How do you align your remote work schedule with your personal and family commitments?

Defining your priorities is definitely the first and most important step. Knowing what takes precedent in your family life and in your work life is key. There are certain things in my family life that I will drop what I’m doing in my work life to be there for and there are other things that I won’t. It’s important to have that clarity.

The beauty of the Eisenhower Matrix is it helps you define what’s urgent and/or important. The goal is to delegate enough off your plate to get into your zone of genius which is in the not urgent but important quadrant. That’s where success lies. Might be writing a book or creating a podcast but there’s something you’ve always wanted to do that lies on the other side of choosing your priorities.

? Before you do anything remember that everyone is different, what works for one won't work for another. ?? Circumstances, responsibilities, finances and preferences will all influence which Time Management tools you want to use to allocate your task, your time and your attention. ?? For some pen & paper may be the first place they start ??Then they use the Traffic Light Formula to priorities their tasks ??? For others it could be a digital list that can be reordered in priority ? For some the Eisenhower Matrix works really well, organising your to do list into 4 boxes. ? Try them all and find what works best for you - Consistency comes from confidence and your confidence will grow the more you listen to and trust yourself!

? The aim of the game is to achieve more with less, most people I meet struggle with setting boundaries... ?? Boundaries mean you can BE the best version of yourself, they help others work with you more effectively & they help you be more Productive. Step 1. Put the essential events & meetings into your diary first (both personal & work related) Step 2. Identify the times of day when you feel most able to focus Step 3. Review your schedule & find 3-4 times each week when you could spend 60-90 minutes 'off the grid' focusing uninterrupted Step 4. Take daily action Step 5. Test & adjust your plans

To effectively create and communicate boundaries, it is imperative for me to first reflect and define the needs and goals both as a person and as an employee. Confidence and self worth are necessary components when effectively expressing boundaries; having the ability to stand firm while also showing respect and kindness to your colleague/boss/whomever you may be communicating with. These conversations can be tough and at times, uncomfortable! Balance, alignment, respect, and self-assurance are what made the biggest impact in my own life regarding establishing and communicating boundaries.

I love the time blocking method. Especially if you struggle with distractions and procrastination, time blocking has been very helpful for my clients. I also agree that communicating boundaries is key in work and personal life.

Using a pomodoro timer is a great way to put your time blocking schedule into practice! Get the pomodoro timer app on your phone or computer to stay focused and plan your breaks (which are also an important part of productivity)

For conversations like this we use The 8??8??8?? Formula to help our clients more effectively allocate their time to the priorities that matter to them right now. The 888 Formula is the simplest way to divide your 24 hour day based on science & society, science suggests we need between 7-9 hours sleep so let's call that 8 and society operates on an 8 hour working day, so what is left is 8 hours for your life. Once you have identified the Formula you have right now, then you can start to make the changes necessary to create the formula you want. 888 is the baseline, not the aspiration. Everyone has a different situations and requirements, stage of life and expectations. From here techniques like Pomodoro will help with focus work.

Once you’ve cleaned out your inbox (I recommend Mailstrom to my clients), you’ll need a system to maintain it. Set up rules and filters so that you’re seeing the most important emails first.

?? When it comes to managing email for some people it's become their 9-5 and their job has become their 5-9 do you resonate? Here are three things I recommend to clients in our first session together to get them on the road to time confidence: 1?? Mindset Shift - Your email is NOT your job! 2?? Traffic Light Your Inbox - Start delegating, deleting or ignoring what's not your job! 3?? Audit Your Time - Identify where it's going and who or what is stealing it!

?? You can't improve what you don't track, keep a list of everything you are working on to have a visual reminder of your progress ? The physical act of ticking releases dopamine in your brain ?? which in turn keeps you motivated to continue. ?? If a star chart works for children, why can't it work for you - give it a try!

??If you don't recharge your phone, car, laptop it won't work and us humans are the same. At Success by Design Training our approach to this is called ? Productive Wellbeing ? The marriage of two disciplines, the body & the mind. When you look after one the other automatically benefits.

I start with the self care list. I encourage my clients to calendar everything including moments in the day to pause and be intentionally unproductive. You can do this too - even if you only have 10 minutes to walk around the block. You may think this is counter-intuitive, but if you’re a remote worker you’re much more likely to keep working than to over-schedule down time.