2018 Calendar: Step-by-step, How I Protect My Time

I just sat down to look at 2018 and thought… ok, what do I want to do differently?

The answer was easy: I want more ease and freedom and spaciousness in my life.

So I had a little conversation with myself that went something like this:

Q. As CEO of my company, what do I need time for?
A. Time to think. Time to exercise. Time off. Time for clients.

Q. How do I make time for those things?
A. Block time in my calendar. Or better yet, PROTECT my time.

Q. How do I protect time and make everything feel less scattered?
A. Protect in advance by creating time chunks.

Great! Next, I went to my google calendar and started protecting and chunking. Here’s the exact process I went through:

1. I created three four-hour chunks each week for client appointments. I’ll spend focused time with clients, rather than spreading them throughout the week. This allows me to focus on one type of thinking (in this case, client sessions), rather than forcing me to switch tracks and feel scattered.
2. I protected a chunk of time on the 4th Friday of the month as a business development day. No appointments or activities that aren’t business development related. This is my time to review goals, meet with different teams like social media, financial, sales and admin, and imagine next steps for the company.
3. I protected a half day chunk of time on a Tuesday each month for “thinking time”. This is to address the need for spaciousness. My months get really busy and I can make mistakes when I don’t stop, breathe, review, dream. I’m pretty sure this time is going to be spent at the beach!
4. I protected three and a half hours each week for writing time. In 2017, I didn’t make time for much blog writing. I pretty much ignored my creativity, and it’s feeling really cranky. I need to give that muscle some space to work out. And speaking of working out…
5. I protected four chunks of time to get to the gym each week. I feel like one of the biggest luxuries I get is being able to go to the gym in the middle of the day when it’s not crowded and all the machines and weights are available. It’s now in my calendar for the year, so I can really relax and enjoy it and keep my energy up.
6. I protected one long weekend each month for family visits and short get-aways.

Looking at this list, you might be wondering, “Gosh Mary, when are you actually going to find time to actually work?”

Maybe I should have started with the answer to this question, because it’s the most important one.

This IS my work.

My most important work is staying vibrant and healthy, serving my clients, and staying connected to what is most important. Space must be made for this work.

Otherwise, I should just pack it in and get a job. Because what’s the point of enduring the stresses of entrepreneurship if you can’t call the shots and run the whole damn show?

Protect your time. Call the shots. Run the whole damn show.