Get your life together in 6 (easy) steps
That new planner didn’t fix it, did it? Do you have 7 to-do lists? Maybe they’re color-coordinated, and definitely not because that was the only color you could find when you went to add to it 👀 And you’re sure you had another post-it around here somewhere if you could just find the time to sort through all of these papers on your workspace (if you have one). Oh, and maybe you’ve got a free trial of Monday or Asana ending soon. But as soon as you wrote some of your list there, that list was waay longer than you thought it was, so you closed it quickly and haven’t looked back since that last email reminder telling you your trial is ending. Whew, they’re worse than Duolingo, aren’t they?
Hey you. Step away from that bullet journal. This next one you add to the stack won’t help either. 💛
Friend, I see you. As a functioning adult (let’s not get carried away calling it “high”-functioning, ok?) who didn’t know I had ADHD, game recognizes game.
As a teacher, I had to learn quick how to keep myself and all of my students on track. Annually, quarterly, by the unit, and literally by the minute. Easily, effortlessly. So we could increase our chances that the kids (and I) would succeed, without overwhelm. So after scouring the interwebs and so many books for productivity hacks that actually work, without making task management seem like a second job, we now have this 6-step process to get your life together. With some bonuses along the way.
Disclaimer. We’re creating a system for success. So we’re approaching your tasks like a systems engineer. Which means this isn’t a process you can do once. It gets better with practice.
So let’s show some love to our inner imposter by reminding them that this is their time to ✨shine.✨ The point of this process is to pretend to be someone who has their lives together. And in the spirit of pretending, I invite you to have fun with it. Because a core theory to my work is that only things that are fun, easy, and enjoyable are sustainable. Let’s get started.
Step 1: Marie Kondo your list
Write down everything. Seriously. Everything. I was going to say on one page but let’s just aim for in one place 😉. Work, home, personal stuff, side hustle, everything. No color-coding, no prioritizing, just get it all in one place.
Set a timer. My hypothesis is that it reduces overwhelm because it activates the “I’ve got to get this done” part of your brain which hopefully will be louder than the “omg, I think I’m forgetting something, ooh I was supposed to do that, does this belong on the list too?” part. Report back if you want!
Step 2: Define your why
Whew, now that we have our list, please hide it under something real quick. We’ve got to chat.
Why… are you here? Sure, you’re a parent, partner, and professional - but what’s truly important to you? If you were to define your personal mission, what would it be? What are your values? How do those show up in your life? Write it down, ask AI for help. This is our compass.
This is how we prioritize.
Step 3: Zone of Genius
There’s one more step before we can look at our gigantic list again, and that’s identifying your Zone of Genius (The Big Leap, Gay Hendricks).
Your Zone of Competence is what you can do. Your Zone of Genius is what gives back to you. You LOVE doing it. It’s energizing, puts you in a flow state, you can do it all day without getting tired.
You can do anything but you can’t do everything. So with this one wild life, how will you spend your time? Hopefully as much as possible in your Zone of Genius.
Step 4: The Eisenhower Matrix
Ok, now… Let’s take your to-do list out again. (Deep breath)
Take another piece of paper and fold it in half hamburger style (horizontally, like a bun).
My first question to you will be, is this task mission-aligned? - to your purpose, to your important people, to what matters most to you. Is it in your Zone of Genius? To your role, your team, your company?
If it is, write it above the line. If you’re not sure, write it below the line.
Fold it again, so you have quadrants.
Left side is “urgent.” Time is a construct so “urgent” is up to you. I usually put anything due in the next two weeks on the left and everything else on the right.
Let’s go ahead and organize all of your tasks before we move on. When in doubt about whether it’s mission-aligned, it goes below the line. If you don’t know when it’s due, it goes on the right.
Some caveats:
The trickiest quadrant is Q3 - the tasks that are urgent but not important. These activate our fight or flight response. We feel the tightness in our chest, a bit of panic, it’s something we can do but maybe shouldn’t.
Guiding question/ litmus test: I can do anything but I can’t do everything. Is this a task that has to get done? And if so, does it have to be done by you? Is this task or project in alignment with your personal mission? Is it in your Zone of Genius?
I’ll show you what to do with this section, but these are the questions to help you figure out where to map it on your chart.The next quadrant people have questions about is Q4 - Not urgent and not important. Why would you write anything there, right? To that, I ask, gently, how’s your screentime report? Ouch, I know.
These are your time wasters. These are where we usually spend our time instead of in our purpose (Q2). I get it, I’m not speaking to you from a high-horse here, I’m speaking from right beside you, game recognizes game. If you can recognize them, go ahead and write them down. No one else is going to see it, but it’s really important that YOU do.
Want a free Eisenhower Matrix Template on Notion? 👉 Get the template here
Step 5: Map it out
Your outfit should be 🔥, not your calendar. Put out all the fires first. Fold the paper back up so all you see is Q1 and schedule everything that is Urgent and important.
