It’s a common theme–you walk into work on a Monday morning and already your schedule is completely booked.
You’ve got scheduled meetings and a laundry list of emails and by the end of the day, you haven’t accomplished anything that projects your forward.
How can we protect our time and energy from all the minutia and make progress on the tasks that will make a difference?
Establish Your Priorities
It’s hard to reach a goal if you don’t know what it is!
Start with yearly goals and projects. These are the BIG things that will make an impact on your advancement and evaluations. From here, create smaller goals that, when accomplished, get you closer and closer to that finish line.
I want you to bring your personal priorities and values in, too! Whether it’s your health or family commitments, your goals outside of work are just as important to your development as a leader.
We want to bring these priorities into your day-to-day work to keep you focused on your mission.
Schedule Time To Plan
Create a small amount of space in your calendar each day to plan.
Fifteen minutes first thing in the morning or at the tail-end of your day will remind you to stay focused on what’s important.
During these short planning sessions with yourself, create a schedule for accomplishing each of the priorities on your list.
If you don’t create a plan of action, months may pass without any significant progress.
Failing to plan is planning to fail!
Practice Saying “No”
Your time is valuable, your time is valuable, YOUR TIME IS VALUABLE!
When approached with a request to take on something new, take the time to evaluate whether or not you have the bandwidth or desire to complete it and if it aligns with your goals.
If the answer to any of those is “no”, then say no.
You may not always be able to say no. Or maybe you’re excited to tackle something unexpected! In either case, you may need to reevaluate your priorities and adjust your plan accordingly.
Review Meeting Requests
Have you ever hit “Accept” and had immediate regret? Me, too.
Before hastily agreeing to meet over next quarter’s toilet paper selection, ask yourself a couple questions:
- Is it important?
- Does it align with my priorities?
If not, cancel the meeting, ask to be removed, or delegate it!
If it doesn’t serve you or your list, don’t spend your time and energy on it.
Set Boundaries On Your Work Day
You run your schedule, don’t let your schedule run you.
Decide when you want to end your day and stick as closely to it as you can. Allow yourself to disconnect and take a break!
Doing so will keep you more focused and energetic while you’re at work while opening up more time to accomplish your personal goals.
Your Time Is Valuable
The bottom line, no one is going to care about your goals and priorities as much as you do.
You owe it to yourself to structure your day in a way that is conducive to your long-term success!
Allow yourself the freedom to prioritize, say no to things that don’t serve you, and create a brilliant future for yourself.
For more tips on designing your day for success and other career empowerment insights, subscribe to the Daring to Leap podcast. You can listen to the full podcast episode here.
Make sure and check out our free guide to add some life and vibrancy to your career, it’s called Career Energy boost.
Episode 37 – Career Advancement Strategies: How To Breakthrough To The Next Level In Your Career
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Episode 35 – Courage To Shine: Embracing Authenticity, Taking Risks, & Challenging Corporate Norms
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Episode 34 -Standing Out In Your Career: Writing Your Path To Success With Book Coach Candice Davis
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