Beating the Hourglass: My Foundation for Better Time Management

I get asked quite frequently about my “secrets” for time management because apparently I seem to look like I have it all together. This couldn’t be further from the truth and even I have moments of stress, panic and sheer exhaustion. But I have established some guidelines that I regard as my foundation for better time management that I’m more than happy to share. They’re not one-size fits all, but they fit perfectly into my life.

My Office Assistant, Pinot sets a poor example of time management

Keep a Weekly White Board

I keep a white board in my office that’s divided into seven columns for each day of the week.  This allows me to visually map out my “Must-Get-Dones” for each day and set priorities for the week. Moving these tasks from my mental to-do list and to my white board has been a huge stress reliever and organizational tool. I can clear my mind long enough to focus on a single task and when I have time to move on to the next project or if something were to come up and change my plans, I can visually move around my tasks from day-to-day and change them as often as my schedule does. I also find myself completing tasks based on priority not based on ease or interest which I’ve found to be my own personal form of procrastination.

Block Schedule Your Time

All too often I would find myself in the same workday scenario. I would be trying to complete 4 tasks at once, have at least 8 pages open on my browser and be checking my email every 3 minutes. Not only was I not getting anything done, I was also causing myself more frustration and stress. The answer I found was to block-schedule my work time. I focus on what task I need to complete, estimate the appropriate time it should take me and schedule time on my calendar to work solely on that task until completion, just like I would schedule a meeting or conference call. And because I wouldn’t check my email in the middle of a meeting or hang up in the middle of a conference call, I am able to see one task through to completion and find myself with a better quality product in the end.

Be Productive Even When You’re Not Working

No one can be productive for 8+ hours straight. Ok, no HUMAN can be that productive…but we are just that—human. We need to take breaks and my best advice is that when you feel like you need 15 minutes away from the computer screen, take it and make it count. I use my breaks throughout the day to still do productive things that I want to get done, they just might not be work related. I’ll read through a magazine, clean, do laundry or browse Word Press and see what other people are writing about. By using these little breaks to knock routine or housekeeping items off of my list, I’m still gaining that moment of relaxation and mental clarity while clearing even more free time for myself in the future.

Get Into a Routine

As a freelancer and business owner, I set my own schedule. I COULD sleep in until 11am each morning or spend the afternoons shopping, but I don’t. I wake up earlier now than I ever did with a desk job. I exercise, eat breakfast and shower just like I would if I were going to an office. Then I use the first hour of my work day to complete routine business-building tasks. I browse the news, answer emails and update my social media. After one hour, no matter what, I stop. I then focus solely on client work and what my white board has laid out for me that day. My goals for the day are already outlined and I know exactly how much time I’ve allotted to complete each one. This structure in my day helps me to move forward and with greater speed and efficiency. Find whatever routine works for you, but stick with it!

Make the Most of Your Mornings

Get up early. Get up two hours earlier than when you would normally feel like waking up. I promise you, this is some of the best advice I can give to anyone who wants to be successful. Those morning hours are ones you’ll never be able to make up for the rest of your day. If you wake up late, you’ll be playing “catch-up” until you finally crash into bed that night. Mornings are your time to knock as much off your to-do list as possible. If a crisis were to strike in the afternoon, you’ll be well-equipped to handle it without it causing other tasks to roll over to the next day. If you work hard enough in the mornings and find yourself with some free time in the afternoon, then that’s all yours! You paid the piper now enjoy it, guilt-free. Run an errand, exercise, check-in with a friend, nap or give into a guilty pleasure. Eventually this “free afternoon” reward will inspire you to want to work hard in the momings and if you use today’s free afternoon to work ahead on tomorrow’s tasks, you can “earn” an entirely free day later that week.

These guidelines aren’t easy or always fun. They take discipline and accountability. But I promise you, you’ll adjust to the early mornings and new routine and will be even more prepared to accommodate the future growth of your business, your family and all of the chaos that comes with it!

 

A Month of Independence: A reflection of where one month has led me since my biggest life change

It’s been once month since my blog post Independence Day which received a lot of encouragement and words of wisdom. Having declared July 15^th as my personal independence day has provided me with a date and a benchmark that I will forever be able to look back on and see where one month, one year or ten years has taken me since that life-changing and life-defining moment.

My last memory of leaving my cubicle on July 15th. Even when I was working there, it looked just about the same.

One month ago was my last day of work with the Department of Health. Nothing had really changed for me yet. I was still working a desk job and sitting in the same cubicle I had occupied for the last 6 months. My desk had been completely cleaned since the week prior—in fact I never really moved-in. It’s almost like when you’re renting an apartment and don’t even both to hang photos on the wall because it never quite feels like home. That job wasn’t my career. I must have subconsciously sensed it since day one.

