How can you use time blocking to effectively manage priorities when scaling your business?

Play a game with me. Let's say you work for 10 hours for 5 days and work for 50 weeks in a year on your startup. That is 2500 hours. Now think about how you use those 2500 hours to create the results you desire in your business? Time blocks can literally be your super power to create the growth you desire. How? Glad you asked. Break the 2500 hours in the specific activities that you need to do in a year - Content creation 500 hours Client development 400 hours Marketing 600 hours Compliance 200 hours XYZ 500 hours If you know that your business is lacking in marketing and requires more effort in marketing vs content to achieve those goals, recalibrate your hours top to bottom. Observe the impact to efficiency. Rinse > Repeat

Time blocking is a powerful technique for managing priorities when scaling a business. Begin by identifying key business priorities, then allocate specific time slots for each task or project. By dedicating uninterrupted time to critical tasks, you can enhance focus and productivity. Ensure that your time blocks align with your overall business goals and allocate sufficient time for strategic planning and analysis. Regularly reassess and adjust your time blocks to accommodate evolving business needs and maintain a balance between operational tasks and strategic initiatives.

As a CEO who thrives on providing top-notch virtual assistant services, I've learned that managing priorities isn't just about listing tasks; it's about intentionally dedicating time to what truly moves the needle. Time blocking, for me, is like creating a roadmap for each day. It's not just about allocating slots for meetings or project work; it's about carving out uninterrupted time for strategic thinking and innovation - the lifeblood of a growing business. In the early days of my startup, Burnout was a constant threat. By segmenting my day and dedicating specific hours to different aspects of my business, I've not only boosted my productivity but also safeguarded my mental health.

Having a goal without a plan is a wish. When you're setting milestones - as enormous as buying a house, or as modest as waking up early - define a path of how you're going to get there. Start by assessing what you're working towards. Be honest with yourself, set realistic targets, and acknowledge your limitations. Next, use the OKR framework. Define a key result of how you'll measure that objective's success. Is getting up early one day success? Every day for a week? Then, keep reviewing your progress. Be objective in evaluation, and remember that continuous feedback leads to continuous progress. Lastly, do a retro often. Did you accomplish your goal? What contributed to your success? What were the obstacles along the way.

It’s always important to know what your pie in the sky goals are, and then build a step by step ladder to get to that goal. It’s hard to build a stairway if you don’t know where you’re trying to go!

Thank you for reaching my second post to this article! Since I’m a late stage entrepreneur (stage 3), let me share my tips for time management. Monday: New week, most critical day for planning, launching new initiatives and managing inventory flow. As an Amazon Top 200 reseller, we receive orders on Monday. I spend most of the day analyzing the order and only plan one meeting at 11:00 with my Amazon expert to review trends, concerns and opportunities. End of day, your DC. Tuesday: Finish inventory management. Spend one hour on LI. Work on current projects. Meet with CFO. Wednesday: Every one in office today so spend time with employees. Thursday: My time for LI connecting, completing projects. Friday: Work from home. Next: Stage 1

You have limited time and limited resources, especially human resources. 1) Once you have your epics setup, evaluate the work needed and your resource availability. 2) Set priorities for each of your teams and team members, you don't want them to be confused. 3) Set up optimistic, but realistic goals and expectations. The last part is especially important, many people just plan very optimistically at the start and when things start to go slower, they just forget about the plan whatsoever.

After making list of tasks or TODOs, as Brian Tracy suggests, ask yourself a question "What is the best usage of my time right now?" The answer should help you set the priority of the tasks. Considering Pareto principle is also helpful as you can contemplate and decide which tasks (20%) are going to be fetching the most results(80%). Put those most productive tasks ahead of all others.

Growth is a process. Sometimes it's fast, sometimes it's slow. The sudden breakthrough you expect, comes after applying momentum and failing multiple times, but what will keep you going and making shift is by prioritizing your goals. Your goals should go on this flow; - Actionable - Achievable - Compelling - Specification - Measurable - Relevant - Time bounding by following those steps listed above, then you need to be intentional and mark out your goals.

