YOUR TURN: What made your list of 2019 books?
​Comment below and tell me what books I should put on my 2020 reading list!

YOUR QUESTION:
Kathy, How do I find the time to be the best leader I can be? 

• You have all of these wonderful courses and worksheets, but I struggled to fit it all in.
• What would you suggest I do to find the time to grow myself as a leader?

MY ANSWER BELOW:

What this question says about you:
First, I applaud you for the question 
What that tells me is that you have a desire to be your best self and that you recognize that there's room to grow. That's true for all of us. None of us is perfect. None of us will ever stop growing. 

What that also tells me is that you have a growth mindset. You are willing to put time and effort into growing and developing yourself to be your best self.

• The opposite of that would be a fixed mindset, which says; I'm stuck just as I am.With a fixed mindset, you believe that you can't change, grow or develop. That often leaves you feeling like a victim and acting like a martyr...Not fun!

Instead, you are choosing to be Response-Able...choosing to make a difference in your life — Bravo for you ​

Personal and professional development is your path to success in leadership and life! 

MY ANSWER
Now, how to find the time to do some of the work to grow and develop yourself.

3 places to create time to do the work necessary for growing and developing yourself as a leader

1️⃣ Make use of existing downtime
The best example is all of the times in your life when you are waiting! For example:

• Waiting for your kids to finish their extracurricular activity or while they are at the dentist. 
• Waiting for a meeting to start
• While on transit or driving

2️⃣ Look at current time wasters / time fillers 
Consider changing what you do during some of these times:

• What you could better do with the time you currently spend watching T.V. or scrolling through your favourite social media app.
• How many times do you go back and check the same email without responding?What if you set aside specific times for checking email and specific times for doing your personal development work?
• How much time are you complaining that you don't have time, rehashing what's not working for you and your team or shuffling piles on your desk?

What could you do to be proactive about creating time for growth and development with these time-wasters?

3️⃣ Carve out time
Find 15 minutes 4 times a week here in these spots (That's a whole hour each week!!)

1. Get up 15 minutes earlier one day to journal
2. Make time on a lunch break for 15 minutes of reading
3. Schedule 15 minutes in the evening to watch a video
4. Plan 15 minutes on the weekend to organize your notes, schedule time in for the following week and respond to a question in the online program.

Tada....
YOU just CREATED a whole hour each week to work on developing yourself!
?WHOOOOO HOOOOO!!!! ?

Personal and professional development is your path to success in leadership and life! 

Do this right now.
✅Schedule at least two 15 minutes into your next week to begin the work you need to be your best self!
You'll be thankful you did!

Watch this session on YouTube here

LINKS from today's session

• Join the CONFIDENT WOMEN LEADERS COMMUNITY here:
• My top 7 Productivity Books GUIDE SHEET
• Productivity Tips and Resources
• Create your plan to get out of Survival Mode

​
Find MY BOOK - Mastering Confidence: Discover your leadership potential by awakening your inner guidance system

• On AMAZON → http://amzn.to/2EuMmht
• Get my book FREE on Audible → https://bit.ly/2wOoSEJ​

LINKS from this session

Although DESIGN YOUR IDEAL DAY is finished, head on over to THE TRAINING ROOM and discover new sessions that my be just what you need today!

Find the right GUIDE SHEET for you
​
Join the CONFIDENT WOMEN LEADER'S Group here

Find MY BOOK - Mastering Confidence: Discover your leadership potential by awakening your inner guidance system

Olympic medals are not won on race day. They are won by countless trips to the gym, day-after-day.
In the same way, you don’t write down a goal to be a better leader and magically become that leader someday.
Instead, you take tiny actions day-by-day.
But what actions?
in this Facebook Live session learn more about the thing you need to schedule in now, to find more peace in your day always. 

Don't forget to grab the Guide Sheet - My Favourite Productivity Books!

LINKS from today's session

• Discover how to DESIGN YOUR IDEAL DAY - is over, but check out all of the other resources in The Training Library
• Get the GUIDE SHEET: Productivity Books
• Join the CONFIDENT WOMEN LEADER'S Group here
• Find MY BOOK -Mastering Confidence: Discover your leadership potential by awakening your inner guidance system

When was the last time you PLANNED how you wanted to feel? That is a crazy notion, isn't it? However, if you do it, you will find that you have a way different year ahead of you!

Look back for lessons
In my last blog post, I encouraged you to look back over the past year for the lessons you learned. I suggested that by reviewing how things turned out in different situations, you can collect ideas for what you may want to do differently in the future.  If you want different results, then you need to do something else. Doing last week's exercise should have highlighted some areas of your life that you want to change.