After a wonderful and somewhat sad lunch spent with my co-workers for the last time, my boss told me to take off early. Really, my responsibilities had become irrelevant since my 2-week notice, so I walked out of the Department with the remainder of my desk in a single bag and I feel somewhat cold to admit I didn’t look back. I miss the people I worked with terribly. Even in my short time there, I made a family out of my colleagues. I owe them a visit this week—and really I have no excuse. I live 3 blocks from the Capitol complex where I used to work.

The weeks following that day were a whirlwind to say the least and my blog acts as a journal that reflects the highlights as to what I’ve been through. On July 20^th I immediately picked up and took a week to travel. I spent time in Chicago and Miami visiting cities I had never been to before and for no better reason other than I just didn’t make the time. I knew a week out-of-pocket was going to cause work to pile up when I came home, but nothing could prepare me for what I returned to. I felt out of control, like I was treading water but not nearly fast enough to keep my head above the surface. I wanted to get everything on my to-do list done at once which is neither feasible nor necessary. That amount of stress may have shaved a year or two off my life, but it also led me to write the blog post Strive for Progress, Not Perfection which has become my new mantra and has really helped me to re-center my priorities.

After that week and a half of extreme stress, frustration and doubt, I’ve found my stride. I relied a lot on the people close to me to keep my chin up and work through the confusion and negativity I felt. I’ve added 3 new clients to my business and have a growing list of potentials I’ll be pitching to in the coming weeks and months. It’s a balancing act for sure. I may be my own boss now, but I have to juggle the needs of many different clients and sometimes they seem to pile up all at once. I keep a huge whiteboard that works as a fluid to-do list where I can assign the “must-get-done” tasks to each day and visually, it helps to keep me focused and from becoming overwhelmed. I’m developing a lot of other time structuring tools that help me to maximize my efficiency and believe or not, make some time for non work-related things. But that will have to be a blog post for another day…

If where I am today is any indication of where I’ll be and what I’ll feel 6 months or 6 years from now, I’m ready to embrace each day from now until then. I know it will be a rollercoaster ride with dips of stress and frustration and stomach-tickling highs of progress and pride, but it’s going to be a fun ride for sure.

 

When. Not If.

Lately I’ve realized one of my own tendencies. I will often choose to say “if” when I talk about doing something—even when it’s about something that I’m planning on happening or truly want to see happen. This little two-letter word is a manifestation of a mindset I hope to change in myself. It conveys uncertainty. For anything you WANT to see happen or will WORK to see happen, you should say “when” not “if.” It’s surprising how interchangeable these words are.

I’ve often found myself saying to a friend, “If we catch up for lunch tomorrow….”and all too often it falls through or one of us never actually makes the phone call to make definite plans. I realized that by using “if” I unknowingly imply that my intentions to meet up with them aren’t definite. Had I said “When we catch up for lunch tomorrow…” it would have led to picking a place and time right then and I would have seen them for lunch the next day.

In an even more detrimental setting, saying to a future client, “If I work with you on this upcoming project…” allows an opening for it to fall through or doesn’t convey my excitement and willingness to work with them. This couldn’t be farther from the truth—and when your words no longer reflect your intentions, something has to change.

When I stop using “if” I put power behind my words and I set expectations for my own actions. And just how I approach my to-do lists—when I write it or say it, it’s going to happen. It will weigh on me until it does.

Now I’m not saying that “if” isn’t applicable to certain circumstances. You would never want to say to a girl “When I take you out on a date tomorrow…” if you just approached her at the bar or you’re going to look arrogant. Similarly, you don’t want to say to your boss, “When you give me that promotion…” or you’re going to look too forceful and will very likely NEVER see that promotion. But more often than not, “when” is the word we should all chose to put power behind what we say. Whether you’re saying this to a friend, a client or only yourself, it provides confidence and motivation. And when couldn’t we all use a little bit more of that?

 

WHEN I visit Chicago again, I want to watch a game from the Wrigley Rooftops!

 

Strive for Progress Not Perfection

Taking the time to hike along Fort Hunter this summer, that was a 'perfect' day.

Somewhere between the extended angle and twisted crescent pose, my yoga instructor said “Strive for progress not perfection.” And I immediately fell in love with the mantra. Before hearing this phrase on Tuesday, I would wake up with an arm’s length list of to-do’s that left me racing against the clock throughout the day and berating myself before bed if I didn’t get them all done. For far too long I defined a perfect day as getting everything done on this ever-growing list. But not anymore. Today I’m striving for progress not perfection. Even if I put only a few checks next to items on my to-do list I’ve had a productive day and should celebrate it. We shouldn’t let what didn’t do each day overshadow what we do accomplish.

