Time. We never seem to have enough of it. There’s always something to do, something to see, businesses to run, an article with a headline we just can’t ignore (anyone else guilty??) or someone who wants our attention. Whatever the case, our time is always seemingly slipping away, and it’s the only commodity we can not get more of.
Oftentimes (not always) creatives can be scattered, forgetful, and unorganized. I like to call it “artsy.” As creative business owners, it’s so important to learn how to take control of our “artsy” brains, and trick them into being more of a left brain - at least for a few hours, so we can get stuff done and live our days with passion and intention.
Here’s where the detailed schedule comes into play. If you’re anything like me, you hate the idea of a detailed schedule. You’d rather go with the flow, work when you’re inspired, and have the freedom to leave the office to hang out with a friend if the opportunity spontaneously arises. These are all great things, but I’ve discovered that with so much calling for our attention, you have to be intentional about things, or they just won’t happen. You may feel that being detailed with your schedule will take away your freedom- but realistically, it frees you up. A schedule is really just a budget for your time. You are telling your time where to go instead of letting it lead you. When you have a schedule you can stick to, you get more done in less time, giving you more time for the things you really want to do.
Here are three ways you can start the process of mastering the art of the schedule.
1 / Get a calendar. I’m a fan of GoogleCalendar- as it syncs with my tasks and email program. If you’re on a Mac, iCal is great, and if you’re looking for shared calendars, here’s an article with some good info on that. Don’t make it too complicated. Get something that you’ll like looking at, streams across all of the devices you use so you can look at it on the go, and works for you and your situation. Do you need reminders on your phone? Get a calendar that allows for that. Are you more of a tangible “I have to see it and feel it” kind of gal? Get a well-designed planner. (I’m a huge fan of Julia Kostreva’s work!)
2 / Create a REALISTIC schedule. Think about what you want and need to get done and create a REALISTIC schedule for your week. Here’s where knowing yourself comes into play. If you know you’re not a morning person, don’t start your schedule at 5:30am and expect to stick to it for more than a day. Work around who you are and what your life is like. Read this article by Jessica Hische and her thoughts on scheduling and you’ll see what I’m talking about. It’s very important, especially when you are working towards a dream of yours, to schedule time to work on it. It might only be 30 minutes once a week, but you must put it on the calendar or it won’t happen. What I like about Jessica’s article is that she schedules time for exercise, cooking, “fun” projects, and time to work with the wifi off. It’s amazing what you can get done when emails and Twitter aren’t options. I also love how she categories her days. Mondays are “admin” days, where she works on the admin side of her business. Wednesdays allow for some “fun” projects. I’ve recently scheduled in an extra hour of sleep time for myself on Fridays, as I’m not a morning person, and it helps me get up earlier the rest of the week when I know I get a break on Friday.
Here’s Jessica’s schedule that she so awesomely put on the internet for us all to see and learn from:
3 / Stick to it for a week, pay attention to what’s working and not working, and revise. Too often when something doesn’t work right away, we ditch it and never look back. I would encourage you to create a schedule on Sunday, stick to it Monday - Friday, and re-evaluate that weekend. When it comes time to schedule for the next week, think about what worked and didn’t work from the week prior, and revise. Did you feel too rigid and planned out by the end of the week? Next time, schedule a few hours a week for “unscheduled” free time. It’s like a budget- you give yourself a certain amount of “fun” money, to use as you please. Scheduling is the same way. You probably won’t create a schedule that works perfectly for you right off the bat. Good things take time, and so do good schedules. So don’t give up on your schedule if it doesn’t work perfectly the first week. Analyze it, see where it went wrong, and revise.
I hope this helps you ladies take one more step in living out a life you are proud of! One that helps you to #bloomyellow throughout your days. If you have any other tips on how to budget your time, let us know in the comments! We love hearing from you!
Have a great weekend girls!