Have you heard the joke about how to eat an elephant?
The punch line is: ‘One bite at a time!’
Which is the same way we are meant to manage our activities…one small bite at a time.
I make the most of my time by practicing what I call ‘Scheduling for Success.’
I ‘schedule for success’ by choosing what I will accomplish each day based on being Self-Accountable to my core values and goals. It is how I ensure I am in alignment with myself and staying within my comfort zone to keep moving forward and making sales.
In serving thousands of clients over the years, the vast majority had not ever experienced scheduling their days for success. They rarely used an appointment book.
As a result, their mind was filled to the brim with what they intend to get done that day, what they didn’t get done the previous day, and what they wanted to get done tomorrow. As such, they felt overwhelmed because everything seemed equally important and urgent to get done.
By definition, a goal appears as large as an elephant when it is first created. A goal takes up all the space in our mind…and then some. A goal literally is the ‘pink elephant’ in the room.
Attempting to manage the whole goal at the same time was overwhelming and all-consuming. Finally, I made the choice to stop trying.
Instead, I took the time to make a list of each and every activity (or bite) that would be required in order to achieve each of my goals.
And I put them in priority order to ensure the most important ones to accomplish received the most attention.
For example, if one of my priority goals is to create my website, there would be many steps towards the fulfillment of that goal — researching designs, hiring a designer, writing copy, selecting photos, etc.
If one of my goals is to grow my email list, there would be many steps towards the fulfillment of that goal – attracting people who meet my ideal audience profile, creating a funnel through which they would enter their email, writing content for the emails, etc.
As I identified each of the steps, it was much easier for me to focus on only the one step that had to be accomplished before the others. This was how I learned to take smaller bites that were easier for my mind to digest.
It made it easier for me to also ensure each activity was in alignment with my core values.
What is the first activity (the first small bite) you want to accomplish today which will move you closer to the achievement of your goal?
Will it be a phone call, a meeting, doing research, writing a post or an email, or something else?
What amount of time will you devote to the activity?
Once you have accomplished that activity, what’s the next activity you will do to move even closer towards the achievement of your goal?
Then, after you have accomplished the second activity, what will be your 3rd intentional activity, and what will be your 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and so on?
That’s the most attractive way to achieve our goals…one activity at a time until the goal is fulfilled!
It sounds simple and yet, when I share with my clients that this is how I schedule my days, they often tell me that they do not feel they could do the same because they would feel too guilty putting their selves first on their list.
That is until I ask them if they feel their goals are important to achieve.
They always answer that question with a resounding ‘YES’!
If you feel the same…then here’s the good news!
There is only one way to say ‘No’ to others without feeling guilty — and that is to schedule each of your days by putting on the calendar the activities that are most important to you to accomplish and which will keep you energized from day to day.
And, when others ask you to do something for them that you do not want to do, you can honestly say that you are already busy…because you are.
You are doing what is most important and satisfying to you so you can be of service in the way you feel called to do.
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She is the Producer of "The Power of YES" book series - a #1 best-seller in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia!
She treasures this acknowledgment of her accomplishments: “You are one of the most dynamic people I have encountered on the internet.”
Stacey is also the bestselling author of two global #1 best-selling books — “Attracting Perfect Customers” and “Chi-To-Be!”
Stacey shares her home with her husband, Bill, and two pups named Lucy and Frankie (short for Francesca).
You can connect with her on Facebook at facebook.com/StaceyHall1 (https://www.facebook.com/staceyhall1/) or on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/successwithstaceyhall/).
You can also visit her website, successwithstaceyhall.com to receive her Attraction Marketing tips.