Episode 10

The main ideas from this information are: - The first strategy for time management is using the Eisenhower Matrix, which categorizes tasks into urgent/important, important/not urgent, urgent/not important, and neither urgent nor important. - The second strategy is to prioritize tasks based on likability and impact, focusing on high-likability/high-impact tasks. - Delegation is an important aspect of time management, freeing up more time for important tasks. - Setting achievable goals is crucial, using SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound) to provide a roadmap for success. Our first stop on the journey to mastering time management is learning how to prioritize tasks. You know that never-ending to-do list can sometimes feel overwhelming? I know I personally do. But with the right approach, you can turn that chaos into clarity. I'm gonna be sharing two strategies with you. The first strategy is Eisenhower Matrix. So if you have a pen and paper, I would encourage you to write this down. If you're running on a treadmill, listening to it in a car, listening to it in a sauna, wherever you're at, go back and listen to this episode and make note of it, okay? It's the Eisenhower Matrix. This is where you turn tasks that they're divided into four categories. So the first category is urgent and important, okay? Second category, important but not urgent. Third category, urgent but not important. And then the fourth category is neither urgent nor important. Now, by sorting these tasks into these categories, you can focus on what truly matters and eliminate the time-wasting activities. Now, the second strategy is what I implement and is aligned with what makes me tick and it gets me excited, okay? Now, the first category for the second strategy is high-likability, high-impact. The second category, high-likability and low-impact. Third category, low-likability and low-impact. Fourth category, low-likability and high-impact. So let me give you an example. High-likability and high-impact. Me, personally, I like working out. I like whether it's going to the gym, working out, doing a HIIT workout, walking, running, it doesn't matter. Working out is a high-likability of mine. It could be for 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, as long as I get a sweat, as long as I get those endorphins going, then I feel great. Now, that's a high-likability. This is also a high-impact because it helps my cardiovascular system. It helps my mental wellness, my well-being, my overall health, right? So you see how that's high-likability, high-impact? So I put that as a high priority on my day. I designed the day and the week to around that, the high-likability and high-impact because it's a priority. The second one is high-likability and low-impact. In other words, sometimes I like watching suits on Netflix and that's a high-likability, but it's a low-impact, right? Sitting there, watching Netflix, it does nothing for my life. Yeah, I may learn a thing or two from Harvey Specter and how he conducts business, but overall, it's a low-impact on my life. The third category is a low-likability and a low-impact. So this can be something along the lines of, for instance, I'll be completely transparent with you. I don't like going to birthdays. I don't like going to weddings. I don't like going to birthdays. It's just a low-likability. It's also a low-impact. So I move these to the side and pencil them around the design, the week that I want to live. So it's not a priority, in other words, okay? And then the last but not least category is low-likability and high-impact. So this is the bread and butter. This is the one where you wanna try to filter your day if you're really wanting to grow and you're really wanting to move the needle in your life. So low-likability, that could be a cold plunge, working out, speaking on stage, right? Doing the things that you don't like doing that move the needle that are a high-impact. That's the last fourth category. So low-likability, high-impact. So for me, whether it's doing a podcast or speaking audio, designating 30, 45 minutes of my time during the day to talk to a microphone, okay? Do I like it? No, it's really on the low-likability compared to going and working out. But does it have a high-impact? Yes, it moves the needle. It gets the word out there. It's aligned with my vision and mission. So it makes a high-impact and I'm serving you listening to this, okay? The next segment is delegating for success. So moving to this second strategy, I wanna talk to you about delegation. This is a huge one and you're not gonna get it overnight. But once you start learning about delegation, it frees up so much more of your time because our time is our most precious asset, right? So it's easy to fall into that trap of thinking that you do have to do everything to yourself. Well, what I mean by that is like if somebody else can't do it the way you can, whether it's picking up groceries, mowing your yard, delegating something that you shouldn't be doing, it's just simply not true, right? So leaders and time managers, people that free up their time, they know how to delegate tasks to others who are better suited for them. Like for instance, I