Building Success with Time Blocks – Organized for Success

In my last episode, hopefully, you scaled back unnecessary decision making by eliminating priorities.  For those who yearn to be more efficient, that’s a great starting place.  In this episode I’ll walk you through the next step in being organized for success.  Start wherever you are in life.  Make an overview of your activities in time blocks.  Now, let’s walk through the process of using those blocks to build success.

The first step is to make a plan.  Start on this task by making a block schedule.  Use a google calendar or some other calendar system separate from your appointment calendar.  Think of this as your “time budget.”

#1.  Make a list of all the things you’re going to do.  Perhaps that sounds very simple to some while being rather complicated for others.  This shouldn’t be a list of individual tasks but categories of tasks.  Some examples would be prospecting, follow-up, grocery shopping, kids’ sport events, etc.  There shouldn’t be many items in this list.  You won’t be successful if you have forty-five things to do at once!  The number of items depends on the phase of life in which you live.

When I was between ages eighteen and twenty-three, my list would’ve included work, eat, sleep, and go to church.  I spent most of my life then working to attain success and make money.  My list at that phase of life was very simple.  However, now I am married with two children.  So, I have many more categories to fit on my list!  Scheduling gets more and more challenging.

#2.  Assign the number of hours needed weekly for each item.  If you have other people in your life who will be affected by your schedule, consult them during this process.  You may write “one hour” for sports.  Then your daughter reminds you she has basketball practice every day.  You need to drive her, so the number of hours needed that week will be more than anticipated.

#3.  Ask yourself, “Which of the listed items is immovable, a fixed time?”  Be extremely careful about adding these kinds of items into your life.  Personally, one of the few I have is a computer class I teach at a local high school.  One main reason I relocated my office was to be closer to the school.  Add these items to your schedule first.

#4.  Write the other items into your schedule.  I highly recommend using recurring appointments.  Doing the same thing at the same time every day is helpful.

#5.  Communicate your schedule.  Ask your spouse or others affected by your schedule, “What do you think about this new time budget?  This is my structure for the week.”

In my next episode this block schedule will be converted into a great organizational system.  However, this is the first step of deciding which items are important enough to do.  Understand this block schedule should include twenty-four hour periods of time – from midnight to midnight.  Include everything!

Someone who only works forty hours a week may congratulate himself on being a great parent because of that.  However, he/she spends three nights a week at bowling league.  And then this person watches Netflix every evening when home.  So, the kids are actually playing nearby and trying to get the parent’s attention.  The parent only yells at the kids once every three hours.  Maybe this person is NOT the best parent after all!  In the block schedule, decide when you’ll spend time WITH the kids.  Include time you should sleep and time for date night.  You need completeness.

An example for me is my sleep schedule.  I know I can function on three and a half to five hours per night for no more than three nights.  Then I must schedule some catch-up.

Of course, the block schedule is going to fluctuate over time.  Think of it as answering the question, “Do I have enough time in the day to do all the things I claim are important to me?  If not, what is going to go and what will stay?”   

Learn how to make an overview of your life in time blocks.  Use these blocks to build success.  You CAN be organized for success!   

Read the previous article here: “Eliminate Your Priorities – Organized for Success” http://www.ccsalespro.com/eliminate-priorities-organized-success/ 

Read the next article here:  A Little Dose of Realism from James – Organized for Success

A Little Dose of Realism from James – Organized for Success