Just over 16 years ago, I was earning $16.00 an hour and wondering why the heck I couldn’t create the life I truly desired. As a single mom, things were pretty much day to day and paycheck to pay check.
Even when I met my husband I would say we still lived in that uncomfortable/comfort zone during those early years. But, then I made the life decision to become an entrepreneur and begin to understand how to value my skills and leverage my abilities. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Today I run multiple six-figure businesses, employ a team, as well as lead other business women by coaching and providing tools and resources inside our Legacy Creatives. I participate in speaking engagements and hire coaching myself. As a coach and consultant, I lead trainings and help women develop themselvs and grow their own businesses and market my own business on and outside of social media.
I’m not shy saying that I also have a great marriage and five amazing kids. Somewhere in there, I also manage to be committed to a health fitness and a spiritual practice.
My life is busy. And when I describe it, the questions I often hear are…
“What planner do you use?”
“How do you do it?”
And occasionally my personal favorite… “how did you get so lucky?”
Well how in the heck DO I get it all done? How in the heck can I teach you to stretch your current perception of time and how to manage it? How in the heck do I create a life of freedom?
Is it really my magical time management system?
Sort of.I am a recovering perfectionist mind you …..but I am far from naturally organized (Like….can you relate to buying a planner every year with attempts to stick to a system only for the whole year to go by and a few pages were filled out ?) or (Can you imagine “getting organized” was one of my failed New Year’s Resolutions every year ?)
My time management is NOT (JUST) about colorful sticky notes, my day planner, or my favorite highlighting pens… well that sometimes helps☺ It is about the clarity of core values, agreements with myself, time blocking, creating balance on my own terms, and a system of checks and balances that work.
In that order.
The bigger your goals, honestly the fewer your options.
Overnight success and that luck many people speak of it happens over many, many, many nights….and many many early mornings.If you have BIG DREAMS and GOALS (and if you are here I truly hope you do!), you need to remove distractions and non-essential activities and learn to speak a guilt free “NO”. When you single mindedly focus, you do not get to do all the things and honestly, balance will look perfectly imbalanced.I believe that we can have it all, but not all at the same time.
When I was building my business from absolutely nothing (I had one social media account that I knew nothing about), I had to pour all of my focus and intensity into it. When I reached my first six figure year in business I was still working another full-time job and raising 5 children. BUT, I was crystal clear on the time freedom I wanted to create and the “stuff” I had to give up in order to do it. Again the guilt free “No” …….During that time, I was not always getting to do everything I wanted honestly I was not doing a lot of the things I consider sacred now.
Now let me be clear. Sometimes the activities we cut out (volunteering, date nights, and working out every day) are all important for a healthy, vibrant life. But when you’re finally committed and taking action toward your big goals, there are not enough hours in the day to do it ALL.
I accomplished so much - and still do accomplish - because I focus with laser intensity and have mastered the “No” without an explanation.Now that I’ve achieved a level of success (and by the way, I’m not at the “finish line” of success, I’m always reaching for my next new level),
I make time for exercise, for each member of my family, for friendships, and for everything that brings me joy. While I’m at the point now in my business where I have the balance that I worked so hard for, it took years of building that business, learning along the way, and saying no.
Time management is about discipline and priorities
Okay yes, there are techniques and tools that I use to be vibrate at a high level but its nothing fancy. Yes I batch tasks such as social media. Yes I do delegate to my team. Yes I do hire help in many parts of my life and business.I have learned to delegate what I can and to buckle down and do what I need to do myself. Without guilt and without excuses.
Is there a shortcut to time management? Maybe. But I’d wager that if there was a shortcut, it would still involve a period where we give up the good for now….so you can experience the GREAT later.
Now let’s go time block ….
Sheridan