Are you overwhelmed by your schedule, struggling to focus on what’s truly important? You’ll never have more time than your focus and discipline allow. What if you could reclaim your day and direct your energy where it matters most?
Think of a sculptor, creating a masterpiece. They focus on the fine details that bring their vision to life, not the rough outlines.
I use an exercise with my clients that’s a blend of Zen mindfulness and strategic task management. It helps you zoom in and get organized around what’s essential.
In this episode, I’m going to walk you through this process step by step, so you can protect your time and invest it where it counts. It’s not about doing less. It’s about doing more of what drives operational success and meaningful results.
You’ve already achieved so much to get where you are. To keep up the momentum, it’s important to regularly reassess your workflow and stay laser-focused on your top priorities.
Here’s a process designed to help you reclaim your time and focus on high-impact activities. It’s called Zenergy Management. It’s a next-level, comprehensive process that can give you a new edge for managing your schedule day-to-day.
Here’s a quick run-through of the seven fundamental steps.
Step 1: Zero in on Essentials
Action:
- Clear your workspace and mind.
- List all tasks and meetings for a typical week on a blank sheet or document.
- Classify each item as ‘Essential’ or ‘Non-Essential’.
Pro Tip: Ask yourself, “Does this task align with my strategic goals?” If the answer is ‘no’, it’s likely not essential.
Step 2: Eliminate the Clutter
Action:
- Scrutinize your list of non-essential tasks. Delegate or postpone as many as possible.
- Adjust your calendar to reflect a streamlined schedule and color-code it for quick reference.
Pro Tip: Remember to include self-care as an essential, fundamental practice. By doing so, you maintain your most valuable asset: Yourself.
Step 3: Navigate towards Impact
Action:
- List the high-impact tasks that align with strategic objectives on a new sheet or document section.
- Use an Eisenhower matrix to categorize by urgency and importance.
- Prioritize your tasks based on their potential to move you closer to your goals.
- Schedule specific time blocks devoted to these high-impact activities.
Pro Tip: Include strategic thinking time and self-care activities like days off, meditation, and exercise and treat them as non-negotiable.
Step 4: Embrace Meaningful Impact
Action:
- Reflect on your core values, your personal brand, and long-term objectives.
- Ensure all of your high-impact tasks align with these principles and adjust accordingly.
Pro Tip: Keep visual reminders of your values and goals in your workspace.
Step 5: Reevaluate Commitments Regularly
Action:
- Schedule out monthly or quarterly times to reassess how you’re leveraging your time and keep it fresh.
- In these times, adjust priorities and continue to delegate or eliminate what doesn’t serve your goals.
Pro Tip: At the end of every day, capture what you’ve achieved and what you’re grateful for.
Step 6: Gauge Progress to Stay on Track
Action:
- Develop a routine to track and monitor your progress around your high-impact activities.
- Regularly evaluate how you’re investing your time so you’re always refining toward making the biggest impact.
Pro Tip: Celebrate your victories to stay motivated and focused.
Step 7: Yield to Focused Execution
Action:
- Share your approach with your team to show them how to value quality over quantity.
- Start directing more resources, including budget and your team’s goals, toward what will make the greatest impact.
Pro Tip: Encourage your team to become master prioritizers too, including self-care for overall performance and well-being.
With all you’re up to, mastering your time is crucial. And a big part of that is delegating. Learning how to delegate better is one of the top five things operations execs ask me for help with. If that’s something you get tripped up on, you’ll want to check out episode 45, “Ops Exec, Are You Struggling with Delegation and Support?”. You’ll find it at yourfuturerealized.com/45.
I’ll leave you with this question: What is the one thing you can do today that will make everything else easier or unnecessary?
You can’t stop the chaos, but you can change the game.
