A transparent calendar can enable you construct a successful business with 20 hours per week.
According to a Study 2023 According to Small Biz Silver Lining, an organization that gives tools for entrepreneurs, 75% of small business owners are concerned about their mental health. More than half (56%) were diagnosed with anxiety, depression or stress-related problems by a physician or mental health skilled.
I personally felt the load of this once I began my very own financial education company in 2020, at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic. But since I hit my first FIRE milestone, I’ve gotten into the habit of voraciously protecting my calendar—literally and figuratively. This weekly habit allows me to work 20 hours per week while still making six figures a 12 months and truly loving the work I get to do.
Letting go of the time-consuming obligations and specializing in the activities that can produce essentially the most results toward your financial independence goals requires a couple of routine components:
- Take 20 minutes on Sunday evening or Monday morning to optimize your schedule for the approaching week.
- Use a web based app like Google Calendar which you could edit quickly and from anywhere. Paper planners are usually not efficient at managing a busy schedule.
- Color code your energy types. You do not have to maintain the identical colours every week, nevertheless it’s helpful to see the differing types of meetings you might have. For example, I code health and exercise as green, social gatherings as purple, client meetings as blue, and non-client meetings as orange.
- Group similar activities together. Limit your calendar to not more than three kinds of activities per day.
- Use a scheduling tool like Calendly or Acuity to let people know your availability, including for private time. I’ve noticed lots fewer cancellations because people should be intentional about scheduling and canceling appointments.
Say no to meetings that feel like a trap
To develop this habit, it is vital to set clear boundaries for fewer meetings. Have you ever sat in a piece meeting or social gathering and thought, “I feel like I’m wasting my time?” If the reply is “yes,” and it’s happened greater than once, you should practice when to ” Saying “yes” or “no” so as to add time to your very limited calendar.
Simple: I turn down a number of meetings and I’m not going to lie. It’s hard and I ponder if I’m an idiot. Especially as a Filipino American, I feel the expectation of being personable and available to anyone who asks for my time. But as my business and net price grew, increasingly people began asking me for face-to-face meetings, which just wasn’t sustainable without sacrificing my very own freedom.
Now, I’m very strict on the subject of refusing personal or skilled meetings in the event that they violate any of the five rules below.
First, don’t attend a gathering that does not have a transparent agenda. If you do not know why you are going to a gathering, you should ask specifically and be sure all parties comply with the agenda prematurely. As a former HR skilled, it is best to never put yourself within the position of being caught off guard by attending a gathering where you are not sure why you were invited.
Second, reject any meeting that must be done via email. This sounds pretty easy, nevertheless it is usually not used enough. If you may achieve the goal with one or two emails, just make them emails. Reserve meeting time for in-depth discussions.
Third, decline any meetings where you might be asked to accomplish that “Pick your brain.” That was the toughest part because I need to assist. But many requests I get from strangers are cases where they either haven’t any intention of following the recommendation or no intention of ever paying me. I learned to say “yes” by sharing past content or offering advice for a fee.
Fourth: refuse meetings with unpleasant people. Life is simply too short to spend it with individuals who don’t value your time. If one in every of these unpleasant people is someone you’re employed with, it is best to address that person’s behavior sooner quite than later. If it happens a few times, give it the advantage of the doubt and trust that the person was having a nasty day. But thrice or more is a pattern.
Finally, don’t attend any meeting meaning anything lower than an enthusiastic “yes” to you. I used to go to social gatherings out of a way of obligation, even when I didn’t feel comfortable around those people, and I felt so way more freedom that I only go once I feel prefer it!
Imagine how much further along you can be in your funds in the event you had focused all of those meetings in your budget, investments, or meeting a beneficial money mentor. There is loads of money. Time is what’s scarce. The catch with these clear meeting boundaries is that you might have to practice them consistently yourself.
Self-nutrition planning will enable you achieve your money goals
Whenever I share my strict calendar habits with latest financial education students, they often assume that it’s more restrictive than liberating. However, an efficient budget requires devoting resources and time to caring to your physical and mental health in order that your routine is sustainable in the long run.
Before I practiced a daily budgeting routine and weekly calendar review, I worked 50 hours or more per week. I might only make health-related appointments if I used to be experiencing severe burnout symptoms. When I began planning my personal care costs as a top priority, I noticed that I could afford them so long as I planned to do them initially of the month and never spontaneously.
I now spend at the least 25% of my monthly budget on healthy activities that invigorate me, including yoga, dance classes, counseling and rest. These items are non-negotiable – each when it comes to my budget and my schedule.
When you retain a stress-free calendar, you might be enthusiastic about what you’ll accomplish and who you’ll meet that week. It also implies that you are usually not scheduled every minute of the day. You have real freedom to be spontaneous or just loosen up.
What does this should do together with your money plan? Absolutely all the pieces. Remember that financial freedom shouldn’t be nearly numbers. The true test of freedom is seeing easy methods to live your life as moments you may select out of joy quite than obligation.
