How to Own Your Time and Take Control of Your Schedule

How often do you wish you had more hours in the day?

More importantly, how often do you feel like your time is not your own?

You are stuck using your most precious resource on things other than what you care about most.

Your calendar is not a commodity. You have the power to change what gets your attention and energy.

It's an amazing shift when you put yourself in the driver's seat. Suddenly the work you do is more fulfilling, pockets of genuine connection with friends and family happen, you learn and grow faster than you ever thought possible, and your community benefits from the gift of your contributions.

Here are some tips to supercharge your productivity.

They're a compilation of the best tips and practices I’ve learned from working as a marketer over the last 20 years.

You’re about to unveil 3 levels of essential tools that will help you regain as many as 40 precious hours in your work week!

LEVEL 1: Build Your Time Machine

1.   Effectively Track Your Time

By really tracking your spend, just like you would money, you gain the power to identify time sinks, minimize distractions, and reallocate to high-impact tasks. This inventory is critical for uncovering time you may not have realized you had.

Understanding where your time is spent will make a big difference in choosing the right tools for you in the rest of this
guide. Here’s how to start: 

1. Choose a time-tracking tool or app (e.g., Toggl or RescueTime).

2. Follow the setup instructions to record your work activities.

3. Review several days or weeks of your tracked time to spot patterns.

4. Honestly reflect on what you got done and how you felt.
   

By understanding how you spend your time, you will identify areas where you're less efficient and can make conscious
improvements.

Tracking your time to find hidden gaps can give you back at least 30 minutes to an hour each day.

2. Set Realistic Daily Goals

Daily goals are going to provide clarity and motivation while leading to a sense of accomplishment. It’s an ideal way to stay focused on what truly matters.

Something come up that needs your attention but doesn’t impact what’s on your list? Don’t let it derail you!

A lack of preparation by others does not constitute an emergency for you. Think about this approach:

1. Begin your day by defining 2-3 specific goals. 

2. Ensure these goals align with your broader objectives.

3. Use your daily goals to structure your daily to-do list.

By starting your day with intention and a clear sense of direction, you can add up to an hour and a half of usable time to your week.

3. Follow Trusty Guides: TO-DO LISTS

Or as I like to call them, ta-done lists.

To-do lists are your trusty guides through the chaos of tasks and deadlines that influence our daily work. They can bring
helpful structure to your day and ensure you stay on track.

Getting all of the things you are thinking about accomplishing out of your head and on to paper provides you with more
mental space to do great things. To-do lists help you prioritize, stay organized, and prevent important things from falling through the cracks. They're your roadmap to success.

Here's how to make the best out of your to-do lists: 

1. Choose a to-do list method that suits you. I’m a fan of the analog pen and paper, especially because of the satisfaction I get in crossing something off. But there are also some great digital apps to choose from.
2. Take time the night before to jot down what you need to do the next day or make your list first thing in the morning with a cup of coffee. Place your tasks under the correct goal categories you set for the day. If you find yourself adding something that feels complex, make sure to break it down into smaller elements that are highly actionable. This is about things you can complete that create progress.
   

By organizing your tasks and tackling them systematically, you'll find that there’s at least another 30 minutes in your day to focus on higher effort work since you aren’t trying to decide what’s next. Thank your past self for making those choices!

4. Time Blocking

A personal favorite of mine!

Time blocking is like crafting a well-orchestrated symphony of productivity. It's the art of scheduling your day with deliberate intention. And it’s incredibly satisfying to glance at a schedule and immediately know what you are doing now and next.

This will ensure you allocate focused periods, eliminating the dreaded multitasking when you feel like you are only sort of doing a few things “okay” and enhancing your concentration.

By now you have probably noticed there is a theme in how you are taking back control of your time. The combination of these tools helps alleviate cognitive load and mental strain of context switching. You are working toward creating your personal flow state - that feeling when the work is just pouring out of you.

Here’s how you get started with time blocking:

1. Divide your workday into equal time increments. Trying starting with 30 minutes each. You can stack more than one 30 minute block together.

2. Assign tasks or categories to each time block - use colors to make it even more helpful to see where your time is spent.

3. Set a timer and commit to dedicated focus during each block. Turn off notifications, close your email, and put your phone on do not disturb.

4. Don’t forget to include your important personal time like lunch (away from your computer!)

Effective time blocking can save you almost 4 hours a week!

Ready for Levels 2 and 3?

LEVEL 2: Control Your Destiny

LEVEL 3: Turn Down the Volume

You can find them in our complementary 'Time Management and Productivity Guide'

What would more freedom in your schedule allow you to accomplish?

Once you download this guide, you'll possess the tools and cheat codes that will help you carve out more time for the things that truly matter. Now is the time to unlock your potential and excel. Before you know it, people are going to be asking you how you manage to get so much done.

Embrace the strategies that work for you and step boldly into your work with newfound confidence.

Want more personalized support?

If you'd like personalized assistance on how to make your marketing efforts more efficient and save precious time, hop on my calendar and let's have a complementary call to discuss your needs and how I can help.