This new outlook has also allowed me to be more flexible. Before, I would see everything I had to get done and refuse to budge my schedule. I would turn down meeting a friend for lunch or continue to work all evening, completely missing some great opportunities to be with those I love. I now realize that my goal for working toward that “perfect” day was to gain the free time that I would just continue to fill up with work anyways, I was missing these great moments as they flowed right by me because I was too busy to look up from my to-do list. If you spend your whole life working toward that perfect time to take a vacation or a perfect time to spend an evening with a friend, that time will never come. Instead, find a way to make progress each day and call it “perfect.”

 

When You Don’t Plan Everything, Everything Goes As Planned

I just took my first real vacation for the first time in two years. I’m used to working, or at least having some obligation, every day of the week—even including evenings and weekends.  It wasn’t healthy. Because of this ridiculous schedule, I would plan out everything the night before, from what clothes I would wear to laying out exactly what I needed to pack for breakfast, lunch and dinner (as I would usually be gone from 8am until 11pm…on good days). People who know me can attest to how crazy it is to see someone pre-assemble the ingredients in a coffee mug and lay out a bowl of dry oatmeal so that their Tasmanian Devil routine in the morning wouldn’t be disrupted. From the time I left my bed until the time I returned, every second of my day was planned.

But during these past 8 days, I again went to ledge and jumped off completely. I allowed my schedule to be dictated by no more than what I felt like doing during that exact second. No alarms, no itinerary, nothing. The only thing I had to be on time for was my flights and even they were so horribly delayed and disrupted that I was truly forced to roll with the punches. How did I do? Surprisingly great. I may have approached melt-down mode once, but I blame that on the Chicago heat wave and a 4am taxi ride for a flight that didn’t leave until Noon…more on that below.

This unplanned but completely perfect vacation will remain one of my most memorable travels. Here are some of my highlights from Chicago to Miami:

It wasn’t even 10am and already 105 deg in Chicago. Breakfast ran late and we thought for sure we’d miss the boat tour. As it happens, the boat tour schedule online wasn’t correct and we got there just in time to board.

Having never really visited Chicago before, I thought this statue of Marilyn Monroe was an everyday fixture downtown. Little did I know just a week or so before visiting, this statue was finally unveiled. It is truly quite amazing. Spoiler alert: she’s wearing underwear underneath.

Taking the boat tour of Chicago wasn’t a planned venture. It was something we saw online and thought would be interesting if time allowed. This experience may have single-handedly made the trip. I fell in love with how the city’s tall, hard buildings so boldly contrasted with the smooth, flat water which weaves between them.

Out on Lake Michigan was one of the most serene moments I’ve had in a long time. You can see the hustle and bustle of the city in one direction, but turn around and it’s just you and the calm, blue water.

Catching a game at Wrigley Field wasn’t at all in the plans. We grabbed breakfast, hopped on a city bus (which is a whole other story involving a screaming homeless man) and bought tickets from a stand outside the stadium. A sunny July day spent watching baseball in Wrigley Field–now that’s American.

I’m by no means an experienced traveler and when flying out of one of the largest airports in the U.S. I didn’t know what was ‘normal’ airport volume. But I feel like this is FAR from normal for 6am in O’Hare. Apparently the record-setting rain in Chicago all fell in one night–8” to be exact. No flights were leaving and even the airport staff was delayed in traffic. That morning Chicago had a new attraction, the O’Hare Zoo.

The view of Biscayne Bay from the balcony made the flight delays, endless lines, sleep deprivation and 11 hours of travel completely worth it. Welcome to Miami…

This was the night we did the “touristy” thing and hit Miami Bayside. A great span of shops, bars and restaurants, but the most memorable part of this evening was the culture. Looking at this photo I can still hear the music and see the locals dancing so effortlessly to the rhythm. I think more people were dancing on the street than they were inside the bar. This city is filled with genuine contentment–a souvenir I got to take home.

South Beach, Miami: the place that has inspired songs, bikinis, diets and soft drinks to be created it its honor. Overall, it was like most public beaches I’ve been too–but who doesn’t love a day at the beach? I was never set on having to spend a day here, but a free ride from the hotel and it just seemed to again work out perfectly.

