Rescuing Mondays – Part 2

Rescuing Mondays – Part 2

In our last blog we discussed the reasons most people hate Mondays. Our unproductive weeks compound into each Monday and leave us exhausted and defeated before our week even begins. We are in control of our Mondays. We get to decide the attitude with which we show up every week. To help you rescue your Monday and take back ownership of your productivity, Leap Year Marketing Strategies has developed some tips to help you productively schedule your day. These tips include 3 work blocks, health time, project work time, and off time. Here is my vision to create the most productive version of yourself.

 Work Blocks

Work blocks are intentional and purposeful 90-minute blocks of time. Work blocks require isolated time that require you to block out all distractions. Turn your phone off, close all other work tabs, and exit all non-critical applications. You heard me.

 After 90-minutes, get up and walk around for 30 minutes. Refill the coffee, get a snack, take a bio-break. Whatever. Then start your next 90-minute work block. Your first work block should start as early in the morning as you can manage to get out of bed. 5am? Perfect. We are only capable of three productive work blocks per day. After three work blocks, decision fatigue sets in and we are less productive.

 Pro tip: Keep lists. Checking items off your list is one of the most satisfying things you can do. Allow yourself that feeling of accomplishment. It is impossible to reach goals without making lists. However, keeping a list is one of the most basic ways to keep track of completed tasks.

 Health Time

Health time is an important component of a productive day. After your third scheduled work block, take a block of time to do something for your health or personal well-being. This could be a short walk, a drink of water, or a phone call to your spouse or family member. Health time is about doing something positive for your well-being that is unrelated to your work. Health time places your body and mind into transition mode. Taking time to think about some important things in your personal life will provide perspective and relaxation. Plus, research tells us taking a break is awesome for productivity. 

 Project Work Time

Project work time has already been booked well in advance and assigned based on, you guessed it, upcoming projects. Project work time includes items that have a completion due date in the range of 4-12 weeks. Start your project work time by reviewing your notes from the last project work time period to remind yourself where you left off and what is next. Project work can be fun because you usually don't have the “under the gun” feeling of a deadline and you have a lot of control in the planning and execution process. You can really get in the zone with project work time. I recommend a 90-minute block for project time.

After project time, take another 30 minutes to walk around and refresh. You will need a clear mind, because your last block of time is for building your future.

 Sword Sharpening Time

Sword sharpening time consists of taking a 90-minute block to create new skills. This could consist of reading an industry blog, researching a concept you heard your favorite author mention, taking a class, studying for a certification, or even, meeting with a mentor to discuss how to build your network. 

 Pro tip: Sword sharpening time does not mean after work beers with the group. In fact, in my experience, I have found that very few truly positive career-related activities happen at a bar with your work buddies after a long week. If you don’t believe me, next time, I challenge you to go with the group and just listen. Most are complaining they hate their boss or a co-worker and complaining turns into gossiping. Gossiping quickly turns into misery. And you don’t want that kind of company. If you need help with this, read this article on ways to turn down after work social invites. Sword sharpening time requires purpose and intent. Be purposeful in identifying new skills that will advance you and your business.

Off Time

As an entrepreneur, there is no one to force you to take time off. You must treat yourself as an employee and schedule time off at the end of each day, on weekends, and throughout the year. Just as breaks are essential to daily productivity, time off is essential to your longevity. Just do it.

 Ending Your Week

Much in the way scheduling work blocks and sword sharpening is purposeful and intentional, so is ending your work week. In the first work block of your Friday, identify unfinished tasks and place them in a specific block of work time the following week. Monday work blocks will likely be used, in part, to catch up on emails or dealing with emergencies your boss delegates to you, so Tuesday may be the optimal block for these unfinished tasks. You have 15 available work blocks per week, so if Tuesday doesn’t work for you, pick a more realistic day other than Monday.

 Pro tip: Book “like tasks” together. For example, if your Wednesday block has the task of calling clients, place most of your client-related tasks on Wednesday so you are focused on one major category that day. All your tasks will be listed in the work blocks and your goal is to complete them in that work block. So don’t overextend yourself. Be realistic.

 Need Help with Organizing Your Workday?

Walking through the process with a Coaching Consultant can make it easier and more productive. This allows you to be more confident in your day-to-day work. Contact Leap Year Business Strategies for an initial consultation today.