Mastering the Art of Time Management: Insights from a Mastermind Retreat

Welcome to the hustle and grind, folks! Or should I say, hustle and float?

You see, a few weeks back, I had a beautiful mind-awakening retreat in the heart of France with two phenomenal women, Alexandra Carter and Rahaf Harfoush . Both bestselling authors, masters of negotiation and productivity, and let me tell you, they put me on the spot.

Imagine this: The French countryside, tranquility personified, and out of nowhere, Alex asks, "Laura, why are you spending time you don't have... to impress people you don't like... to fulfill goals that don't matter to you?" Boom. I was silent, stuck in my tracks, without a proper retort.

Can you answer that for yourself?

It got me thinking - I mean really thinking - about the reality of our constant race against the clock. Our heads are buried in work, to-do lists, commitments, more work, and we never really come up for air. Why? To answer this, I reached out to the self-awareness queen herself, Tasha Eurich , who asked me, "What are you pretending not to know?"

Well, this hit me like a ton of bricks. We all know it deep down - time is finite, and no amount of trying (and believe me, I have tried) will let us bend the space-time continuum. So, where do we go wrong?

Simple, we're saying "yes" too often. Every "yes" is a "no" to something else. To some other project, some other adventure, or just some down time. During our mastermind retreat, I realized that if we're constantly filling our schedules to the brim, we lose the ability to capture the sparks of surprise and serendipity that life throws our way.

So here’s what I’ve decided to do: I'm scheduling only 75% of my time, and leaving some blank spaces. Sounds risky, doesn't it? But guess what? It's the opposite.

Just this week, my youngest was assigned his dormitory for college. We took a last-minute road trip - a few hours of precious, unadulterated, quality time with my boy. Would I have swapped that for an extra work task? Not a chance in hell.

And if you're thinking, "But Laura, I can't afford to leave empty spots in my schedule," then let me tell you straight up, my friend - you're not as important as you think you are. We're all hustling, bustling, and bustling some more, but it's time we learned to float.

It's time we learned to let go of the pressure to fill every moment and allowed ourselves some breathing room. An open space for opportunity. An open space for life.

It's not about doing less; it's about doing what matters.

Try it out. Schedule 75% of your day and leave the rest open for life's little surprises. Let's master the art of time management together, not by cramming more in, but by leaving some room to breathe. And who knows? The next time opportunity knocks, you might actually have the time to answer the door.

That's all for now, folks. But watch this space - I'll be sharing more wisdom from the trenches of life, business, and everything in between. Until next time, happy hustling (and floating)!