Schedule Your Time With Yourself For Success. It works!

If you've been around me in the last few months, you've certainly heard me harp on about scheduling my day, and how important it is to me now. I recently discovered just how much time I actually waste by marking down what I've actually done. I then compared that to what my goals in work and life are. Needless to say, they didn't match up too well. This had to stop.

What am I talking about?

I'm talking about making a spreadsheet with a ton of individual items tasks that must be checked off daily. These tasks are things that I know I should be doing, but seem to never do. And at the end of the week, I see where I'm failing and where I can and will improve. For me, this has honestly been a breakthrough. I don't forget what I'm supposed to do, because it is all right there. 

What do I track?

I track everything but the very small stuff. As an example, a few of my tasks today include drinking a tall water when I wake up, making my bed, eating 6 to 8 times a day in intervals, spending X amount of time on client work, spending X amount of time writing, spending X amount of time finding new clients or working on my own promotional stuff, spending X amount of time learning something new be it a tutorial or diy, taking out the cat litter and finally taking my nightly vitamin. I put down the things that I'll "accidentally" forget to do. Small obvious things like showering and brushing my teeth are a given, as I don't miss those... usually :). And then I've got a second spreadsheet in the basement that I mark off 6 days a week for working out and drum practice. Now before you say that that is too much to deal with, ask yourself if you do everything that you should do every day. No? Didn't think so. Why not try something crazy and wild? I did, and I'm truly better for it.

What if you miss or forget something or just don't have time?

I've become crazy with this. If I miss something, I'll make it up the next day. Even if it is silly like forgetting the cat litter, I'll do it in the morning and then again at night. If I miss a workout, I MUST make it up the next day or on one of my wiggle days. I'll explain wiggle days below. If you're serious about progress, you must not cheat yourself. 

The little times add up way fast!

I was amazed at how much writing I was getting done with just 15 minutes a day. Especially when you considered how much I wrote before, which was basically never. And working out on a task by task basis lets me measure my successes and where I need improvement. 

Have a wiggle days to keep you in check and sane!

For me, I have no real responsibilities or calorie counting on Saturday. Just a workout and kitty litter, haha. Other than that, I can do and eat what I want, which is great. And on Sunday, I have a very low priority list, and a reasonable calorie restriction. However, these are also my wiggle days. As in, if I've missed a task through my week, I can use these days to get caught up. And it MUST be caught up. I can't stress that enough. If I've been good throughout the week, the weekends are mine to do as I please. And guilt free, because I've made progress in many areas of my life throughout the week. Now that is pretty cool!

Get your task spreadsheet started today!

Your first week will be a mess and look crazy. But once you do it, and realize just how important of a tool it can be for you, you'll never know why you didn't do it. Trust me, it is totally a progress builder and meter. Do it!