t work?
Try another time for a few weeks.

There will be exceptions.
Find the “rule” that works for you.

Priority #4: Find the best time, instead of “any” time.

That’s it … seems like a lot because of all the reading.

But it’s just 4 things.

Let’s recap,

1. Build your offer

2. Generate leads

3. Protect your time with boundaries

4. & do the right things at your right time

Create the space & system to focus
I use post-it notes.
One client uses Notion,
A few talk to ChatGPT
& Click up’s proven to be a surprisingly beneficial tool too given I favor post-its.

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Bottom line … nothing’s ever going to be perfect.

My day rarely, if ever … OK NEVER … goes exactly as planned,
even with all the guardrails I put up.

Some days are great … others suck.

But we’ve got to be honest with ourselves about what happened.

“I let myself get sucked into Netflix”
“I procrastinated by spring cleaning the house in January.”

Celebrate what worked
Acknowledge what didn’t
Learn from both

& focus on what matters most right now:
→ build your offer
→ generate leads
→ protect your time with boundaries
→ do the right things at your right time

That’s it.
just 4 things.

Connor reminded me of that yesterday.
Mamma Mia taught me with every tap of her cane.

Life interrupts.
Sometimes in heartbreaking ways
& sometimes they’re little taps that pull us away.

→ offer → leads → boundaries → timing

Get those 4 right & “too busy” starts looking a whole lot more like “profitable”

Everything else?
Noise.

Be honest about where your hours go & bold enough to protect them
Your week won’t just feel different
It pays different.

So … where do you focus first?

Hit reply & tell me.
I’ll send you free resources that get you moving.

Because the sooner you invest your time, the faster it pays.

Make it a great “time-invested“ week!
EG

PS:

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PPS:
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