A very simple, yet effective approach is built on four simple quadrants: 1. Urgent and important tasks. 2. Not urgent but important tasks. 3. Urgent but not important tasks. 4. Not urgent and not important tasks. Sort all your tasks each week into these four quadrants. Tackle anything in quadrant one first, followed by quadrant two, and so on.

One of the best things I ever did on this topic was to understand my circadian rhythms and plan this into my day. For example, my PA and I both know that I'm hopeless at certain functions after lunch but I get a second wind between 4-7 so I can produce some really creative work then. Rather than powering through, I might go for a walk or even have a nap! Knowing this and blocking the time helps me work effectively and gets the most from my day.

I use my calendar on Outlook which sync’s with my iPhone to block time. That being said - sticking to those time blocks is the most difficult part! Research shows that it takes well over a month for new routines to stick… so just remember, give it some time and expect to not always get it right when using a new system.

The Default Diary is hugely beneficial for planning time blocks and has been a game changer for me in my coaching business. Before I ever took on a client, I'd blocked out the times in my diary that would be made available to clients. 4 years on, i've never had 121 time with a client outside of those "big rock" blocks.

I get more control in my day by blocking out key times in the day for key activities like business development and marketing. Plus 1 hour to switch off, meditate and eat.

Time blocking has been a game changer for my productivity. Take it from Elon Musk, who masters mammoth missions with meticulous time management. Since adopting this method, I've noticed a remarkable uptick in my productivity—plan blocks for tasks and outcomes. Align them with when your brain is at its best. Early bird? Tackle the big stuff with the sunrise. Night owl? Let creativity peak at night. Use tech tools to carve out your day, respect the rhythm of your energy, and always leave buffer time. It's like Tetris with your time—fitting in each block for maximum efficiency. And remember, a little slack in the schedule is a secret ingredient for serendipity.

Executing time blocks with focused attention is crucial. Utilize techniques like Pomodoro or apps like Focus to mitigate distractions. Post-task, track outcomes, document progress, and feedback using tools like Evernote or Asana. This structured approach fosters productivity, enabling thorough review and continuous improvement in managing time effectively.

Wow if you are still reading this, congrats! Please connect with me on LI! Stage 2 is past start-up and the most important for long-term survival and growth. It’s the stage I hated the most because it required lots of time in meetings. Monday: Met with executive team in the morning. Always set an agenda. One hour max. Tuesday: Met with sales team in the morning. Always set an agenda. One hour max. Wednesday: Good day to meet or talk with customers, visit stores, focus on sales activities. Thursday: Focus on mid and long-term goals. New products, new brands, infrastructure, marketing. Friday: No meetings. Best day for finishing up short-term projects and crossing to-do items off your list. Final thought: Exercise daily!!!

Measurable factor is what flows in when you track your progress along the line making sure to keeping yourself motivated and appreciated. You might likely wish to ask yourself questions like; - How many people do I want to connect with? - How will I know when I achieved my goals?

Time blocking can help you avoid overcommitting by realistically estimating the time needed for each task. Yes, but remember to be flexible, as unexpected challenges may arise, but a well-structured schedule provides a strong foundation for scaling your startup effectively.

"Deep Work" by Cal Newport advocates time blocking as a cornerstone for success; for scaling businesses, it's like compartmentalizing a ship's hull—each section is dedicated to a specific cargo, ensuring that high-priority tasks are safeguarded from the flood of distractions.

Identify repetitive manual tasks and get rid of them. How? Simply, Through No-Code automation. We've helped dozens of SMBs and Startups drowning in manual tasks to streamline and automate their operations so that their calendars are spent on real, valuable tasks for the business. As of 2023, there should no longer be repetitive manual tasks. Aleluya. ??