Batch your time. Every time you switch tasks, you spend precious energy and brain cells. Yes, that includes “multitasking.” Put all of the tasks that are similar or that use the same resource together and do those in one go. If that sounds overwhelming, just start from the top and work your way down.
The quality of this quadrant is complete and nothing else. Because, remember, you don’t have time. Your inner perfectionism needs to take a seat on this one.Create white space in your day. This is scheduled, empty buffer time for things that take longer than you anticipate or where you can add new fires to your list. You know it will happen, just plan for it so you set Tomorrow You up for success. S/he will thank you.
Add admin time. This is what you’re doing right now. Next week, schedule it. Block it off on your calendar so no one can double book you.
30 mins strategy session at the start of the week, then a 5-10 mins check-in every. single. day. This is your opportunity to map out the week’s tasks and projects in a sustainable way, and a natural opportunity to recalibrate as the week progresses. Future You will thank you. This is the part where you reclaim your time. Where you turn those fires into coals for a delicious BBQ. This is where the magic happens.
Next level: During your admin time, also plan your meals, your outfits, your adventures. This reduces decision fatigue. The more you practice, the easier it will be. This is how we have brain cells left at the end of the day and energy to get out of the house on a Friday or the weekend.
Step 6: Systems for success
I hate to be the one to tell you. I’m sure you already know, but we have to say it out loud. The fires will never stop. There’s always something. But it doesn’t have to unravel your day and your week. This is where solid systems come into play.
James Clear said, “You don’t rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems.”
And I’m going to show you my favorite tool for mapping out your time that supports your future self as they step fully into their purpose and power.
Introducing, the humble GANTT Chart. 👉 Get your free template here
Friend, you can do anything but you can’t do everything. Not all at one time, anyway 😉
Michelle Wolf said, “No one ever felt good leaving an all-you-can-eat buffet.” And this is the energy we’re bringing to your calendar.
As you can see in the freebie, this is where we put our quadrant 2 tasks, the longer-term projects that are Important but not urgent.
If these tasks have already passed the Mission-aligned test, then it’s just a matter of what happens first.
And the quality of this quadrant is simply good, or good enough. Because you have the time to make it good. Once a task shifts into Q1 (because right now it’s due in a month but next month it will be due now, you know?) the quality also shifts to “complete.”
Let’s talk about this for a minute. Friend, in my opinion only you are worth “perfect” level quality. What would that shift feel like in your body? Q1 is complete, Q2 is good, Q3 is done (and not necessarily by you), and Q4 … well, let’s circle back 🤪
If you knew that these things just needed to be complete, or good enough, would you be investing so much time or energy into them? When *was* the last time you did anything at all for you? What would change in your life if you saved your perfection-level quality of investment in you, your mission, and what’s important to you? Food for thought 💛
Ok, here’s how this works:
Write the title of the project in the left-hand side.
Make your best guess on how long it might take and add a week or two. Drag and drop the little time indicator on the right hand side to show how long it will take. Friend, it should look overwhelming. For the same reason Marie Kondo has you throw all of your clothes on the bed and why we wrote every single task on one page. You’re doing too much 🙃 and seeing it all, and getting a little overwhelmed, is how we get things off our list 💛
Now that you see how much you’ll be doing, organize your projects into quarters of the year where it looks sustainable. Zoom out if you need to, that option is in the top right corner of the chart. (Q1: Jan - Mar, Q2: Apr - Jun, Q3 Jul - Sep, Q4: Oct - Dec). Please give yourself more time than you think you need.
Break the projects down into smaller steps. Any step that looks overwhelming, break it down smaller. Goblin.Tools is a great resource for that, it can break down anything from how to clean a bathroom to how to buy a house.
When you’re done mapping your projects add this to your admin time. Expect to calibrate and recalibrate as the year unfolds. New things will be exciting that you want to add, and now it’s not a matter of how but when. Other things will start to look boring, so you can gently put them on pause for another year, another quarter, or maybe for another person?
What now?
Now is the time for your imposter syndrome to ✨shine.✨
Visualize your end result. How will it feel in your body? What will your morning and evening routine look like when you have your life together? How will your daily and weekly schedule look like when you’re pretending to be in control of your time and your headspace? What will your yearly calendar feel like in your body when you look out at the possibilities of this year and next?
I invite you to consider this also as a litmus test. If a new project or idea doesn’t feel that expansive, that freeing, if your little inner imposter doesn’t say s/he’s excited to add that project and all of the little steps to get there, maybe it can live in Q2, something nice to do, maybe, for another time or another person.
Stay tuned for what’s next, friend. You’ve got this. And I’m right here with you every step of the way 💛
P.S. Please excuse any typos, this was written with love, not with AI.
