This week I have the pleasure of welcoming Megan Flatt to the Top Notch Teaching community. Megan is the creator of the Mama CEO Planner that I featured in last week’s post:
Megan has come along this week to share her top tips for helping you manage all of the different hats that you wear. She also provides you with some practical and actionable advice that you can implement immediately to get on top of planning your week.
I’ve also asked Megan to share some more information on her planning system and how it can help you with your scheduling and planning.
You’re busy. You teach, run a business, run your home. Maybe you take care of your kids or your parents or your dog. Between all that you’re stretched pretty thin and wondering if you can juggle it all anymore.
I believe with the right plan you can find flow in your busy life.
As a busy business owner and mom, I get what it’s like to be pulled in a bunch of directions. That’s why I want you to have my #1 tip for planning your week:
Have defined times in your schedule for the specific things you need to do.
It sounds simple, but how many times do you put off writing a new sales page or setting up a new item in your Etsy shop or blogging because you put it in your “need to do at some point” pile?
When you define a time for the different tasks you need to do, you set yourself up for success.
How to plan your week
I like to start by brainstorming all the things that need to happen—everything from setting up a dentist appointment to outlining a new course you want to offer. Your list will include work, business, home and personal items.
Now, the trick is to figure out what you can realistically get done—and when you’ll do it.
Start with your rocks—the things that are immovable, like your work hours. Block those off. Now add any standing appointments you have. Do you have certain hours when you know you are with family, like dinner or bedtime? Highlight that.
Now, when are you going to work on your business? Having set time, even a small amount lets you realistically and consistently plan to get things done.
You may set aside an hour every night to work on your business—or four hours on Saturday—or Wednesday afternoon when class lets out early. You get to decide, but I urge you to put it on your calendar so that you don’t stop moving forward because you can’t find the time.
Break down your week
Once you have a weekly workflow, you’ll need to get more granular. You’ll want to plan out each day. In your daily plan, you can identify the specific tasks you’ll do and when you’ll do them.
Step one is identifying when you will do particular types of tasks—like work on your business.
Step two is knowing exactly what you’ll work on when. When you create that kind of plan, you don’t waste precious time. You sit down knowing exactly what needs to get done.
This also gives you time to NOT work. You know when you should be working on different aspects of your job, but you also can block out time you don’t work. Time for your own self care, your family or just plain down time.
This way it’s no longer about juggling it all, it’s knowing when to focus on each of the hats you wear.
The Mama CEO Planner
Planning is so much more than what you need to do. Planning is successful when you also know why you are doing what you do and how it is all going to get done. After years of hunting for a planner that could really help my business grow AND my family thrive, I realized it didn’t exist. So I created the Mama CEO Planner System.
The Mama CEO Planner System is a paper planner created to meet the needs of Mama CEOS (or anyone juggling many hats!) and 3 separate e-courses to help you plan successfully.
You’ll have a place inside to track revenue, reflect on your personal insights and keep your kids daycare schedule straight. AND the supporting e-courses make sure there is a reason and strategy behind all you do.
The 3 e-courses sold alone are well over $375, but you can get the full system PLUS the paper planner for $195.
Megan Flatt is a business growth strategist, she is committed to showing Mama CEOs it’s possible to build a thriving business while staying present for the other things that matter in our lives (like our little roommates.) All it takes is a strategy, an action plan and the support to get there. You’ll almost always find a stash of post-it notes in her bag, a latte in her hand, and at least one lego figurine in her pocket.
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