Today’s post isn’t about real estate investing….or coffee!
There’s a lot going on with both businesses, but today I want to talk about making room for things that are important.
I’m big (HUGE actually) on time management. Trying to figure out how to fit in all the things that are important to me other than building our businesses. Things like spending quality time with my hubby and girls, staying active as a leader with the youth ministry at our church, staying in shape (I haven’t been in shape since before I was pregnant with my second child), staying in touch with my family and friends, having some personal time (“What’s that?” some of you may be asking. LOL!)…should I go on?
Since leaving my full time job, it has been an ongoing process to figure out what works for me. I’ve managed to fit in much of what I want and need to do, but what was suffering the most was in the area of getting and staying in shape. I’ve recently decided that I can’t allow that area to suffer any more. None of any of the other stuff is possible without my health, right?
I got a great deal at a local gym for $99 for the entire year. Both me, my hubby, and one of my girlfriends (we go waaaay back to middle school) joined so now I have not one, but two workout buddies. For the past two weeks we’ve been getting to the gym at least 3 times a week and I don’t see that slowing down anytime soon (just gotta stay as consistent as possible during the holidays!).
Working out with other people is fun for me….working out by myself sucks big time.
I’ve also committed to do another 5K race this fall. Last year my goal was just to finish one and I did that. This year my goal is to actually jog the entire race instead of walking and jogging like I did last year.
Baby steps.
Another thing I’ve implemented is time blocking. This was inspired by Rachel (aka MobileHomeGurl). I basically took all the things we needed to do for our businesses and categorized them (e.g. Personal & Business Finances, Marketing, Writing, Prospecting & Follow Up, Networking, Education/Training) and then put them into blocks of time on a schedule along with all of my personal desires and obligations. Within each of those blocks, I determine a short prioritized list of actions that need to be completed.
Now that I’m operating in blocks, I’m getting things done in a much more productive and focused way.
Ok, that’s all I wanted to share tonight.
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Tags: getting in shape, prioritizing, time blocking, time management
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mobilehomegurl
625 days ago
Nice post, Shae!
I agree. It’s really important to have a balanced life. I think sometimes we tend to be kind of unbalanced, great in one area yet lacking in others.
And, this business can definitely take a lot of time and energy. This is something that I’ve had to work on. Learning to let go and just setting aside time for what is intended is something that can be difficult at times. I try not to think about all the things that need to get done and just focus on what it is I’ve dedicated the set amount of time to. And, it’s helped.
I think it’s great that you’ve been working to balance other areas in your life. And you’ve found what works for you, that’s great! Everyone has a different way and style of doing things.
For me personally, one of the things I’ve had to do is not try to do everything. Before, there were so many things I wanted to do that I really got burnt out. Now, I really just pick and choose a few things that I know I want to do and focus on those areas. And, life has definitely been a lot better!
It’s always good to hear things outside of REI especially the more important things like spending time with family and personal interests and goals.
Thanks for sharing!
p.s. Oh, thanks for the mention! Learning to manage my time has definitely been something that I’ve been dealing with and have learned to do over the years!
Esi
624 days ago
Being a wife, mom, investor, business owner etc is defintely a balancing act and can be a challenge. I like things to be spontanious and I hate schedules, but in order to be balanced, it requires a daily, conscious act of making things happen and doing things that matter.
Is you gym membership with Ballys, we got a postcard in the mail with a $99/year promotion which i think is great, because when we had a membership with them years ago, we were paying about $30/month (couples).
Sharon Vornholt
624 days ago
Shae – I love the idea of time blocks. I still struggle to get it all done. I’m going to try this.
Sharon
Shae
624 days ago
@Rachel, thanks! I think this will be an ongoing process particularly until we hit our passive/residual income goals. I think you hit the nail on the head when you said “I try not to think about all the things that need to get done and just focus on what it is I’ve dedicated the set amount of time to.”
@Esi, no its not Ballys. We have those down here too but they are all too far to be realistic for me. I paid $99 for the year at Ballys years ago but it was a waste because I wasn’t willing to drive 25 min to get there. I know that sounds lazy, but you’re talking about a woman who worked out of a home office with no commute for 8 years of her career. This family owned local gym is less than 10 minutes away and is a perfect fit ($1 childcare when needed and free classes).
I know what you mean about wanting to be spontaneous…at this point I reserve that for my weekends and vacations
I will tell you that I do schedule personal time too…just to do errands or whatever I want. Like today it will be a movie date with Phil.
Kat
624 days ago
Great Post Shae!! I am big on time management as well. Trying to balance family life, work, personal time etc…is very hard at times. But, you definitely have the strength of endurance. Be blessed. Kat.
Steph
624 days ago
That’s awesome that you’re getting into the gym consistently, Shae.
I know for me, it’s hard to get into the routine of going, but after a week or so, I actually look forward to it. I guess it’s like anything else in life- you gotta build up some momentum and then it gets easier and easier as you go.
I’ve been off from running for a month now because of my back, but am going to start swimming laps again tomorrow morning so I can still get my cardio in.
Julie Broad
624 days ago
@steph … cardio and get rid of all that Ben & Jerry’s I bet.
Great post Shae!! Blocks of times are the only way to roll and of course, the most important things have to be done first, because sometimes you just can’t control what happens to your day once you’re in the middle of it so if you get the most important things done in your first block or first two blocks then you’re always making BIG progress.