The night we hit South Beach, we got out of the cab and simply started walking. No plan, no schedule. Walking down the entire strip was pretty amazing. All the restaurants were hustling us for our service, but we chose to eat at “Tap Tap” an authentic Haitian restaurant just a few blocks away from the craziness. In hopes of meeting the rapper Pitbull, we grabbed drinks at the staple of South Beach night life: The Clevelander. No such luck on being star struck, but a perfectly unplanned evening yet again.

 

Independence Day

I declare today to be Independence Day—my Independence Day. I’m very aware that I’m 11 days late for when most choose to celebrate this holiday, but this is a little more personal. There’s two ways to look at it, really. I can either be celebrating my last day of working a desk job or my first day of being my own boss. Both are as exciting as they are scary, but since I like focusing on beginnings not endings, let’s go with celebrating the latter.

July 15^th. It’s a date I first set two weeks ago with HR when I decided I was going to take the leap (hopefully not the plunge) to branch off and put my entire heart and soul into my own public relations firm, Bennis Inc. It was an arbitrary date at the time. As per handbook policy, I had to give two weeks notice to leave the Department and remain within good-standing and July 15^th was a payday so I knew I wouldn’t have to wait around for my final pay check. It made sense. For the past two weeks, day by day, it became the light at the end of the tunnel. Some days I felt like there was so much to get done before then that I was being sucked in to a jet propeller. Other days I felt like time simply stopped moving altogether.

No matter what it felt like, it was 14 days, 336 hours, 20160 minutes. In those mere minutes, I grew up by at least seven years. For instance, I set up an IRA account and made my mom the sole beneficiary of my worldly savings (only because she answered the phone before my dad did). I started pounding the pavement, putting myself out there and finally telling people about this business I’ve been building from the ground up since college. I realized I never did declare my independence as an entrepreneur and business owner, though I have been one for almost three years now. I always felt like I had to hide it or refer to it as a “side business” so as not to appear like a conflict of interest with my day job. Well, that all stops today, July 15th. Today, I am officially open—open for business and open to praise, criticism, success and defeat. But it feels great. I feel like I’ve finally woken up and am taking my first deep breath of fresh air. I can’t wait to see where this (independence) day will lead….

 

Universal Assumptions

Now more than ever, I believe that the universe gives us signs. So maybe I should preface this by saying I don’t claim to be a psychic and while I am intrigued by astrology I don’t base my travel plans and grocery shopping on it. I’m a mild skeptic to most everything else, but yes—I now believe in universal signs. What I have come to realize is that internal and external forces do exist to give us the jump start we need to get to the places we should be. There’s just no other explanation.

Since the beginning of 2011, my life has made some radical changes. I ended my time with the Pennsylvania Governor’s campaign, got a new job as a result, officially launched Bennis Inc—and what the hell, just for fun I took on a side job (Because who needs free time anyways?). While some of these changes were the natural next step, others were ones I sought out on my own because of a gut feeling that I can’t rationalize. With that said, I truly believe that if you listen quietly and closely, and are open to it, you will be drawn toward exactly what you need in life.

The side job I took was a server/cocktail waitress position at an Irish Pub in downtown Harrisburg. Of course some extra cash was the initial appeal, but there was something deeper that made me actually get up and do it. At first I would call it a gut feeling, but now several months in retrospect I realized this job filled a void that I didn’t consciously know I had. I expanded my world to a whole new group of friends and contacts that I would have otherwise never had access too. I also realized a few of my talents that I never had the reason to use in my other jobs. Most importantly, this waitressing job honed in on what I’m most passionate about in a career and in life: interacting with people. The next few changes I have planned in my life are a direct result of what this job opened my eyes to.

Another example is the new clients I take on. With each new job offer, I weigh my options between maintaining sanity or putting more on my plate (I think we know which option often prevails) and each time I choose the work, my world is changed.

By no means am I a yes-man. There have been many things and people I’ve said no to that I will never know how they could have affected my life, but sitting here today I have full faith that each yes and no I’ve made was for a reason. So, the next time I get a gut urge to do something (given it won’t potentially kill me or put me behind bars) I’m going to listen to the universe a little more closely and let it guide my path.

…Now who’s up for some Ouija Board!?

 

That’ll Learn Ya

I recently came across the quote by Jim Rohn, “Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.“

Naturally, I quickly took a tally of the student loans I still owe and the knowledge that was packed into me from Kindergarten until college graduation. Is this what has earned me my career? I mean, sure–I wouldn’t even have a job at a fast-food chain if I didn’t know how to read or write. And my college years helped me to refine my interests and connect with people that ultimately got me to where I am today. But I can’t help but resonate with this quote and the feeling that what I learned on my own, through trial and error after error after error, is what truly allowed me to make a success of what I love doing.

