Tom: The following is another guest post from Gina Horkey – she’s filling in while I’m sunning myself in Sri Lanka. This week she’s focusing on productivity, and has given me a few things to think about! If your days aren’t as productive as you would like, keep reading for some simple solutions.
I was attracted to the whole concept of leaving work behind in part because of the latter. Even though I have a bunch of systems in place that help me to be more organized, I try not to be overly rigid. This is to make my work as easy and enjoyable as possible. It’s also important that I’m keeping clients happy by meeting (or exceeding) deadlines.
However, I don’t want my days to be so so precisely planned that I’m feeling suffocated or stifled by my work. This is a rather creative business, and you can’t really force creativity. There is a balance to be struck.
With the above in mind, in this post I’m going to share with you four steps that enable me to plan successful days before they’ve even happened.
1. Build a Model Day
Figuring out the most imperative tasks to my business and scheduling them into a “model day” is one of the ways that I’ve found works really well to organize my work days. What are the tasks that I need to accomplish day in, day out to build (then later maintain) a successful freelance business?
It took some time (and trial and error), but I eventually came up with the below schedule. Each of the items on the list below represents a 25 minute block of time – or Pomodoro period, which you’ll learn more about shortly.
- Write article
- Write article
- Write article
- Check email
- Search/Pitch Jobs/Guest Posts
- Blog Outreach
- Social Media Promotion
- Write article/brainstorm
- Write article/brainstorm
- Write article/brainstorm
- Check email
- Non-fiction Reading
- Social Media Promotion
These aren’t the only things that I do on a daily basis, but they are the most important. It’s not perfect, but it’s a decent framework to keep me on task and on schedule. It also ensures that I’m getting the MIT (Most Important Things) done if I use it as a checklist of sorts.
2. Write First (Or Whatever Your Most Important Task Is)
For me this is critical. I used to start my day with email. I now start my day with writing. Writing first is what all of my most successful days have in common.
For you, your ‘first thing’ might be different. Your business might be based around web development, photography, e-commerce or something else.
The key question is this: What do you need to do each and every day to be successful? Whatever the answer is, schedule it first thing. Don’t let email, blog posts (even if it’s this one ;-)) or something else get in the way of you being productive (and earning money) first thing.
3. Use the Pomodoro Method to Stay on Track
Basically, you set a timer for 25 minutes. When the timer (or app) dings, you’re supposed to take a five minute rest. I will often use these five minutes to do a quick workout (five moves for a minute a piece) and try to combat my risk of death from sitting.
After the timer dings – signifying that your break is over – it’s time to start another 25 minutes of focused work time. After every 3-4 Pomodori (yep; that’s the plural), you should take a longer 20 minute break.
The whole premise is that we’re only able to stay in a hyper-focused state for about 90 minutes. By taking short, frequent breaks, you’ll be more productive than not taking any breaks and trying to work straight through.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not perfect at this. After all, it involves setting a timer (so hard, I know!). Regardless, if I notice myself getting distracted, I try to start using it again to get back on track. It also jives nicely with my “model day” from above – i.e. it helps me to limit my time on social media and in my email inbox.
4. Track Your Results to Keep Accountable
I keep a really complicated system of weekly and daily task lists.
Just kidding. I keep a relatively simple system (that works well for me) of Google Docs to track my weekly and monthly goals and to do’s that will help me to accomplish said goals.
My weekly list houses that month’s goals at the top (roughly 3-5 each month) that include things like my income goal, product sales goal, larger projects I’d like to complete (like last month launching my first affiliate program) and a personal financial goal of paying down our last remaining consumer debt – our second mortgage.
The nice part about having these at the top of my weekly list, is it keeps them front and center. They are the reason I’m performing the tasks on my “model day” and everything listed on that particular week.
Underneath monthly goals, are my weekly goals, which are always the same:
- Write 10+ articles per week (0/10)
- Pitch 5+ writing jobs/guest posts per week (0/5)
- 10+ Blog outreach (0/10)
You’ll see in parentheses I keep a running total of where I’m at for that week. Then I have to report these metrics to one of my mastermind groups on a weekly basis. I have more than just myself to keep me accountable.
On my monthly goal doc, I have a list of each and every writing project that needs to be completed that month in order of due date. Then I transpose what I feel like I can accomplish that week (or 10-15) of them onto my weekly document. When I cross something off, I cross it off in both places.
Income Reports Are the Ultimate Tracker
For me publicly tracking my income has been hugely motivational.
I know that Tom used to do this and has since stopped – and he’s got really great reasons for this. My husband keeps asking me when I’ll stop (he’s more private about money than I am) and I tell him when it’s no longer useful. But for now it is.
Since I’m the breadwinner and our young family of four is depending on me for their roof, food, etc., I’m hugely motivated to make things happen. I’ve had my fair share of struggles (and continue to have them), but my insistence on having a successful business – on my terms – keeps me motivated to keep pressing on.
In Conclusion
Ultimately, if I’m not making money, I’m not succeeding.
This isn’t the case for everyone (and every situation), but at this time, it is for me. The rest – the schedule, the order, the tracking – are just a means to getting things done and earning a living.
But they are all important. Without building a model day, focusing on the first things first (writing, in my case) and keeping myself accountable by using the Pomodoro Technique and tracking my results, I’d probably be working hard, but not smart! My preference leans towards the later and using any leftover time to do gymnastics with my babies. It’s worth a try, no?
Now it’s over to you – what helps you to plan your day ahead of time and stay on task?
Image Credit: Mufidah Kassalias and Wikipedia