When You Say Yes To One Thing You Have To Say No To Another: Time Management Tips

When it comes to daily tasks, people often find it difficult to organize and manage their time because they don’t know exactly what to do. More often say things like: “Where do I put my time, energy and effort into my business?” “What do I do first, there’s so many things that I want to do and accomplish?” “I work full-time, I have 2 kids, I take care of my parents, I work 2-3 jobs or I travel.”

When it comes to me and my success as a coach, I always get statements like: “You have more time because you are a stay-at-home mom, because Matt is at home.” or “Because this is your full-time business”. I giggle at these statements because it still wasn’t easy to build this business.  There will always be obstacles that can potentially prevent you from success.  It’s your own beliefs that determine your success.  If you believe you have time then you will find the time for the things that matter the most.

As a new coach, it was mass chaos in my house all day, everyday. I had an infant and a toddler, both boys. If one was napping, the other one would need fed, changed or played with.  My toddler was very energetic and he was into everything.  I never had a moment of peace.  I was on the clock 24/7.

 It was mentally and physically exhausting to be a new mom — a mom of 2 very active boys. Then, throw in my personal transformation: I worked so hard to change the way we eat, change our nutrition and finding time to workout. Add the fact that I was also learning a brand new business. I mean, I didn’t all of a sudden sign up to be a coach and send my kids off to daycare. I was doing what the rest of you were doing. I took my laptop everywhere I go: at the kitchen table, while the kids were eating breakfast; on the couch — while the kids were taking their nap.

My notes were all over the couch and I had sticky notes for my ideas everywhere. It was a mess! I was a mess because I was still learning and trying to figure out how to make this business work. I knew that if I didn’t get a system FAST I was going to drown and most likely my husband was going to leave and I was going to fall apart.  Does this sound familiar to many of you?  I had to take CONTROL of the situation and get a system in place.

The inability to manage your time and in turn, sacrificing a lot is no one’s fault, but your own.  So lets take some time today to chat about the things that helped me regain control of my life and my new business venture.

Time management Tips I Swear By:

1. Planning. This is the most important thing that you can do in order to take the step forward in managing your time. I sit down every Sunday to plan out my week.  It’s not something that should consume every minute of every single day but it should be the cornerstone of your business.

How:

• I take a good look at my Google calendar and first off, check where I need to be as a parent. I used to be a pen and paper kind of girl, but I love Google calendar because it syncs to my computer and even to Matt’s phone.
• I then add my workout time on my calendar
• I plugin my Beachbody business time – you need to make sure that you really make time for your business; don’t just wait for it to fit your schedule — create that time for your business.

2. Early Bird Catches The Worm- Rise and Grind!!!

If you use your phone as your alarm, put it far and away from your bed. The distance should be enough to get you started. Personally, I tell myself “I’m up, I’m up, I’m up” every step of the way. Never put it (phone) beside your bed because you’re just going to end up putting the alarm on snooze.

Make that sacrifice at least 3 times a week if you want to grow and have a successful business. Wake up and get your workout done or have an hour of quiet or personal time.

If you can start your day before the rest of the world, you are so much more effective. I find that I can go through my emails faster because there are no distractions: people aren’t needing me in other areas of the house; nobody is pinging me on social media. I can focus on getting through the tasks that I need to do. I can have that window of clear and focused time.

3. There will be a sacrifice.

If you are going to do something to make your business a success, you have to make sacrifices. For example: I say yes to my success club every month and say no to watching my favorite TV shows live — they’re on DVR now. Or when you hit the snooze button on your phone, you say yes to your warm and comfy bed and no to starting the day early which can lead to not being able to get in your invites for the day!

Remember: Time management creates a ripple effect of success!

4. Eliminate distractions and focus on important activities.

• I turn the sound off on my iphone.
• I turn off the sound on my computer.
• Mute the notifications on Facebook.
• Only open the window you need to work in right now.
• Set a time limit for each task.
• Keep yourself focused on the goal in mind.  
• Work from a to do list.
• Always ask yourself this question:  Is this a time wasting activity or a business building activity?