Scott Costello
624 days ago
signing up for a 5k is a great motivator for going to the gym and working out hard. That same tactic helped me push myself so I could run an entire 3.1 miles.
Good stuff Shae!
Shae
624 days ago
@Kat, thank you! Endurance? Most definitely. I can’t stop, won’t stop until my work is done
@Steph, please be gentle with your back!!
@Julie, exactly.
@Scotty, that’s awesome. I’m looking forward to it. I might really show up and do 2 5K races before the year end. They always have them around the holidays…the Turkey Run, the Jingle Jog, etc. Lord knows I need to be getting extra exercise around the holidays! LOL!
Bilgefisher
623 days ago
I haven’t had much luck with time blocks due to a very unstable schedule. That’s why I get up at 5, an hour early each morning. Its my only hour each day that I can count on to get work done. The other thing I have done is plan all my errands around 1 day. I seem to get more accomplished in less time. Running errands are a huge time sink. Then I don’t feel my available time is wasted when it was already set aside for a certain day. My trips become better planned and I have less items I forget because I can’t go back for a week.
On top of those two items, I just started a new way of writing my goals and I would recommend it for anyone. Pick your top 4 goals each week. Family, religious, real estate, financial, misc. etc. What ever is most important to you. Write the goal at the top of each column and the date you plan to have it complete. Have a 5th column for Misc items. Then below each goal write what you will do towards that goal for the week.
Each day I pick out my top items from the goal sheet and plan to accomplish those that day, even if its just progress but not completion. I check this goal sheet constantly throughout the day. I always ask myself, “What else can I do today to make my goals?”
For some strange reason I have found my use of time much more efficient because I have exact tasks that need completing and those tasks have an ultimate purpose. My work is then more focused and I get more done in a shorter time.
My goal striving process is ever evolving, but I know in this way I am making progress towards each goal every week. A goal that has no progressive action is merely a wish.
Jason
Shae
623 days ago
You know what, Jason? When I was working full time at the 9-to-5, that’s exactly what was most efficient for me too. Once I left the job and had more hours to deal with, I had to change my time management strategy because picking out the top 6 things for me to do each day left a lot of things undone that were still important.
Thanks for sharing as always. It’s so important to find what works best for YOU. I love this: “A goal that has no progressive action is merely a wish.”
Some day we’re going to meet in person and have lunch!
Carey_PA
618 days ago
This is definitely a post I needed to read this evening. Especially since my crappy week that I had last week (which I rambled on in great detail with you on the phone the other day
But I think the atm’s are a little more under control this week, so I can get more accomplished, plus, good news is that I talked my GM into changing my hours so I can get Joe off to school in the morning and do homework and what not when I get home….so I’ll be getting home earlier…which means I can do more real estate stuff after I get him all situated.
I’m going to go read Rachel’s post now.
Btw, thanks again for our chat. It really was super helpful. I’m gonna post about it this week…I think it will probably help lots of folks.
P.S. My outline is complete
Shae
618 days ago
Hey Carey, glad that your work hours are going to be improving to help balance the real estate and family stuff. That will help! Glad our convo was helpful!
Jonathan Blue
617 days ago
First of Shae, congratualtions on setting a goal to do another 5K. I am a bigger guy myself and am working to loose weight with my goal being able to walk a 5K with my family next year. It is great to hear you have workout buddies to help encourage and motivate you.
On the prioritizing topic, I think time blocking is a great idea and it looks like you have developed a plan that works great for you. Keep it up, I know it can be difficult. A book that really helped me start getting organized when I took on my current job as Marketing Coordinator was a book called “Getting Things Done”. From what I can tell over time it has actually garnered and almost cult like following in many business circles. There is even a great program I ran across called Nozbe that is an entire computer planning and prioritizing system based on the principles presented in the book. I highly recommend it to anyone still searching and struggling to find the system that works well for them.
Thanks for all the great though provoking blogs and for letting me participate. It has been a pleasure.
Eric Amzalag
617 days ago
Great to see you sticking to the workout goal Shae. $99 for a gym membership is a specacular deal. Id do that just to swim laps at the gym even though I dont work out there
.
How is the block system working for you? Is it a manageable system that does not take too long to set up?
Shae
617 days ago
@Sharon, sorry your comment ended up in my spam folder for some reason! Have you started the time blocks yet? If so, how’s it working for you?
@Eric, thanks for the ongoing encouragement with my workouts! I’m determined to whip myself back into shape and stay in shape this time. The block system is working well for me and yes its very manageable. You have to tweak it here and there to make it work for you, but once you find a groove its great.
Sharon Vornholt
617 days ago
Shae-
I haven’t started yet. We’ve had family in town. I can’t wait to try it out. Sounds like a great system. How is it working for you?
Shae
617 days ago
I like it Sharon…I thought it might feel stifling, but it doesn’t….I think it helps that I’ve given myself plenty of room to have personal time to do whatever I feel like doing
Shae
617 days ago
@Jonathan, thanks for your comments! I like having you around here! Congrats on setting the goal to walk a 5K. You can do it….walking it was actually pretty easy. 3 miles isn’t that far. If you’ve even gone to an amusement park, you liked walked more than that
Maybe you can walk that 5K THIS year eh?
I’ve heard of “Getting Things Done” — haven’t read it yet but heard great about it. Never heard of Nozbe…interesting!