Look ahead to choose feelings
Now that you have taken a look back, it's time to pivot and look forward. Both the backward review and peering into the future are all part of laying a solid foundation before you set goals for the new year.

As you inspect what might unfold for you in the new year, I want you to consider how you want to feel.  Yes, instead of thinking about what you want to achieve or what you are hoping to accomplish, I want you to think about feelings for a moment. 

This is not what you want...
What is it that you want to experience next year? We all know what we don't want:

• We are tired of feeling stuck
• We don't want to feel exhausted.
• We hate the constant feeling of overwhelm
• We are fed up with the repetitiveness of the same old hamster wheel

Consider the experience you want
But if not that, then what? That's the easy part. We complain, bitch and moan all the time about what we don't want. However, continuing that cycle in your head only keeps you stuck on the negative. Instead, you need to look for something different. 

Consider for a moment what feelings and experiences do you want in the coming year. Here are some examples of what feelings you may be looking for:

• Perhaps you want to feel more energetic
• Maybe you want to feel more at peace with yourself.
• It could be that you are looking to feel a deeper sense of connection with someone
• You want to feel more engaged in your work,

Hold off on developing goals
If your mind keeps going to goals, step back from them for a bit. Setting goals are important. And we will get there. But the goal is not the whole picture. When we only identify the target, we miss why attaining that is so important. 

When you ask yourself what you are looking to accomplish a goal or achieve something, it's about the feeling that you will get as a result of completing it.

• Why is that so important to you? 
• What difference does it make if you achieve that? 
• Why does it matter so much?

It matters because it's doing that thing, or achieving that thing means you have a certain feeling as a result. It's that feeling that I want you to focus on now.

Consider this
I come back to one of the most popular. Goals that everyone identifies each year to become healthier. So what difference does it make if you lose weight or change your eating habits? 

• You will probably feel more lively. 
• You will find you have increased energy. 
• Perhaps you will feel more alert.

Imagine though that you want to do something different at work, go back to school, apply for a new position or start a new project. Consider that outcome for a moment and think about what the feeling is that you are longing for. Changing jobs will make you feel what? 

• More engaged? 
• More aligned with your values? 
• Will it make you feel more fulfilled?

Where do you already feel that?
The second part of this exercise is to consider the list of feelings that you've identified. Then, look at where you already experienced those feelings now. 

• If you're looking to feel happier when was the last time you felt happy?
• If you're looking to feel more energetic, perhaps you noticed that was happening on the weekend when you have more sleep. 
• If you want to feel a sense of peace, you may see you felt it after you took a lunch break the other day.

These are clues then as to what you want more of in the new year. It is this information that will help you set goals. 

Combine the lessons learned and feelings desired
Pulling these two concepts together (lessons + feelings) looks like this:

• Perhaps looking back, you learned that late nights drag you down. Maybe you realize that the lesson is you get sick when you work yourself to the bone.
  • When you looked at the feelings you desire, it may have been to feel more energized. You see, you feel that when you have more sleep or catnap in the middle of the day.
    • A goal for the new year might be to get more sleep.

 

• If you looked back and realized that no matter what, you can't connect to this job, you saw your commitment level drop and your desire to go to work each day fades. The lesson you learned was this organization isn't aligned with your values and vision.
  • Looking forward, you might crave that feeling of a deeper connection to your work. You see the glimpses of that when you work on a certain project. That is a clue for you about the kind of work you could cultivate in the new year.
    • A goal might be around exploring options in that area.

Looking back and then ahead
When you pull out lessons learned and pair that with the desired feelings you have for the future, you are in a great place to set goals for the future. Take the time in the next week or two to let these two ideas sit with you. Come back to them a few times. Journal some thoughts about them. Talk to others in your life about it as well. Slowing down to get a handle on your life intentionally, will put you back in the driver's seat. From there, you can create your future yourself, rather than just watch it unfold!

​THE PROBLEM:
​The problem is you are unhappy with your day-to-day life, but you don’t know how to change it.

• You never get through everything you want in a day, you feel as if you aren’t getting anywhere
  
• You are so exhausted by the time you get home, that you can’t enjoy life.
• You feel trapped or stuck and don’t know what to do.
• Thus, you moan to your spouse, your girlfriend or your mom.
  
• The voice in your head is stuck on “I hate my life!”

MY STORY:
I know that place of stuck all too well. Time-and-time again I have found that I am once again feeling stalled. I realize I’ve been working hard, but getting nowhere, except worn out. You know that feeling too right?
 
