HOW TO SHIFT TO A 4-DAY WORK WEEK WITHOUT HUSTLING
I was talking to my friend and business coach this week and she asked me a really great question about working 4-hours a day, 4-days a week.
You see, she’s the person who made me realize that building my business in just 4-hours a day, 4-days a week was possible. So, it’s not something she’s unfamiliar with.
But, she was recently asked this question and posed it to me too…
Do I think I am able to work just 4-hours a day, 4-days per week because I hustled in order to get there?
And maybe that’s something that you believe too.
That in order to grow a thriving, successful business working fewer hours means that you have to hustle and work 8-hour days in order to get there.
And yes, there was a time when I was working 6 to 8 hours a day, pulling out my laptop after the kids went to bed, and hustling to get things checked off my to-do list and projects completed.
But, here’s what you need to know about that time, because I have a feeling you might be in that position right now.
The reason I was working the entire time my kids were at school and needing to work after they went to bed is because I didn’t have a system in place in order to make that happen. I didn’t know what my priorities were in order to grow my business.
And if you’re thinking that a 4 by 4 work week simply isn’t possible for you, then you’re going to continue hustling and feeling burnt out with your business until you want to burn it all to the ground.
It’s like thinking that in order for a plant to grow, you need to water it 8 hours a day. But, you and I both know that if we did that, we’re actually going to end up killing the plant.
Instead, we water what it needs in order to grow, and THAT’S when we start seeing it thrive.
So, what’s the first step you should take? How can you start working fewer hours without feeling like you’re going to drop the ball or your business is going to stall?
It’s not hiring a team…
It’s learning how to manage your time better with time blocking.
If you would Google time blocking – which is exactly what I did to give you an accurate definition – you would learn that time blocking is a productivity technique for personal time management where a period of time – typically a day or a week – is divided into smaller segments or blocks, if you will, for specific tasks or to-dos.
You’re basically combining your schedule with your to-do list.
Here’s why time blocking works:
First, you’re focusing on a specific task during dedicated time slots. For example, I have this podcast recording and editing blocked into my Monday schedule so that I can focus just on that, without bouncing around between this and writing emails, creating content, etc. It allows me to get more done in less time, increasing my productivity, because I’m focusing on one thing.
Time blocking also helps to reduce your stress and overwhelm because you have clear structure for the day. This is exactly what I was missing when I was working 8 or more hours a day. I had no structure so I didn’t know where to start, what to do, and what to focus on, so everything took me longer because I simply didn’t know what to focus on.
And if you’re thinking, “But I don’t want to feel boxed into a schedule,” – first, time blocking can be really flexible if you do it correctly. And if you’re feeling scattered, stressed, and overwhelmed now, well, maybe a schedule would do you some good.
I also firmly believe time blocking can bring you more balance between your personal life and your business. It gives you the structure and focus to get things done during the time allotted, so that when it’s time to get your kids off the bus, you can close your laptop down and not worry about opening it until the next day.
The journey to a 4-hour workday, 4-days a week is not about relentless hustle but rather strategic time management. The key lies in time blocking so that you can not only increase your productivity, but reduce your stress as well. So, if you find yourself drowning in endless to-dos, it might be time to consider the time blocking to pave the way for a more fulfilling and sustainable work-life balance.
Wanna try time blocking out for yourself? Then you’ll want to check out my time blocking course, Slay Your Schedule!
With Slay Your Schedule, you will...
>> Learn the secret to working less and still getting your to-do list checked off
>> Walk away with how to wake up every morning feeling rested + energized
>> Continue to be at all your kids' activities without checking your notifications every 5 seconds
You can go through all the videos in less than an hour, and I give you a template you can plug-in to, plus examples of time blocking schedules I’ve created for other entrepreneurs who might be in a similar stage of life and business as you are!
