Create margin— but not too much of it

In this short series on the blog we've been discussing the importance of working in time blocks. I've proposed that: 

🗓️ you should create several time blocks throughout your week for different projects / tasks / clients (this helps you "get into it" and "stay in it" when you do).

🗓️you should clarify WHAT you want to accomplish in each of those blocks... so you know WHAT you'll do before you begin working.

Here's your next step...

Keep 'em close

I place thee time blocks close together— as close as they need to be in order to keep the flow going. 

For me, touching the regular emails and social media posts once a week is enough. Weekly blocks of time are great for those projects. 

However, weekly blocks of time are not fine when I’m in the middle of a writing project. In order to maintain my focus, I’ve got to look at the project every day— even on the weekends.

(I just referenced this at the beginning of an earlier post— and how it happened when writing the Amplify book!)

Here’s what I do to make sure I have blocks of time: 

✅ I have regular margin in my week to write and create if I choose to do it— I’m always developing pieces of something.

✅ When it comes time to focus in a “big way” and move the content into book form I double-up the work flow on the previous week— sometimes I even triple-up. This insures everything keeps moving forward while also creating massive space for me to focus. 

I used both of these tactics to create ALL of the Amplify resources. In the earliest days of the project, I leveraged a few hours each week to jot my notes into a hardback journal. I made lists, I sketched a few graphics, and I outlined my workflow. In less than a month, I had filled a small, 5.5” x 8.5” Moleskin-type black book (see chapter 1 of this book the complete story).

The following two weeks I worked on client-projects, pushing them weeks in advance— scheduling some blog content and social media posts as far as 2 months into the future. Then, I settled in with my iPad and began writing— pushing through my notes for hours at a time. 

Make it work for you, in your way

You may not have the ability to clear 70% of your workweek in order to focus on the next project. No problem. You’re probably not trying to churn 500+ pages like I’m doing here, as well as create the graphics for social media, the slideshow for live training events, and the worksheets for a monthly coaching program. 

Still, think differently. Think about what you actually want to create, and look at the time blocks you do have. 

👉 Wake up an hour earlier each day.

👉 Leverage 4-5 hours on Saturday and another 2-3 on Sunday. 

👉 Do your re-reads and edits during lunch. 

In other words, do something in blocks (not little slivers) of time that you’ve already pre-determined to dedicate to your project.  Then, protect that time. 

Suggested resource 

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