I learned that instead of staying stuck forever, it was when I paused long enough to realize what was going on that I had some great insights. Through conscious pondering, I was able to figure out what I needed to do to get from where I was, to where I wanted to be. Giving myself that time to think allowed me to do a little bit of a pivot in a new direction.
 
That slight shift of direction helped me to create a new strategy to accomplish what I was looking for. With that plan in hand, I was able to proceed forward, despite challenges, opposition and with the fear and doubt that are ever present.
 
THE COMPLETE SOLUTION:
​The key to success has always been a plan. It is the deliberate understanding of what I need to do next, and perhaps even after that has gotten me, and can get you too, through the challenges that are inevitably in front of us when we want a different experience of life going forward.
 
A plan is a roadmap that helps you to move from where you are now, to where you want to be. Think of it as your guide that shows you the next step when you get lost or disoriented. Without it, you might just end up going around in circles. In fact, I believe many of us do that daily. Around-and-around the hamster wheel of life we go, never really getting anywhere.
 
A plan isn’t just simply saying I don’t want this, but I do want that. A well thought out, comprehensive plan includes the steps you need to take and addresses potential challenges and roadblocks that you will face. The truth is, it going to take time and effort to get to your destination. You will need to work at it step-by-step. To be successful, you need to build a thorough plan. 

DON’T GET CAUGHT IN THE HAZARDS: 
​If you are like many women, you develop a plan to change your life, only to have it all fall apart just a short time later. That’s because you likely made one of the critical mistakes most women make when trying to develop a plan to change their life.
 
I want to make sure you are successful moving forward. To help you out with this, I’ve developed a list of the 5 mistakes women make when trying to change their life. I’ve also included the “fix” to those mistakes, so you don’t get caught. To get those 5 mistakes, just click here, and I’ll send you the report.
 
Remember, the plan is critical. However, it must be a comprehensive plan to work. Take the time, don’t make these mistakes, and build your plan today! When you do, you’ll find yourself getting unstuck. Instead, you will be moving forward with clarity and purpose. ​​

TO-DO lists are typically looked at with angst. We detest the very sight of them. They are distressing and endless! However, for most of us, to-do lists are also indispensable. They keep us on track and ensure we do get things done. If you want your TO-DO list to be a productive tool, though, you need to keep it manageable.
 
The question then becomes: How do you trim your TO-DO list?

The wrong thing to put on your list
​If you want to tame your TO-DO list, you must remove repetitive items. When you stop entering tasks on your list that you complete on a regular basis, you will see your list shrink dramatically. Culling your list in this way makes your TO-DO list become your welcome friend rather than fearful foe.
 
Removing the routine items
Cyclical tasks happen on a cycle. For example, you might prepare a program schedule every week and review your budget once a month. These intermittent, but regular items do not belong on your to-do list. Routine items should instead be entered into your schedule.

Book appointments with yourself
​Most leaders only use their agenda for meetings and appointments with others. They may list other things they need to do during the day in their agenda, but only as bulleted points. What I am suggesting instead is that you enter routine items into a time slot in your schedule with a beginning and ending time. The routine task should be entered into your schedule as an appointment with yourself.
 
The dreaded monthly stats task
Let me give you an example.  Many managers need to do monthly statistics and quarterly reports. This means that every month you pull together a bunch of charts, forms, and spreadsheets. Laying them all out on your desk, you compile data into a report that goes off to the powers that be.
 
For most leaders, this data compilation is not a fun task.  Leaders put it off and delay doing it until the last moment. I venture to guess that most leaders tend to get it done by either staying late or finishing it on the weekend. 
 
This chore gets done on a manager’s own time because the manager never placed it a priority.  Oh, I know they may put it at the top of their TO-DO list! But that didn’t mean it came before other fires needing put out. Since the monthly statistical collection wasn’t put in as an appointment, it did not get completed during the regular daytime hours.

Move it from TO-DO list to your agenda
​These kinds of routine things need to put into your agenda.  You need to schedule a regular appointment with yourself to get done the things that need to get repeatedly done. 

• Thursday from 9 am to 11 am – Monthly Stats

 
Set it up as an appointment

• Appointments with yourself get entered into your agenda and blocked off as busy times.
• No one else should be able to book an appointment with you during this time.
• Treat those times just like you would treat any other meeting:
  • When it comes to the time, you do the task.
  • You don’t allow interruptions.
  • You don’t answer the phone, the door or your email.
  • You do the work you said you were going to do.

