Dig into actionable, realistic time management strategies designed for the professional working woman that mold to you.

Ever been in a work meeting listening to someone talk, think of something you want to say, and then struggle to keep listening while simultaneously remembering the point you want to make?⠀
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It’s hard! I basically can’t do it. Either I effectively stop listening or lose my thought entirely. ⠀

2.6 hours every day.⠀
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That’s how long the average American spends on email, according to McKinsey.⠀
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But very few of us account for that when planning our days.⠀
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Instead, many of us book ourselves up with meetings, calls and plans to grind through our to-do lists. ⠀
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But then the to-do list gets bumped by the emails zinging into our inbox, which seem urgent. ⠀
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So, we end our day having done a lot in terms of meetings, calls and emails – but not the real, focused work.⠀

And that real, focused work gets pushed into night and weekends.

No bueno.
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Here are some tips:⠀

So, color-coding your calendar is basically the same as using Outlook/Google Calendar sub-calendars, right?

While color-coding is a great first step, nope!

At first glance, calendars using them may look the same. Both show different parts of your calendar in different colors.

But sub-calendars take that visual clarity to a whole new level.⠀

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I love this distinction between color-coding and sub-calendars because it highlights a major goal of mine: my goal is NOT just to have you walk away with a pretty calendar. If so, let’s just color-code it and call it a day.

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White space ENCOURAGED.⠀
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When I recommend calendaring all of your activities, that does NOT mean “calendar every minute of your day.”⠀

On a to-do list, all tasks take up a short line. But some will take 5 minutes. Others 5 days. Some require your best energy. Others can be done when you’re tired. Some require an office to be open when you make the call. Others can be done late on a Sunday night. ⠀
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But you don’t know any of that looking at a to-do list. Instead, every single time you look at the list to decide what to do next, you have to do all those mental gymnastics in your head before you even start. ⠀
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This is why I love throwing tasks in your calendar. By tying a task to a date, time and window of time, you can schedule it for when your energy is best, when the office is open, break a big task down into smaller steps, and decide when to work on it with time before the deadline. ⠀

[heads up: lightbulb moment below]⠀
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Sometimes the “what do I prioritize?” question blurs with the “work-life balance” concept. You know — when the competing priorities vying for your time are work and family/fun. How do you prioritize/find the balance?⠀
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This next point made by @lvanderkam had me smiling and saying, “yessssss” out loud like the nerd I am as I drove and listened to her book on Audible.⠀

If I asked you to prioritize three things but didn’t tell you what steps each required or how much time they’d take – well, you’re already frustrated by the question, right? I am.

If you don’t have one place where you can see everything on your plate in a visual, clear way, that’s basically what you’re doing to yourself every day.⠀