Do you struggle to find time to work ON your coaching business? This is what I hear from coaches every day:
“I work hard but not on what will bring the results I really want.”
“I start lots of things all the time but I’m not good at completing them.”
“I open my email and before I know it half the day is gone!”
“My schedule is so full there’s no time to develop my coaching business.”
“Every day I feel guilty about what I didn’t get done but should have.”
Sound familiar? What you need are systems to get more done so you can have more fun!
Easy Time Blocking Six Ways
1. Spend 30 minutes each day planning.
Set a time slot at the end of each day to plan for the next. Choose 1- 3 high pay off actions to complete early in the day, so you make significant progress every day. Remember, a high pay off action makes you squirm a little, because it takes you out of your comfort zone — and that’s what brings you closer to achieving your top goals, like getting more coaching clients!
2. Make your calendar your daily guide.
Most people only put appointments and birthdays on their calendar. Try this — put all of your business tasks and timed goals on it as well. Time management guru David Allen says: “Anything you consider unfinished in any way must be captured in a trusted system outside your mind, or what I call a collection bucket, that you know you’ll come back to regularly and sort through.”
Whatever goes on your calendar is a sacred agreement with yourself. Sure, sometimes you’ll need more time or realize that there are more pieces to a project than you thought, so it’s okay to move a few things ahead. The key is to review your open projects regularly and keep them moving forward. When you get into a good rhythm, your calendar becomes an ally for your success.
3. Plan specific days for coaching and set time slots for clients.
For example, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday could be client days. Two sessions before lunch and two after is a good pattern. Give client their own dedicated time slot, so it’s easy to manage your schedule. When you have a full practice, this system makes it easy to stay on track. Why not start it now so that you’re set up for success?
If you have an open slot, imagine your next ideal client is on their way and use the time for bite size marketing tasks to attract that client.
4. Block out several hours each week for project development.
Alpha waves are flowing in the morning — so that’s often the best time for writing articles and creating marketing campaigns, designing new products and services. Turn that dream for another revenue stream into reality! Or maybe afternoon is when you really get going.
5. Have set times to respond to emails.
If you let email get the best of you, this one is for you. Tim Ferris, in The 4 Hour Work Week, suggests checking emails only at noon and 4:00pm. Get your high payoff actions done first, and then open your email. And have a standard of getting everything out of your court and out of your inbox every day, or at least every week.
But please DO NOT put one of those email autoresponders that says: I’m checking my email only at this time and that… blah, blah, blah. You’re just filling up other people’s inboxes with something they don’t need to know.
6. Set time blocks for Finance, Writing and Marketing
– Financial Focus Time
This is where you update your revenue and expense projections, pay bills, and input your bookkeeping into QuickBooks. Of course, it’s best to outsource most of this. But do stay in touch with your finances — it’s a prosperity principle.
– Wildly Creative Writing Time
If you publish an ezine or re-purpose articles into blogs and directories, a regular writing habit is critical. Ezines only work for you if they are punctual like a train.
– Magnetic Marketing Time
Plan your work and work your plan. If you market continuously and consistently, you will have more clients than you need. Plan a set of well-leveraged, repetitive approaches, some of which are high touch (voice to voice) and some that are automated Internet processes. Add in some of your own products and you have a Magic Marketing Suite!
Now, start using this time blocking process and watch yourself accomplish more than you thought possible week after week! Then you’ll have more time for gardening, golf or goofing off.
