Would you like to pursue a passion or hobby, tackle a big project, transition to a new career, or start something completely new and don't know where to begin? Are you overwhelmed with so much to do that you can't possibly figure out how to fit it all in? Perhaps your day is really unstructured (thanks in large part to the pandemic and working from home) and you need a better "framework" to help you be more productive.

 

As a life coach and productivity specialist, I work with many people who would love to reach some of their "bigger picture" goals but never seem to find the time to do so. The most important/urgent tasks may make it into their day or week, but what they truly aspire to do tends to drop by the wayside as they put out the "fires" that always seem to crop up.

 

Through coaching, we work together to break down your big goals into manageable steps and figure out how to best prioritize them. We then look at how much time each step might take and how it might fit it into your schedule. 

 

One of the ways I help is by working with you to create a "time map." It's a customized schedule that we use to block out time for the tasks/events that normally occur in your day or week, along with those that you would love to fit in. It helps us to determine what a fulfilling, ideal day might look like, helps to increase awareness around what your true priorities really are, and helps us to highlight obstacles that might be presently getting in your way.

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We start by looking at your daily, weekly, or monthly "anchors,” which are tasks or routines that are done on a regular basis. “Anchors” include morning and night-time routines, self-care, family time, prep and eating of meals, chores, errands, appointments, etc. We then look at what else you'd like to include, but that you are not currently able to fit in.

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The "time map" shown above is based upon discussions I had with one of my clients during our coaching sessions. We began by looking at what she felt was really important to include in her day (most of which she never felt she had the time to do). We then estimated how much time she thought each task would take and discussed how it could fit within a typical day.

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Spending time with family was important to her. During a coaching session, she realized that bonding time could be overlapped with some of the household chores, since her family tended to do the work together. She also recognized that the study time she needed for her future certification should take place in the early afternoon, when she was more "cognitively awake."

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"Anchoring" the important and consistent tasks/events into the “time map” allowed her to see if there were pockets of time still available for other things that she'd like to fit in, such as spending time with friends or working on a hobby. Her "time map" is quite full, so adjustments would be necessary to make space. For instance, she can choose to shorten her study time or delegate household chores to family members to allow more space in her schedule.

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At the end of one of our coaching sessions, my client decided that she would spend the next few days focusing on how much time things actually took and compare it to her "time map." This would help us evaluate whether the amount of time we blocked off for each task was realistic or needed to be adjusted. Some days would need more flexibility built in than others, and we would see whether there were tasks that needed to be moved to another part of the day or week.

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Successfully managing your day and including everything that is important to you may feel un-achievable, but by using the right strategies and tools it is really doable!