Listen in. 14 mins
My first tweet of the day; Hey Thursday! What's happening?!
My friend @priddy replied and asked me what my plans were (thanks for asking ;)!)
And thus came the inspiration for today's blog post.
I LOVE getting an insight into how other people plan their days and what their routines are. Especially if they've got a productivity tip or habit that I can use too! We've all got the same amount of time as eachother but some people just seem to get SO MUCH done and leaves the rest of us wondering HOW?!
So, here's what my diary looks like today. I use google calendar. I used to colour code things but I've got out of the habit and besides it takes just a little bit longer to add entries.
Okay! So I'm going to talk you through it.
6 -7 Power Hour.
This is when I wake up (I don't know why I said that, that bits obvious isn't it?! :D). I call it my power hour because this is when I take the time to focus on the day ahead, review my goals and read, watch, or listen to something motivating, inspiring, uplifting. I don't want to just stumble into the day unprepared. This sets my mindset up and sets me on track. Besides, about 20-30 minutes of that time is just spent waking up and coming round haha. I use an alarm clock to wake me up gently (sleep cycle). I HATE alarm clocks, but I don't mind sleep cycle as it doesn't jar and jolt you out of a deep sleep. I do have a regular alarm clock as a backup, just in case. So the first hour is spent waking up, saying thanks for still being alive haha, and doing some mental prep for the day. I start the way I mean to go on. In a good, positive mood and a routing like this helps with maintaining that.
7-7:30 Shop.
This ISN'T a normal part of my routine, but bad planning meant I had run out of a few necessities like chewing gum and fruit and I can't, or don't want to, get through a day without. So a dash to the shops it was.
7:45 - 8:00 Exercise
I've got to admit I've been really remiss about this lately so if I want to get it done I have to create the time for it. I usually watch a video on youtube or listen to something I can learn something from about business, entrepreneurship, marketing, money, or it could be something motivational sometimes too. I like to double up where I can so I can be extra productive. In this case giving my body AND my mind what it needs.
9:30 -10:30 Content Creation
I have a client who I create online content for. I actually finished with time to spare today so it's now 10:30 and I've already made a start on this blog post.
12 - 1 Promotion
That might sound a bit vague. Promotion? Promote what? I have a list of the 3 things I'm currently promoting this month, so I can keep track of what it is I'm, well, promoting! One of those things is my new 6 week online course for daring entrepreneurs, Fast Forward Full Throttle which kicks off soon (and it's gonna be AWESOME!), so I will promote that and let people know about it!
1 - 1:30 Emails
NOW I'll my emails. Sometimes I'll check them earlier - around 11ish but I don't check them first thing in the morning. I make sure I've done a good couple of hours of my work before I open my emails. I used to check them first thing in the morning and it's such a responsive way to work. I take control of my inbox as much as possible and I don't jump and respond to every ping and notification. In fact, I turn notification off and nothing pings at me anymore. I don't keep my email window open during the day. Once I've check and responded to emails as swifty as possible (they don't need to be essays!), then the window get closed again until later on.
1:30 -2:30 Lead Gen.
Lead generation. So, letting people know about me and how I can help them basically!
2:30 - 3:30 Coaching Call.
I'm helping a client with her business and packaging her skills, talents and passions. It's a 30 minute call, but I allow an hour because I will review where we are before the call, and then sort my notes and follow up after the call.
3:30 - 5:30 New Project
Okay, I've left this deliberately mysterious! 😉 But I'm working on something new and exciting and you'll hear about it soon, I promise!
5:30 - 6 Any other business
This is where I will check my emails again and tie up any loose ends or maybe make a phone call. Sometimes there's stuff to do and sometimes there isn't, but at least I've got the time scheduled should I need it.
6 - 6:30 End of day activities
So, this is where I will review the day and check the numbers and open some spreadsheets.
I'll log my time; how much time I spent on promoting, content creation, new project, emails, exercise etc etc....
I'll also log my income for the day and note what channels it's come from too so I can make sure I'm on target and meeting my goals.
6:30 - 7 Exercise.
Yes. Again. And again, I'll watch something educational or motivational. And I'll fit in a shower.
7 - 8 Paint nails
Don't laugh! It takes time! An hour. This is when I'll probably put on the TV and watch a soap or two and give my brain a rest and do my beautifying!
8 - 9:30 Course work
I'm taking part in a business course at the moment and I have some homework to do!
(In fact, I may swap painting my nails and course work around)
9:30 - 10 Chill out time.
Time to wind down from the day and I'll probably put something on tv.
10 - 11. End of day
I end the day as I start it really. I have a positivity sandwich every day! So, I take in something positive. Review the day. Make a mental note of all the good things that happened. No checking email, or tweets (like I used to do). And that will be the end of today! Tomorrow will look completely different as I am out and about and meeting up with lots of peeps!
So that's my day today! Picked at random just because my friend asked me what my plans were on twitter. Not every day looks like this, but this is what today definitely looks like.
I use the pomodoro method of working. 25 minutes of high level concentration on the task at hand with a 5 minute break and repeat. In those 5 minute breaks, I'll check in on twitter and facebook, grab a snack, or watch the latest funny cat video. Though I must admit by about 3 or 4 pm I usually lose track of the pomodoro and forget to use it.
In between I'll grab snacks and make a quick lunch and dinner. I usually cook more than one meal at a time so that's a huge time saver. I must admit I don't really like lunch times as it's an interruption to the day. So I'll have something I need to have lunch, but I don't schedule an official lunch hour in my diary.
So my diary is definitely a structure for how my day will go, but sometimes some things take a little less time and some things take a bit more time but it all seems to even itself out by the end of the day!
And now it's time to hit publish on this, and then move onto my next tast; promotion.
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Wishing you a super-productive day! x
