Have you ever heard the phrase “begin as you mean to go on”?
In other words: when you’re starting something, do it the way you want to do the entire thing.
Jump into a new project with focus and enthusiasm, rather than dragging your feet and grumbling as you get going. Use good time management habits right from the start so you’re able to use your time effectively and productively. Begin with a plan so you’re clear about what your next steps need to be; even if the plan gets adjusted along the way. Starting with some kind of roadmap keeps you from straying too far off course from what you’re trying to accomplish.
“Begin as you mean to go on” can apply to specific projects or business ventures, but this perspective can also shape the way you move into a new season.
What if you could start summer in a really intentional way, totally clear about what you want to get out of it?
Wouldn’t that feel better than spending the next three months feeling incredibly overwhelmed while you’re at work and vaguely guilty every time you try to relax?
Summer should be a time for you to enjoy your life and spend quality time with your favorite people. It can be a productive time for you to move your business forward, too… despite all the distractions and time management problems that tend to pop up.
That’s why you need a plan for how you’re going to navigate all the biggest challenges of being a working professional during summer. There’s a good chance that one of two things will happen otherwise:
- One: the distractions will carry you off course and you’ll enjoy your summer but fall behind with your business goals.
- Two: you’ll spend so much time at work nurturing your business that suddenly it’s late August and you’ve missed out on a lot of summer fun.
Want to begin summer in the “way you mean to go on”?
Great! Now you just need to get really clear about what that looks like. You can’t apply good time management strategies and make daily and weekly plans that work until you’re clear about your peak priorities for the season ahead.
Here are some questions to get you thinking about what you want to get out of the next three months:
- What tone do you want to set for this summer? Another way to think about this is, what are three or four words you hope will accurately describe your summer? “Relaxed, spontaneous and full of family?” “Busy, lucrative and adventurous?” Or, maybe you’d prefer to make a distinction between the tone you want to set for your business this summer, vs. what you’d like to happen on the personal side.
- What are the time management and productivity problems that tend to show up for you in summer? As schedules shift and weather changes, time challenges tend to follow. Reflect on the ways that time wasters and distractions get in your way during the summer months.
- What do you want more of this summer? As you think about this question, it might be helpful to cast your mind back to past years. Think about the experiences you crave during the summer months, and things you miss the most when the season is over.
- What are the most important things you want to be able to say you accomplished this summer? Are there any yearly goals that you could tackle and finish before fall? A specific business target you want to reach, like earning $X or signing X new clients? Remember to think about things on the personal side, too. Being able to say “I actually rested and enjoyed my life without my business falling apart” is a hugely valid accomplishment!
- What do you want to quit doing during the summer? Summer’s a great time to let go of things that aren’t working for you. Take the opportunity to do a mid-year reset so you can move into the rest of the year with purpose. Now’s the time to unlearn the bad habits and silence the negative self-talk that keep you from fully enjoying your work and your life. (After all… if you’re not going to love your life during summer, what are the chances you’re going to love it during a cold, dark winter?)
3 Things to Stop Doing This Summer
1. Stop comparing your vacations to what you see on social media. Social media is just one version of what people are actually doing, and generally you’re only going to see the most polished, edited version. No one’s going to post photos of themselves stressed about their hotel bill or fighting with their family at the beach. Lean into what YOU want to get out of summer, including your vacations. Measure them by your own personal criteria (did you have fun?), not by how they compare to what you see on social media.
2. Stop trying to win the “I’m the busiest” award. There’s no cash prize for the person who’s the most exhausted at the end of summer. (Check out this recent blog about non-existent awards we try to win.) Think about quality experiences over quantity. Give yourself permission to be totally unproductive sometimes.
3. Stop trying to be everything for everyone! It’s an undoable task. You only have so much time in your day, and only so much time in your summer. Get clear about what roles are most important to you and practice saying ‘no’ to things you want to say no to.
Ready for more support with time management and productivity?
Wouldn’t it be a relief to move into fall feeling like you’re actually on top of things and knowing that you’re getting the most important stuff done? Time Matters Boot Camp 90-Day virtual program is designed to help you break free from the time management challenges and overwhelm that keep you feeling stuck and exhausted. Join me starting on July 15th for 90 days of increased productivity. You’ll leave boot camp with a customized toolkit of time management strategies that work for your specific brain and your specific business.
Click here for more information on Time Matters Boot Camp, or skip right to scheduling a no-cost, one-on-one Strategy Session so we can talk about why TMBC is a good fit for you!
Be well,
Sarah
- Boost Fall Productivity by Disconnecting: Here’s How - September 30, 2024
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- Ready to Lean Into Your Year-End Goals? Try These Three Time Management Strategies - August 31, 2024