like mowing the lawn, I do. And I used to go out there and mow it for an hour and a half. I used to change the oil in my car years ago. But then I learned to delegate. I learned what delegate did for me. It freed up my time. So now instead of spending three hours on a Saturday with car jack stands out in the cul-de-sac for my car, I go pay somebody to do it and I can do it in 30 minutes, right? And spend $60, $70 versus the $30, $40 and not worry about saving the $20. Instead, I spent that time for the two hours delegating that to somebody that knows what they're doing and now I can read a book or listen to a podcast and apply those skills to help me earn more money. So delegate for success. You can also apply that to mowing the lawn, getting delivery service. This frees up your time, folks. Segment three, the art of setting achievable goals. So the old goal setting, right? You may or may not like setting goals. I have friends that don't like setting goals, okay? I'm a goal setter. It's just aligned with my temperament, my personality, my behaviors and my type A personality. The goal setting allows me to craft my road to success. If I don't know where I'm going, then I just feel blindfolded. I feel like I'm just waking up every single day not knowing what's gonna hit me, right? And basically what happens is, the way I look at it is, universe is gonna hit you with something. If you don't have your day designed, scheduled or if you don't have it, then the universe is going to pull you into whatever direction it wants you to go. And that could be anything from a phone call from your mother, from your brother, from your spouse, from a friend, to pull you in the direction that they want you to go in. Which doesn't do you a service, it does you a huge disservice because there's no road map to where you wanna go and then you get stuck, left unfulfilled, no lack of purpose and feel like you're just on everybody else's time. So this, excuse me, this third strategy involves setting achievable goals. So in other words, something that I like to write down on paper and journal is SMART goals. So that stands for specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound. So specific is state what you wanna do. You can write this down. So in other words, if we talk in health and wellness, I wanted to lose 25 pounds of fat. So that's specific, I wanna lose 25 pounds of fat. The second M is measurable, which is provides a way to evaluate, track or use metrics for data targets. So I use MyFitnessPal. I log on my food on a daily basis and it's measurable. What's my calorie intake? I also know an idea of what my calories burned are. So I track it through MyFitnessPal. So that's measurable. The third one is A, which is achievable. Are you able to take action to achieve this goal? So in other words, actionable goals ensure the steps to get there are within your control. So in other words, example would be, I want to lose one pound per week. Or for me, I wanna lose, or that could equivalent to four pounds per month in three months. So that's 12 pounds, right? For me, I wanted to lose two pounds per week, eight pounds per month, 24 pounds in three months, right? So that was achievable. Now, if you said, I wanna lose six pounds, six pounds, I'm sorry, 10 pounds per month, and you break that down, is it really achievable? Well, I've broken that down, and it may be achievable for some, but it's just not sustainable. And it wasn't something I was gonna do for three or four months. So that just didn't, it wasn't achievable for me. So that was able to break that down. Now, the R is for realistic. So let's be honest. You can set big goals, big dreams, and that's great. Doing that, that's aligned with your vision and your overall mission, okay, cool. But if it's an individual realistic goal, like for instance, this one is 25 pounds, then I want to avoid overwhelm and unnecessary stress in my life for those three or four months, right? So by breaking this down, in other words, like 12 pounds in three months. And in my case, it was 24 pounds in three months. So that was two pounds per week. So was that realistic? Absolutely, after I did the studies, talked to nutritionists, talked to people, that was realistic. Now, if I would try to do five pounds per week and you break that down in the math, it just doesn't add up, it's just not sustainable. So make sure it's realistic. And then last but not least, it's time bound, right? You gotta set a date and time. Setting a date and time helps you stay focused and motivated. If you don't have a date and time, you're just gonna procrastinate. You ain't gonna make it happen. And share this with other individuals to hold you accountable. And also, it's just something about it, the human mind, when you share it with the public, your friend and family, they're gonna ask you about it. So this also keeps you inspired and something to work towards by setting that date and time. For me, it was 90 days, so that's three months. So in other words, when your goals meet these criteria, they become clear. You gain focus and clarity and more actionable on each goal that you wanna do. And you can apply these SMART goals in each area of your life. This is exactly what I