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time management

Give It Time

Time has been on my mind this week.

Sixteen years ago, Halloween 1999, I went into the hospital, a slow leak in my amniotic sac, and the doctors decided it was time for my baby girl to be born.   28 hours later, I gave up my birth plan, and Kaia was born via C-Section on Nov 2, 1999.

Tonight, I hosted her sweet 16. My 42nd birthday is in just a few weeks.

Time is on my mind.

Did I use these years well? Could I do better?

Yes and yes.

And…

If I had it to do all over again, knowing what I know now, I would do a lot exactly the same.

What I would do differently is stress less about not enough time and learn sooner how to better manage it.

My ability to manage time (sometimes it almost seems like bending time given how many things I am often juggling at once) could seem like a superpower, unattainable to most.

But it’s not. I have created a system that is likely to quadruple your productivity while at the same time freeing up more space in your life for the things that truly nourish you.

In honor of my daughter’s 16th birthday and my BIRTHday 16 years ago, its my gift to share with you my system for how to manage your time like a single mom with two businesses, two teenagers, a relationship that requires dedicated attention, and a large extended community.

Are you ready to stop feeling as if you don’t have enough time and become a time ninja?

They key is a methodology I have learned called time blocking. And what it means is that EVERYTHING you need and want to go goes on your calendar.

If it’s not on your calendar, it doesn’t happen. Period. That includes kids activities, job duties or business tasks, massages and meals. Everything but sleep.

If someone else handles your calendar, their life is about to get way better because they’ll be able to see exactly when you have blocked to schedule specific types of meetings and events that are integral to your work and life.

We have found that what works best is to create a template calendar in google calendar and share it with everyone who schedules on your calendar.

Mine looks like this.

Then, I have a calendar where things are actually scheduled.

You can see that here:

And I also have one for the kids activities.

When you look at them altogether, it could look insanely full or overwhelming, but I have found that a small amount of complexity allows me to create so much more time that it’s worth it.

You are worth it.

 

And thanks to this time blocking I’ve implemented, I now typically only work from 10-6, with flexibility in the day when I need it, and time to spend with my kids, in my relationship and with my community. Plus, the ability to travel.

If you want more time, this is where you start.

I want to know what questions you have about time blocking and how you can manage your time like a ninja.

Then I’ll make a training as my gift to you to ensure you don’t just desire more time, but that you can actually have it.

It has been 16 years since my baby was born. And the time keeps on tickin’, tickin’, tickin’ into the future. Let’s harness that ticking and funnel it into the work you are here to do and the life you are really here to have.

What’s it going to take for you to take back your most valuable asset? Seriously, let me know! E-mail in at [email protected]

With so much love,

Ali

#AsktheCollective: How to Get Through 100 Emails in 30 Minutes or Less

We’ve all been there, flooded, buried and overwhelmed by an ungodly amount of emails.

For me and the core team here at the Eyes Wide Open Collective, this is a common daily occurrence. But being in the midst of a launch has only upped our inbox activity – see what we’re up to here.

So for the sake of our team and for your benefit, I’m going to share with you…

How to Get Through 100 Emails in 30 Minutes or Less {Share it on Twitter!}

If you’re experienced with the art of cleaning up and managing your inbox, this is easy. But for most people. 100+ emails in your inbox daily is INSANE.

Email is hugely important when you’re running an online business. I get it. It’s how you respond to clients, partners and a whole mess of other people who keep your business in business. But mustering up the brain power and tracking down the info for each response takes time and a whole lot of energy.

That’s time and energy not spent on doing the work you really love to do.

Like Nisha Moodley says, “Productivity isn’t about doing more, it’s about doing BETTER.”

So rather than going email by email, writing intimate, long responses and working tirelessly to get your inbox down to zero, here are

3 Simple Steps to Get Through 100 Emails:

  1. Set a Timer – This strategy I’m going to teach you only works to help you get through 100 emails in 30 minutes or less if you do it in 30 minutes or less. So before you open an email, decide that in 30 minutes you’re going to close your inbox and get to the juicy parts of your business. Once the timer is set you can get started.
  2. Rapid Fire – Quickly go through every email in your inbox… quickly. As you scan over each email, decide (quickly) if you can respond to it in under 2 minutes. If you can, respond. If you can’t, add it to one of two folders – Respond Today -or- Respond Tomorrow. And move on.
  3. Respond – Once you’ve gone through and quickly categorized your 100+ emails, now it’s time to respond to all of the emails in your Respond Today folder.

And here are some additional tips to keep in mind while you’re sorting through your inbox and response folders:

  • Not every email needs a response.
  • Keep responses short, sweet and to the point – people will love you for it, trust me.
  • Don’t be scared to delete. If you don’t need it, don’t save it.
  • Keep your inbox clean. If you can’t respond to it in under 2 minutes, add it to the Respond Today or Respond Tomorrow folder or delete it, you’ve got to put it somewhere. Create a Follow Up folder to keep emails you’re waiting for responses back on, create a Hold folder to keep important emails you’ll need to reference in the future or send it to someone else to handle.

Now It’s Your Turn!

Leave us a comment below to let us know how this strategy for managing your inbox worked for you. And we’d also love to hear your other tips for how to get through 100 emails.


Got a question? Ask the Collective!

Leave us a comment on Facebook or Tweet us with your question and hashtag #AsktheCollective and you could see your answer in our next post!