Procedures for Peace: Time Management pt. 2
The stains on the front of my journal are how you know it’s real.
When we really get down to it, systems are just a way of putting boundaries into action.
This is why I named my business Saturnian Systems. Because my approach to systems is about ensuring that my client’s boundaries are set up to be upheld and respected. My goal is to embody Saturn’s energy and bring the structure and accountability my clients need to succeed.
The most freeing thing I ever learned about boundaries is that they live inside you. You have the control. To set a boundary, you must:
Understand your expectations around how you want to live, and how you are willing to be treated.
Outline the consequences if these boundaries are violated.
Follow through with said consequences if you or someone else breaks said boundaries.
Does this sound too simple? Let’s look at an example. If your boundary is that you will not be yelled at. If someone yells at you, upholding your boundaries might mean hanging up the phone or walking away. That person can keep screaming, but if your boundary is that you will not be screamed at, you get to remove yourself from the situation. The consequence of the person screaming at you is that they don’t have access to you. While boundaries are simple, they aren’t super easy.
Let’s talk about the practical steps to putting your time boundaries into action.
Now that you’ve spent the past month understanding your energy cycles, it’s time to look at your consistent workload and build a schedule that aligns with your energy. Write out all the tasks and responsibilities you have in your business, then group said tasks into different energy buckets. Things like social energy, focused work, versus data entry, etc. Now slot these tasks into your schedule based on your energy cycles. If you always find yourself feeling chatty on a Friday, schedule your meetings for Fridays! Next, write down your overarching yeses and no’s when it comes to your work life. This is our baseline for how you are going to manage your time moving forward. An example of your no’s could look like never taking meetings on Mondays or checking your email before 4 pm. While a yes could be that you always take an hour at the beginning of your day to move your business projects forward before getting into client work. Now that you’ve mapped out your schedule and established your new boundaries, the next step is communicating these changes and making this new way of working automatic.
When communicating your time boundaries, I recommend doing the following things.
Update your meeting scheduler and calendar to reflect the days and times that you are open to having meetings, and (more importantly) block off the days and times you are NOT available. This makes it easy to send people a link to get on your calendar while ensuring that you will be able to be fully present and excited to be there.
Turn off notifications during non-communication hours. If you’re only checking your Slack messages on Monday at 9am, turn off notifications for Slack during all other times to avoid distraction/overwhelm.
Reach out to people who currently have meetings booked during unavailable times, and reschedule.
Reach out to all existing clients/team members/collaborators, and share when they will have access to you for meetings and correspondence, and when they will not. Share when people can expect you to be checking your messages/emails, and how long you expect to take to respond. In addition, share any consequences they will have if they don’t respect these new boundaries (example: you lose your session if you reschedule with less than 24 hours’ notice, or if you get your homework in late, I won’t review it). I recommend giving less information vs. more in this announcement about the why behind these changes. If someone follows up with more questions, you can choose to answer, but when we offer too much explanation up front, it only gives people more room to argue with you.
Note: In my experience working with founders, the idea of shutting off notifications and only responding during certain hours can make people nervous because “What if there’s an emergency?” I’ve even been told that this simply isn’t possible. To avoid delays in handling emergencies, I recommend providing an alternative space where your team and active clients can reach out about true emergencies, separate from the majority of your communication. For example, if all normal communication happens over email, provide your WhatsApp number for clients/team members to text you with true emergencies. That way, you will be able to address urgent messages quickly without having to check your email outside your normal hours.
Now comes the hard part... following your boundaries for yourself.
The hardest part of managing your time isn’t figuring out what to do; it’s actually doing it. Time management is hard because we often struggle to value our time and use it wisely. This is where accountability comes into play. There needs to be systems that help us stay on track with the schedule we truly want. I’ve outlined a few ways to do this below.
Rewards and consequences: It may feel childish, but if there is no consequence for continuing to manage your time the way you always have, you will probably continue doing it. I recommend establishing a reward and a punishment for sticking to your new schedule, and any other big projects or habit changes you are putting into place in your business. This could be as big as I will buy myself a new computer if you stick to your schedule for a full month, or as small as eating a Reese’s Peanutbutter cup when you close your computer at 5pm. By creating clear rewards and punishments, you give yourself the external motivation that can be difficult to create when you work for yourself!
Accountability buddies: I know you’ve probably heard this before, but having someone to report your progress to is super helpful. One of the most underrated things about hiring support for your business is that what you do affects someone else and their ability to work. So, as you grow your team, you take on additional accountability for your own work. If you don’t have someone working with you, try to find a friend or someone in the business world that you can share your progress with. Tell this person what you intend to get done, and when, and then have them check back in with you to see if it got done.
Make it automatic: Create a space where you are able to check tasks off and see your progress. Even better if this space sends you notifications to keep you motivated and on track. It can be super easy to forget what you set out to do, and slip into old ways, but by giving yourself automatic reminders, it becomes easier to stay on track.
Create a regular check-in: I recommend sitting down at least once a week to review what you were able to get done over the previous week, and outline your plan for the week ahead. Adding this ritual to your week will help reduce confusion and help you get back on track.
Prioritize with care: Even with a clear schedule and a list of tasks, it can be easy to get pulled in a million different directions. Sometimes opportunities come up that you need to jump on, or unforeseen issues end up knocking you off course. When this happens, the best way to create flexibility is to have a clear way to identify what’s most important and let the rest fall away. I recommend assessing which of your goals are most important in each season of business, and then using said goals as your method for prioritizing your to-do list when things get chaotic. Say you’re trying to figure out if you should clear out your inbox, post on social media, or complete something for a client. If your goal is visibility, you might prioritize posting to social media, while if your goal is getting money through the door, you might prioritize completing that client project so you can move on to new projects or work! As long as your priorities are clear, you can always re-center and lock in for what’s most important.
The last thing I want to say about Time Management is that life is change, and the way you manage your time will change with it. Rather than trying to tie yourself to one system forever, take some time, a couple of times a year, to evaluate your time management and make any changes that are needed. When you understand how to identify your time boundaries and have structures in place to uphold them, you can always replicate the process whenever things change. I promise that each step you take forward in your business is important. There’s no need to rush, or shame yourself, or get there all at once. Take care of yourself and your energy, and the rest will follow!
P.S. Quick reminder that this is the last week we will be selling the Growth Package I mentioned last week!
