E86: How I Get Things Done While Working Full Time

Over the past few weeks, I’ve talked to lots of women who are working while pursuing their God-inspired dream on the side. I bet you can guess the most common struggle they expressed. If you said it’s all about time, you would be correct. In Episode 86, we’re gonna chat about how to get all the things done ... and the way I do it might be a little surprising.

Hello friends! Welcome back to Just One Simple Thing. A couple of months ago I announced in Episode 80 that I’m narrowing the focus of my strategic planning and project management services to creative women (like writers, speakers, and podcasters) or small business owners, who are pursuing their God-dreams while they’re still working their full-time job. That is the situation I’m in and I feel like I have a lot to share in that area.

I’m sure you won’t be surprised to know that the most common struggle they face is having time to do all the things.

So today I want to share with you how I get all the things done. Okay, here’s the secret. I don’t get all the things done because no one can get all the things done.

It’s not about getting all the things done.  It’s about getting the right things done. And guess what? I don’t even get all the right things done.

Here is what I get done: I get done what I can get done. Sometimes that’s a lot depending on what’s going on, and sometimes it’s not very much but it’s always what I can do.  And the really cool thing is that because I can’t get all of the important things done, I have to rely fully on God to do the things that only He can do.

So let’s dive into the things that I can do.

I rotate my strategic focus every month. I have a clear strategic plan for my business ... specific things I want to implement in the areas of Marketing, Content, Finances, and Administration. (For more details about these strategic focus areas, head back to Episode 76.) I’ve learned that I can’t focus on all of these areas at the same time every month. But I can focus on them one at a time.

I commit to a small list of non-negotiables... a very few things that I do every week no matter what.

Some weeks the only thing I get done may be those non-negotiable items and I don’t have any time left to work on new content and or new products or different projects. Those very important strategic focus areas just have to wait until I can do them.

I don’t commit to things I can’t do. I have to be very careful about opportunities that come up and say no to things I’d love to do but I can’t do because it would impact my non-negotiables and other strategic focus areas.

Develop your network of partners. Sharing the workload with a friend can be a huge time-saver.

ACTION STEP:

Spend some time thinking about what your non-negotiables are and how will you fit those into your week.  When you do what you can, I promise that God will show up and do what only he can.

RESOURCES:
Episode 78  Four Strategies You Need to Stay Focused and Save Time

Episode 80 How God Uses Boundaries and Barriers for Protection and Provision

Did last month get away from you with little progress on your plans?

If only someone could make sure you are working on the right things at the right time.  Let me review your plan for the month and give you personal feedback, just like my one-on-one clients get. It's the most cost-effective way to get personal coaching and feel confident in taking your next steps.

Click here for details!