Counting Quarters

Sometimes, we get to the end of a month (or year) and say, “Oh my goodness, how did that happen? Time sure flew by!” And I was going to start this Wednesdays With Wayne blog with something like, “Don’t look now, but…!”

 

And that’s not the message I want to give you. The message this week is to remind you that YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE and that means that you are also in control of your calendar.

 

Did you have big plans for Quarter One of this year? 

Did you make those plans happen, or did you let them die out as unfulfilled dreams? 

 

I used to over-commit and admittedly, I sometimes still do. And when that happens, I  don’t negotiate with my goals. I take control of my calendar.

 

Here are some tips for you as we head into Q2 of this year:

• Look at your calendar for the next week, five weeks (yes, into the next month), and twelve weeks (taking you to the end of the quarter). 
• What did you put on it? 
• Deliberately block time every week – during the week, not just on weekends – for key elements that include physical health, mental health, enrichment (learning or doing something new), and relationship building.
• What meetings are on your calendar that are scheduled for an hour? Can you knock those back to 30-minutes? Can you knock them off all together and use text, email, or a quick call? 
• Add in administrative time every day, a couple of times a day. A small block of twenty minutes or less should be enough for you to clear superfluous emails from your inbox. And just because someone asks for a meeting in the next few days doesn’t mean you have to find a time for it in the next few days. 
• Identify what you really want to accomplish by the end of this year. What needs to happen this quarter to move it forward? 
• Create a task list
• Put it on your calendar
• Put it on your calendar again because you underestimated the time it would really take. 
• Identify the resources you’ll need to get done all you need to get done.
• Time
• Money
• People – do not leave this out. You’re not running this marathon alone. Sometimes taking time out to gain the perspective of someone else is exactly what you need to elevate your focus and your success exponentially. 

 

It’s your life, it’s your calendar. Make every quarter count!

Join me in Lisbon, Portugal in October! Just reach out to say “interested!”

 

Keep making your magic!

 

See you here next week!

 

= Wayne =