What do you want to get done in the next eight weeks?
As we move into October, eight weeks is a reasonable “container” of time to look ahead at and plan around. We have about that much of productive time left in the year before we shift into end-of-year mode and your schedule really goes crazy.
So, let’s look ahead at the eight weeks to come—and how you can maximize your productivity this fall.
Three questions to help you clarify your fall time goals:
- What do you want to get done for your business in the next eight weeks?
- What do you want to get done on the personal side?
- What are the most important things that you want to be able to look back on and say, “I’m so glad I made time for that before all this holiday craziness started!”?
Once you have those goals in sight and you’re clear about what you want to do with the next eight weeks, the next step is the time management planning piece. Map out how you’re going to allocate your limited hours so you feel like you’re in control of your time instead of your time controlling you.
It might seem counterintuitive—but feeling able to disconnect from work is going to be key if you’re going to protect your mental health and increase your productivity during this pressure-packed time of the year.
Australia’s New Right-to-Disconnect Law
Relatedly…did you see that Australia recently passed a new right-to-disconnect law? Most employees of Australian companies are now legally allowed to ignore work-related communications outside of work hours, without repercussions.
Similar laws already exist in many other countries. And just recently, California lawmakers considered passing our country’s first statewide right-to-disconnect law. A bill brought before the California Assembly would have required employers to create policies allowing employees to ignore work-related communications outside of work hours, with a few exceptions. (Opponents argued that allowing employees to disconnect would be too hard on companies, and the bill was defeated in May 2024.)
Okay, but I work for myself…what does any of this have to do with my time management problems? And how is it going to help me wrap up my goals for the year?
The fact that these laws have been created in places around the world really makes it clear just how universal it is for work to bleed into personal time. Professionals all around the world struggle to keep their nights, weekends and vacations work-free. Sometimes it’s because they have employers that expect them to be constantly available, and need a law to protect them.
But even if you’re self-employed… doesn’t that resonate with you? The feeling that you’re not really “off the clock” even when you’re home for the night or on a day off? You’re still running through a mental to-do list for the week ahead and keeping an eye on your email.
Give Your Brain a Break: The Key to Better Time Management & Productivity
Your brain needs breaks from running your business! Allowing yourself real breaks is a key part of good time management. Even if your family life doesn’t allow you to actually slow down and rest much when you’re off, it’s a chance for your brain to focus on something else. That might mean spending time with your kids, or throwing yourself into a challenging new hobby or volunteer activity. You’re able to engage different parts of your brain and get some distance from your business.
Ideally, you come back to work with a sense of renewal and balance. You can look at your day or week ahead with fresh eyes, having gotten some distance from whatever you were stressing about before you took a break. You’re using your time effectively and productively on things that really matter. You’re creating time for all of the things that are the most important both at work and on the personal side. Those are core parts of a good time management system.
And even if there’s no law that says you have a right to disconnect from work, who cares? If you work for yourself, you make the rules!
3 Steps for Disconnecting From Work Mode (Without Damaging Your Business)
- Communicate with the essential people. For example, publish your “usual” work hours so clients/co-workers know what your business hours are. Set out-of-office messages on your email telling contacts when they can expect to hear back from you.
- Establish habits and rituals for transitioning yourself into and out of work mode. Set timers to remind yourself 30 or 60 minutes before the end of the work day/week, so you can wrap up anything that’s in process. Review your calendar for the next day/week so you’re clear about what’s coming up. Think about other ways you could signal to your brain and body “okay, we’re done with work now” or “okay, we’re working now.” It can as simple as listening to a certain song whenever you’re disconnecting from work mode or actually turning your computer off, the lights out, and closing the door of your home office when you stop work for the day.
- Have a system for recording thoughts and must-dos related to your business that come up during off hours. Jot down “call X re: Y” and put the list away, or record a short voice note. You’ll get to it when you’re back to work. You don’t have to devote mental energy to “must not forget to do X on Monday,” nor do you have to open your work email and get distracted by anything new waiting for you.
Need More Support with Time Management and Productivity?
I’m here to help you take control of your time and increase your productivity so you can create the balance in your life that you crave. As you look ahead at the things you want to complete before the end of the year, ask yourself: Do I have the structure and time management tools that I need to get the important things done?
There are a lot of ways that I can help, even if you’re not sure what kind of help you need. This year I’ve been busy supporting individual clients, running virtual trainings, speaking on podcasts and doing time management and productivity coaching for corporate clients. I’d love to share more about what we’ve been up to at True Focus recently to give you a better sense of how we work and how I might be able to help you get a grip on your time.
Do you have a minute to check out what True Focus has been up to recently? Click here for links to my podcast appearances, information about the Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices workshop I’ll be speaking at in October, and many other resources!
Be well,
Sarah
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