Do you ever feel as though there are just not enough hours in the day? Do you struggle trying to balance both work and family? This article will provide you with a few tips on how to earn more while working less.
First and foremost you need to be organized. Most of the people who earn six or seven figures and only work 20 hours per week or less are highly organized individuals. In addition to being organized you need to prioritize. For most of us, 80% of what we spend our time doing, only makes 20% of the difference. People who only work part-time and make six and seven figures know exactly what matters and that’s what they spend their time doing. They skip or delegate everything else.
Step 1 — Get organized and prioritize. Start by making a list of everything there is to do and handle in your life, in your home and in your business or job. That may seem like a daunting task but it will not be as hard you reckon. Sit down and start listing things you either want or need to get done in no particular order. As they pop into your head write them down or if you already have several “to do” lists and sticky notes, locate them all and compile them on one long list. Your “to do” list is finite, despite what you might be thinking right now, and in reality it will probably only take you a couple of hours to make.
Step 2 – Take a excellent look at the items on your list and choose what items will make the most impact on your income and quality of life. Sit in silence for 20 minutes and meditate over your list. The most impactful items on your list will start jumping off the page. Highlight those items.
Step 3 – Go all of the highlighted items from your list into your calendar. Schedule when you are going to do each task and be realistic when determining how much time to allow for each task. For example, you may schedule one project for Monday from 7am-9am, a task on Tuesday from 8pm-10pm, and six simple phone calls for Thursday from 2pm-3pm and so on.
If you are unable to get all of the highlighted items into your calendar within the next two weeks, then you need to refine your highlighted list before entering it into your schedule.
This simple three-step process will help you get organized, focus on the 20% that will make the largest impact on your income and quality of life and it will help prevent you from taking on more tasks than you can handle effectively. If you are unable to complete a task during the scheduled time, re-schedule the task for another time. Treat your tasks like they are vital meetings because they are.
Once you fully switch over from keeping a running “to do” list to scheduling every task, you will feel more relaxed, be more efficient, have more time and you will get more done. “To Do” lists tend to weigh us down. They make us feel like we will never be caught up, never get it all done and as a result, we often focus on the least vital tasks.
When you have a running “to do” list you are more likely to stress over what you need to get done because you don’t know when or how it’s going to get done. By just scheduling what needs to get done, you can relax because it will get done when it’s time to do it. You know you won’t forget because it’s in your calendar, you have made an appointment with yourself to get it done. No more stressing or agonizing over it. Even if it’s just a simple task like making a phone call, if it’s in your schedule you know you won’t forget about it and you will get it done.
Be sure to leave open space in your calendar for interruptions and putting out fires. Also, schedule family time, exercise time, alone time, mealtime and organization time (go through your mail, file, etc). This will help keep you organized and in balance.