do in all my areas of life. This in turn helps you allocate your time more efficiently towards the tasks that actually contribute to your long-term objectives. So remember, goals without a plan are just a dream. So dream big, but make sure to map out those steps to get there. Segment four, the power of time blocking. This is a fun one. Now let's dive into a time management technique that's gained a lot of traction in my life that I've shared with a lot of my coaches in my coaching business. This is called time blocking. So this method involves breaking your day into chunks. Because a lot of times, you ever felt that way? You're like, oh my gosh, I got so much to do. And I still to this day, if I don't do time intervals, I get overwhelmed. I'm like, oh man, I've got a meeting, I've got to go to the dentist, I've got to do, and it's just like, I wanna get it all done right now, but if I don't break it down, then I get overwhelmed. So doing these time intervals allows time dedicated to specific tasks on what needs to get done. So it's a fantastic way to create a sense of structure and prevents those tasks from bleeding into each other. Make sense? So by allocating set periods of different activities, you not only stay on track, but also reduce that likelihood of multitasking. That's probably for another episode. Multitasking is counterproductive, folks. Don't multitask. If you do and you say you're good at it, you know what, you're just, it's counterproductive. You're not focused intensely on what exactly the task at hand needs to be done. You're not gonna go to the dentist, let them get in your teeth, and then try to make a Facebook post, right? You gotta do one or the other, okay? So whatever it is, where focus goes, energy flows, which can often lead to decreased productivity, like I said. So it's not about doing more, it's about doing better. In other words, work harder and work smarter. For me personally, I do 30 minute, I've covered this in other episodes, but I do 30 minute time blocks with four intervals. So in other words, what I mean by it is like, I do 30 minute time blocks, and then I do four 30 minute time blocks, so four intervals. And then typically around then, it's around 11, 11.30, and I'll take a 30 minute lunch break. And then I repeat, I'm rest and refuel for that 30 minutes, and I repeat for another four intervals of that 30 minutes. And I just dial in, whether it's Facebook content, like this podcast, I'm doing nothing else right now. You're not seeing me multitask, I'm not talking to a customer, I'm not talking to a coachee, I'm not doing anything else other than talking to you, listening to this. So where focus goes, energy flows, okay? Segment five, last but not least, wrapping up and taking action. That's the biggest thing. All this, you can get all these different segments and write all this down, but listen to me. If you don't take action, then what's the point? You're wasting time. You're not able to free up your time and work on these things, okay? So some of the most effective time management strategies out there, remember, mastering these time management is an ongoing journey. It's not gonna happen overnight. But apply one of these segments. Go back, listen to this episode. And it's perfectly okay to try these different techniques, some of these different strategies that I've shared with you and figure out what works best in your life. Just because it works in my life doesn't mean it'll work for yours. And if you're needing, if you're wanting to make advancement, if you're wanting to level up, we offer coaching and mentoring, we have a coaching and mentoring program. So just find out what works best for you. Reach out, come see our, check out our website. If you're wanting to really level up, find somebody that's gonna hold you accountable and speed up the success and where you wanna go, okay? So as we wrap up today's episode, I encourage each and every one of you to take action. Start implementing these strategies right this very second into your daily routine and watch your productivity soar to new heights. And don't forget, if you stumble along the way, that is part of the process. It's trial and error, it's failure. Keep learning, keep growing, and keep leveling up. Thank you all for tuning in to the Level Up with Sean Myers podcast. And today, until next time, remember, your time is a precious resource. Use it wisely. Because our time is our most precious asset. Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Level Up with Sean Myers. If you enjoyed today's discussion, please be sure to download, subscribe, and leave me a review. This means the world to me. Share this episode with someone who needs to hear it. I also love to see it when you tag me on the social media platforms. That's what gets me fired up. Who needs caffeine when you got people that are sharing your content, sharing your podcast? That's what gets me, that's what gets my heart pumping, that's what means a lot to me. So, stay tuned for more exciting episodes where we'll continue to explore topics that empower you to level up in all areas of your life. Until next time, keep learning, growing, and leveling up in the journey to becoming the best version of yourself.