But what if something more important comes up?
If something else comes up and you can’t do the task during that time, then you need to rebook the time.
 
If you erase it, then you must replace it.
Jay Papasan
 
Rebook it if you can't do it
That means if you cannot do the work when you said you were going to then you must find another time slot in your calendar to replace it with.  Again, routine tasks should not be something that you then take home with you for homework. 

• Compiling timesheets, writing reports, reviewing budget are all part of your workload. 
• They are not extras. 

In such, you need to treat them with the same importance as anything else.

A manageable looking TO-DO list
What this leaves is a manageable TO-DO list for you to prioritize. It won’t be quite as scary to look at the items left. When you have 20 minutes of time, you can scan the list and see what can be done.
 
Remember to schedule routine tasks
Keeping your TO-DO list to a manageable size requires you to be mindful of what you enter on to it. Schedule routine items into your agenda. That way regularly occurring tasks will get done on time. This will also leave your TO-DO list smaller, more inviting to scan and way easier to keep up with. 

QUESTION:
How many items did you move from your TO-DO list to your schedule? Does your TO-DO list look more manageable now?

I don’t know about you, but when I am less than productive, I am grouchy!

I get irritable when I get behind. Interruptions annoy the crap out of me. Not only do I get short with others, but I also beat myself up.

• Another lost day Kathy!!!
• You didn’t get to that again?
• What is wrong with you?
• Seriously Kathy! Is it that hard to stay focused? 

At times, it is in fact, very hard to stay focused! But it doesn't always have to be.

Unproductive days = Bad mood
You too likely feel this level of irritation on less than productive days. You also know the consequence of how an unproductive day can spill into your evening. Being terse with your staff is certainly not optimal, but a cutting remark with your child can leave you feeling inept in the parenting department. Adding to the guilty parent syndrome is insomnia.  As you lay there ruminating through your list of undone tasks, the cycle begins again. The pressure increases the next day, to more, in less time.

Turn that frown upside down
This all too familiar cycle was the norm for me for years. The more determined I got in the last few years to meaningful work, the more necessary it became to be productive. Changing a few things has made an incredible difference for me. I still have less productive times, but they are fewer and farther between. I end most weeks ticking everything off of my weekly list.

​Planning + Prioritizing + Hacks = Productivity
The last couple of weeks I walked you through my method of weekly planning and prioritizing. This week, I’m giving you 3 productivity hacks that will help you take that weekly and daily to-do list and get them done. The result, you can shut off at the end of the day knowing you completed what you needed to. Being productive at work frees up your mind and your energy to shift into the rest of your life. Feeling upbeat when you come home at the end of your workday results in a much more enjoyable evening with your loved ones!

 ​The 3 Productivity Hacks Guaranteed to Boost Your Mood

1. Batch Similar Tasks
Batching refers to doing the same things at the same time. It also relates to completing similar types of activities back-to-back. 

You likely already know that multitasking is ineffective. That is because your brain can only do one thing, at a time. Multitasking is when you are trying to switch from one to another. The problem is, it takes your brain a bit to catch up. 

Remember Newton’s law: An object in motion stays in motion? The same happens with your brain. When you are focused on performance reviews and then switch to opening up an Excel spreadsheet with budgets on it, your brain is still moving in the direction of staff growth and development. It takes effort to stop that train of thought and switch to thinking about numbers. Don't work your brain so hard. Batch similar items together, so your brain is going in the same direction.

Another benefit of batching is reduced preparation and cleanup. If I am working on one project, I have files out, and binders flagged, There are a multitude of windows open on my computer. I won’t lie to you; it’s a mess. To shift to a different project, I either have to spend time cleaning it all up (only to pull it all out again tomorrow) or open folders, books, and tabs on top of the current mayhem. Starting something new before finishing the old adds to the clutter. Both of these options make a messier workspace. They also take up more time. Batching items together cuts down preparation time and minimizes clutter.

When you are working on a project, stick to it. Batch projects together to keep the brain focused, save time, and eliminate clutter. Here are some examples:

• Return several phone calls one after the other. When you hang up the phone, jot down a couple of notes, about what needs to be completed as a result of that call. Then make the next call. When you finish 3 or 4 calls, go back to your jotted notes. Do the follow up on them such as entering appointments into your schedule, adding items to your to-do list or following up with an email all at once. 
• Schedule all of your supervision meetings with within the same day or two. Develop a routine of prep, conversation and follow up, so it flows from one meeting to the next.
• Set aside the chunks of time to do your monthly budgeting so that you can get it all done at once sitting or one or two days without having to switch projects.
• When you’re working on compiling statistics, schedule that over the same period. Perhaps that’s over the course of the day or over to three days. Binders, spreadsheets, and stay concentrated on that task,
• Schedule meetings on the same day. If you’re already out of the office, consider what else needs to get done on that day? Tend to all of your out of the office activities such as errands when you are already travelling.

