MAXIMIZING PRODUCTIVITY: MY JOURNEY TO A 4-DAY WORK WEEK THIS SUMMER
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We are officially one week into summer break, and let me tell you…
I have been interrupted about a million times by my kiddos.
Don’t get me wrong – they are amazing kids and I am extremely lucky to be interrupted, but taking away my focus from my work is such a time suck for me.
One of my goals this summer is to work just 4 days per week, taking Fridays off to completely devote to my family. Now, I already only work 4-5 hours a day (20-25 hours per week), but cutting that down to 4 hours per day, 4 days per week can take a major hit to how much I can get done during my work time every single day.
(especially when I am being interrupted…)
But, I am determined to make this 4 day work week happen this summer because my family is my #1 priority and I want to continue to put THEM before my business.
Here are a few things I am doing this summer to make my 4-day work week happen (without working more hours)...
ONE || FOCUSING ON WHAT’S WORKING
As an entrepreneur, it’s really hard to not want to continue to create something new and from scratch all the time. And especially when something isn’t working – it’s easy to want to throw the baby out with the bathwater (geez, what a HORRIBLE saying).
Some things in my business are not working, but that doesn’t mean they CAN’T work.
So, this summer, I am focusing on the things that ARE working – and adjusting the things that aren’t.
Many of my students in Control Your Calendar feel like if their schedule or system isn’t working, they need to start all over from scratch, but that’s actually wasting MORE of your time. Instead, take what IS working in that system and either lean into that or adjust what isn’t working.
And if you have systems that are working really well, focus on those things! For example, for me this summer, instead of trying to create a bunch of new content, I’m going to focus on repurposing a lot of what I already have instead of always trying to create something new. I have lots of blogs, emails, social media posts, etc. that have performed well for me – and that many people still haven’t seen. I can quickly update those things and have a bit more time in my schedule in order to take Fridays off.
TWO || LEANING HARD ON MY SYSTEMS
One thing I’m really good at (and probably the main reason why I am a productivity expert) is that I have systems in place for EVERYTHING in my life.
Sure, I stray from those systems at times, but I also know that when I rely on the systems I have in place (i.e. my morning routine, my workout schedule, my power hour, my cleaning system), things go much more smoothly – and *shocking* I tend to have more time in my day.
It’s easy to want to change things when our schedule changes, especially when there are interruptions or things that can wreak havoc on our schedules (like kids or husbands), but the more we can rely on those systems, the better the outcome.
Yes, I’ve had to adjust some things, but for the most part, keeping those systems in place will help keep me from going crazy.
THREE || DELEGATING AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE
I don’t tell this story enough, but when I first hired a VA (who is now my business partner with The Biz Runners), I was able to TRIPLE my income that month, simply because she was able to free up time for me to focus on what I was really good at.
Now, I know you might not be able to afford a VA or a house cleaner, etc. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t delegate or outsource things that can free up more of your time.
I still have a VA who frees up so much of my time by doing simple things like scheduling this blog post and creating the graphics for it (your rock, Catie!), but the other thing I am doing is delegating household things to my family more.
Y’all, I am a control freak. I want certain things to happen a certain way at a certain time. But, if I want to have more TIME, I have to be willing to ask for help and give up some of that control.
I created this simple chore chart for my kids because it includes simple things they can do themselves, but also frees up some of my time from doing things around the house. Plus, they’re incentivized to actually do it because I will PAY them. I got this concept from Mike Michalowicz, the author of Profit First, and I loved it so much that I knew I needed to implement it immediately!
Plus, I also know this is going to help me give up a little control and not be so much of a perfectionist, because that’s definitely one thing that can be stealing your (and my) time.
One week into summer, and yes, I’m writing this post on the first Friday the kids are off, but I’m ok with that because I know it’s not an every week sort of thing – and it’s the ONLY thing I have on my work to-do list today. And once I’m done, I can get those chores done and head to the pool with the fam! I’ll be sure to give you an update at the end of the summer to let you know what worked well and what I’ll be doing in the future!
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