Every week I need to complete client work, my own business marketing and admin, personal errands, family responsibilities and exercise. I only have three official work days so how do I fit it all in?
1. If it's not in the diary, it is not happening!
EVERYTHING goes in my diary which is linked to my emails. Client work, kids activities, work events, time with friends, getting my nails done... it ALL goes into the diary - and yes, it is colour-coordinated!
2. To Do lists
Recently, I feel the humble "to do" list has been getting a bit of flack. I get that no one wants to be chained to a list of tasks they must complete, only to often fail to tick them all off, and then feel bad.
But I do feel that having a list helps with the overwhelm. It's not something that makes me feel stressed, in fact it's the opposite - the lists help me map out my week.
3. Time tracking and accounts reviews
Every week I have a good hard look at where my time is being spent, which projects can be signed off, and which projects are dragging. I check time spent on jobs to ensure I am charging correctly and I look at my accounts to ensure all invoices are up to date and I am being paid!
4. Congratulations and celebrations
I like to celebrate the little things, and lately this is never been so useful. Life at home just got crazy stressful as we decided to move house so we've been having home opens, viewing other houses and working out our finance.
Add to the mix two young kids, a busy work life and a commitment to fit in exercise every day, and it's vital that I allow myself time to celebrate little wins.
I like to share good feedback from clients on my social media channels, splurge on shopping trips after a productive month, or splash out on a nice bottle of wine.
I am getting better at taking time off from work over weekends and enjoying down time, only to come back more refreshed the following week.
(*** Update: we've moved house! Settlement was a nightmare as we sold one house in order to buy another, but we finally moved into our new family home - yay!)
For me, being organised is the key to being productive and keeping all the plates spinning.