​2. Make the best use of your productive times

First, figure out when your most productive times are

• When is your energy highest?
• When are you best able to focus? 
• What time of day are you least likely to get interruptions? 
• When do you have the most willpower to fend off distractions?

For most of us, this is in the morning. It may that 30 minutes before everyone else shows up. It could also be the hour after everyone comes in and then disperses. 9:30 – 10:30 am could be a golden hour for you. 

Second, know the tasks necessitating your peak focus
Typically, just like in school, the things that require that level of diligence are reading, writing and arithmetic. If you need to read over and digest a report, you’ll need high focus. Composing a letter, a review or proposal are duties that demand attentiveness. It goes without saying that for most of us, spreadsheets call forth a need for concentrated attention as well.

Finally, use your time wisely
Schedule the activities requiring intense concentration into the times that you are best able to focus. I think I say this in every blog post….don’t do email first thing! Save email as a before lunch activity when you are already a bit fried. Do your reading, writing, and arithmetic when you need peak energy, focus, and willpower.

​3. Minimize and eliminate interruptions
Create your environment, so you are least likely to be interrupted

• Turn your phone off. Put do not disturb on. Leave your phone on the other side of the room or in a different room.
• Shut the door. Put a note on the door; “Do Not Disturb.”
• Put headphones on
• Close all other programs and windows on your computer.
• Tidy your desk closing files, books, etc.

Set your boundaries
Get clear that you’re unavailable and for how long. 

• I’m going to set aside 9 – 10 am each morning for focus time

Communicate that to those around you

• Correspond via an email to key staff or explain your intentions at a team meeting.  
• Ask for their assistance. Not only can they ward off anyone headed in your direction, but also they can be available for emergencies. 

Return the favour for them when they need productive times. 

Reinforce your boundaries
Practice what you’ll say to people when they interrupt you. 
“I will time at 10:00 am. Right now I am focusing on these reports needing to be completed. If it’s important before then, Crystal can help you out.”

Be strict ---> with yourself
You are your own worst enemy. Your lack of focus comes more often from inside than outside. Focus requires an incredible amount of willpower. Read these blogs to discover more about staying focused.

Productivity results in elevated mood
If you don't want to find yourself with lingering grouchiness as you walk into your home, get productive. Follow the plan and prioritize method I've shared. Then add these hacks to your week. You'll find yourself not only more productive but much happier too!

​Lengthy To-Do lists are paralyzing!

The endless list of tasks, all which seem important, blurs in front of us. Flabbergasted at the daunting chore of prioritizing, we play it safe. Many of us then default into checking email one more time. By averting the cursed To-Do list repeatedly, we not only get further behind but more and more disheartened.

​It's the norm for most of us
Ask any leader and you’ll likely hear a similar response. 

• My To-Do list never ends. 
• I’ll never get through it. 
• Just when I think I get caught up, all hell breaks loose. 

To-Do lists become the enemy. 

Stop fighting with your To-Do list
Rather than your To-Do list being your foe, let me show you how it can be your valuable assistant. By prioritizing your To-Do list into some semblance of order, it can become a tool working for you, instead of a threat against you. Last week  I walked you through a weekly planning session that had you develop a list of tasks for the upcoming week. Take the list you made and prioritize it by asking yourself the following 3 questions.

3 Questions to ask when prioritizing your To-Do list

​Make use of the questions
Use these 3 questions to prioritize your weekly To-Do list and your accompanying schedule. Look at what you realistically needs to get done this week and move it to the top of your list. The rest can stay on the list perhaps and get it done if you truly have the time. But make sure the top priorities get done first. How do you do that? You get done the priories items by then moving prioritizing your daily To Do’s.  

​3- minute daily prioritizing
At the beginning of each day, spend three minutes identifying the top three priority To Do items for that day. Yes, only three! 

It isn’t that you can only do those three things, rather those are the 3 mandatory things you must get done. 

Make a separate sticky note, highlight the To-Do’s, or in some way identify that they are your top three items for the day. Then, ensure that these things get done to the best of your ability before 11 AM.  

If you truly want to be more productive and successful at getting done the most important things, get your top three done every day.  When you do, you will find things move forward much quicker for you.