Consider this: Right now, how many of the skills you use everyday for your career did you know in college? I’m willing to bet (more money than most did on the Kentucky Derby) that 97% of the skills you rely on daily to do your job you learned–on the job. A lot of people would probably bet the same. But here’s the better question. Without your college degree could you still do the job you’re doing now? If you answered with a reasonable yes, you might choose to agree with me when I say that college degrees are more a formality than an actual education. Those four years taught me a lot about life and slowly weened me into the real world, but aside from that, the skills I use most are the skills I learned outside the classroom.

Just recently a client asked me to write a White Paper to market one of their products. After I answered with a confident “Sure! I’ll do it!” I realized I knew nothing more about a white paper other than the color and material it should be on. With the magic of Google and the determination to show them I knew what I was doing, I taught myself in one weekend what 1/3 of a semester in college might have been spent on.

Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t trade in any of my years spent on formal education for the world. Even if I took more from 6th grade recess, 11th grade caferteria conversations and freshman socials than I did from the classroom–it was well worth it. My formal education allowed me the time to grow into who I am today and instilled in me the core concepts of learning that I continue to apply, but my self-education carries the most value to me. Maybe what I love the most is that we’re all our own teachers now. While we are beyond the times of pop quizes and exams, the true test is whether you continue pushing yourself even when you know there’s no report card or bachelors degree at the end of the road…just personal pride. And, well, maybe that’s more than enough…

 

Home Work

My cat, Pinot, made a less than productive co-worker.

As many of you may know by now, in addition to BennisInc I also spend my days working for the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Legislative Affairs. This requires me to commute a whole three blocks to the Capitol Complex where I work in a small cubicle without windows from 8:30am-5pm, Monday through Friday (try to contain your jealousy). While sitting in my hamster wheel, I often wonder how I would handle the coveted privilege of being able to work from home.

Well, the Work-From-Home Fairy must have heard my wish.

Due to 2 water lines breaking near the Capitol, I’ve been granted two days to try out the whole “Home Working” concept. I’ve gotten to work at my leisure, rotating between multiple clients’ work, Real Housewives of New Jersey reruns, cleaning, laundry and even a little Facebook. But I’ve gotten more done in 4 hours than I would have all day at the office. Maybe it’s the motivation to prove everyone wrong who says you can’t get work done from home or maybe it was the motivation for a nap and walk along the river once I met certain work goals, but no matter what it was…it was AWESOME.

I could certainly get used to this schedule. I still wake up early, set unreasonably ambitious work goals for the day and to my surprise, get most of them accomplished, but during the small breaks that everyone needs I can throw in a load of laundry, go for a run or meet a friend for coffee. I’m not bound to a desk.

I’ve heard this similar sentiment repeated from nearly all my friends who own their own business–When you work for yourself, YOU get to choose the 70 hours a week you work. I agree. I went from 8am through 9pm each day working on a variety of projects. But I didn’t work those 13 hours straight. I got personal things done throughout that time and when I felt like I needed a break, I could take it at my leisure. When I came back to it, I had a clear mind and produced better quality work as a result.

Working from home certainly takes dedication and self-control, but I can handle it. And if it provides me a life spent outside a hamster wheel, I can have my cedar chips packed in a matter of minutes.

 

Acting Your Age

There it is, the pink cow cake!

I think it was the picture my best friend posted to my Facebook wall a few days ago that got me thinking about this topic. She had just turned 2 and I was 2 1/2 and we were leaning over her  birthday caked shaped to look like a pink cow, blowing out her birthday candles. We grew up only a few houses apart but the differences in our personalities spanned a much broader distance. Her unruly blond curls spoke much to her spontaneous personality whereas my perfectly straight, predictably brown hair gave away much of the same details about my own.

In elementary school I would often get teased for using big words and acting like a “mini adult.” I was fiercely independent and business-minded from as far back as I could remember. While I dreamed about opening a retail shop from my tree house many years prior, the first business I started that I can actually provide proof for was in 4th grade. I sold pencils and erasers that came in all sorts of colors, shapes and trendy designs to classmates at recess.

My parents, though skeptical at times, were always very supportive of my business ventures. In fact, my mom was my first capital investor, allowing me to pick out $30 worth of inventory from the Oriental Trading magazine I would scour every month. Ultimately, I tripled my mom’s investment in my company in just a few weeks, but like most 4th graders, I lost interest and was on to the next new trend.

I don’t know if it was my upbringing or my inherent personality that made me who I am today. I suppose I could blame my parents for the small amount of teasing I endured in elementary school for acting like a “mini adult,” but looking at where it brought me to today–I think I owe them an awful large thank you instead.