4. Making Your Time Management Plan
What follows is a simplified version of the detailed plan that is detailed the complete 30-Day Time Management System PDF workbook.
Basically, you will need to do the following:
Know your goals. Exactly what you want to accomplish or change. Be as detailed and specific as you can when you write it out. If you can visualize and picture it as finished, it will be easier to accomplish.
Know what your motivation is. Really think about your reasons, your why. The higher your motivation is, the more likely it will be that you will stick with it. It can be negative motivation, too where you list what will happen if you don’t do these things.
Know what your objectives are. The actionable steps you need to take to move toward the goal. Don’t worry about all of the little steps - just the next few that you need to do to get you closer.
Work on the objectives. When you complete the steps you have, the next ones will be apparent. Write them down as actionable steps with deadlines and then do them.
Setting Goals and Objectives
Do you know the difference between goals and objectives? Even if you think you do, I will try to explain the definitions so it’s a little easier to understand and apply.
Both goals and objectives can have steps and parts that need to be completed along the way, but the main difference is that:
Goals are intangible. They do not have a well-defined end or completion. An example is the statement, “I want to be better at cooking.” Better than what? When would you know you are better at it? Is it after you have learned to make stuffed french toast or when you can whip up a great Hollandaise sauce?
Objectives are much more tangible and finite. “I want to learn to make clam chowder this week” or “I want to learn to make fresh pasta noodles on Friday.” You would know it was completed when you made noodles on Friday, right?
In relation to our discussion, your goal may be to manage your time, but an objective would be the specifics of what you will do right now to get closer to managing your time. It has to be something pretty concrete and finite and can be measured. This means there is a way to tell when it is done.
Example: My goal is to work less in the business so that I have more time to work on the business. I will accomplish this by:
These are specific, ongoing good habits and routines, but would there ever be a day when you thought you were done with it? Not really. It goes on and on. The result may be that you are freeing up the time by doing numbers 1 through 5, but it will be a continuing and ongoing process. Things will get added and things you’ve done won’t need to be on daily lists.
Other objectives will be the little steps toward completing a big step toward completing a goal. Let’s say that you have a project: you want to revamp your business website in the next month. You have a few choices of how you can do it:
You could wait ‘til the day before the month is though and work all night rewriting copy and fixing up photos and graphics.
You could write down all the little things that you need to do and then convince yourself that you just don’t have the time.
You could write down the next three steps:
Write new copy, size the new photos, make a new graphic for the About page and follow each one with a reasonable deadline - and add those to your to-do list:
The good thing about objectives is that they are measureable. Did you do these things? Or did you put them off and do something else? You may find that once you start to work on something, it goes faster or you get on a roll and end up doing more than you’d planned to do in that session. Bonus!
In summary, you need a simple statement of what you want to achieve, followed by a good motivator - the who or why and the benefits of achieving it. Insert emotion or feelings if needed: how you’ll feel when it’s completed and done. Next would be the few little steps with a deadline. Transfer these to your daily or weekly to do list and start working on them right away. Don't make it complex or set it up with all sorts of things that need to happen before you start - this is resistance and must be avoided at all costs. By starting and doing something small you will defeat resistance and gain forward momentum.
Some things may not need a statement or a motivator - it’s up to you to decide if they do. But if the goal has a high chance of not being completed or getting put off (again), you must find a reason why it needs to be done soon, or what will happen if you don’t get it done. Sometimes the motivator is that it’s just been hanging around too long on your list and you’re sick of it hanging around unfinished. That’s okay, too… whatever works!
Getting projects done that you have “been meaning to get to” for a long time is great for the momentum and energy to complete other things you have put off or neglected.
Don’t try to do too much at once. Work on very few goals at a time until you are used to handling more, or when you free up blocks of time to work on more. Take it slow, and be happy with little victories and small steps. We tend to overcomplicate things and make them dependent on certain criteria that must be met. Simplify and just do them.
Always keep a few small steps on your daily or weekly to-do list. This way you are always making little progress in a few areas. Steady and consistent progress is much better for your chance of getting your goals and objectives completed. Remember that it is more like marathon and not a sprint.
Try to delegate when possible to work on multiple fronts at once. By delegating, all you need to do is manage and make decisions or approve work that others are doing and you can get much more accomplished.
Always be aware about what you are trying to accomplish. You are drafting a plan that is going to give you free time to do the things you love to do; with the ones you love to do things with. Or whatever you plan to do with your free time.