Ready for an eye-opening exercise?
As promised, I’m going to be breaking down some of the productivity strategies that I’m using with my high-level mastermind, The Tribe.
Before we dive in over the next couple of weeks with some of the specific actions on exactly WHAT you can do to become more productive… it’s really important to understand exactly where you are currently at, so you have a baseline.
The very first step to becoming more productive is understanding exactly how you spend your time RIGHT NOW.
You may feel like you’re working all of the time, constantly running from one thing to the next… and somehow STILL not getting it all done. Or… maybe you never seem to have time to focus on the things that will actually move your business forward.
Well, it’s time to find out WHY.
Below, I’m going to show you exactly how to get your baseline. If you decide to give it a go, you may notice a few things….
1. You may realize you’re underestimating how long it really takes to get things done. You’re putting WAY too much on your plate because you haven’t been truthful about how long certain tasks take, so you’re not properly budgeting your time. When you track it and see it on paper, things start to make a lot more sense.
2. You may realize how frequently you get distracted. How many times did you check your Facebook while you were supposed to be writing that email newsletter? How often did a client knock on your door while you were working on that project? How many times did you glance at your phone while you were working on your new Facebook ad campaign?
3. You may realize you actually ARE getting a ton of stuff done, but you’re just not giving yourself the credit for it. This is something I see a lot. As business owners, we’re heavily focused on what we need to do next, and rarely take the time to look back at what we’ve accomplished.
You may fall into one of these categories, or all three! It’s pretty eye-opening once you review the hard data.
By observing how you’re really spending your time…. you’ll be able to make better decisions and adjustments going forward. It’s exactly like having your clients keeping track of their food in a food journal.
So, to kick off our productivity series, I wanted to share the EXACT assignment I gave to my mastermind. Here is it:
Track EXACTLY how you’re spending your time for a full 7 days, in 15-minute intervals. You will do this WITHOUT judging or criticizing anything that you’re currently doing.
You’re simply going to become AWARE of how you’re spending your time by paying close attention and writing it down.
Yes, it can be tedious, a little boring, and even slightly painful…. BUT, I guarantee you that if you take this exercise seriously, it can change EVERYTHING about the way you work and your ability to get things done.
Use whatever works the best for you… a Google Spreadsheet, a pen,and paper, or you can even search around for a time-tracking app. Whatever you use, just be consistent. Set an alarm for every 15 minutes (while you’re awake) so that you can record what’s going on.
Be honest with yourself and write it ALL down. Be specific about the task your performing. Also be sure to include how many times you get distracted, and when your best times of focus are.
I’ll show you exactly how to use this data later on in this series. 🙂 For now, just track it.
That’s it! Let’s give this a go for 7 days. Are you up for the challenge!??!
If you are… head over to my Fitness Business Freedom Formula Facebook Group where you can participate and copy my FREE Time Tracker Template!!Â
Let the productivity games begin!!!
Alicia
