5-Day TIME Challenge Recap
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Click on the day you missed and watch here!
Day 1:
Where does the time go?
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Listen to the recap on the Corporate Trailblazers Podcast iTunes | Browser |
What do you do all day?
Anytime we hear this question we get into battle stance.
What do you MEAN what do I do all day???
You got a full life, a job, a partner, kids, a house, family commitments and yes, every once in a while you like to go out and do something nice for yourself, so what???
Ok. Now that we got the defensive stuff out of the way, it's time to collect some data.
Data will serve you to find out where exactly you are spending your time, and find any available time pockets that we may want to deprioritize to make room for something that you would really much rather be spending time on.
Starting today, track what you do every hour of the day!
This already sounds onerous... but it doesn't have to be.
There are different kinds of people out there. Some people LOVE tracking things (I'm one of them). But other people simply don't. It's not their thing.
In this challenge I'm going to MAKE YOU track your activities for the remainder of the week.
How to track your time
You can do this in a few different ways, but the most important part is to do it in a way that seems natural and that you WON'T FORGET to do it.
So if you have a choice between doing something that feels SUPER ambicious, and something that is easier, GO WITH EASY.
Here are a couple of ways you can go about this:
- Track what you do in 15min, 30min or 1hr intervals from the moment you wake up, until you go to sleep. Use your judgment as to how to track activities that took less time than the allotted slot. It also helps to set up an alarm that goes off every hour to remind you to stop what you're doing and write down what you've been up to for the past hour.
- Write down the time you start each new activity. This won't require an alarm or for you to track what you do every hour. Instead, you are writing down every activity and at what time you start and end it.
You might also wonder WHERE to track this.
Which way seems more natural to you?
- Use your phone: find an app specifically for tracking time!
- Use your phone: download the Google Sheets app and track in your very own spreadsheet
- Use your phone: open up a Notes app (such as Google Keep) and track in a single file
- Use a notebook: take a notebook and pen everywhere you go and write it all down
Should you change your behavior while you track?
Some of you may wonder: should you stick to what you "normally" would do in your day, or is it OK to modify your normal behavior based on the fact that you are becoming more aware?
This is a very valid point! The answer is that it doesn't matter! If this exercise is helping you spend your time more wisely, then this challenge is already producing great results for you, and you should embrace it!
If you choose to keep your behavior the same so you can get a reliable baseline of your time, that is a great method as well.
Do what feels natural!
#time
As you track your time and your activities, always come back to the Facebook Group and tell us what BREAKTHROUGHS you are having!
Are you finding out that you are spending TOO much time on some things?
Or are you finding that you when you DO have free time, you end up mindlessly spending it doing some mundane task without even thinking about it?
Use the hashtag #time to tell us how you are discovering!
You are ready for this! Go and track!
Day 2:
What do you want to do?
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Listen to the recap on the Corporate Trailblazers Podcast iTunes | Browser |
This is the part where we daydream
One of the outcomes of this challenge is that you will now have TIME to focus on whatever it is that your heart is begging you to work on.
The question is: what is that thing?
The best thing you can do for yourself and your newfound pockets of time is: Dream Big.
What is your definition of success?
In order for you to make the most out of your available time, you have to have a central goal, split up into multiple doable tasks.
What do you want to do?
And how do you know you have arrived when you get there?
What is your definition of success?
Bonus for not making it a monetary goal. Reaching a certain financial goal is tangible, but it doesn't speak to that thing that makes your heart sing.
#time
It's time to go to the Facebook Group and tell us all about your dream. Use hashtag #time.
Tell us what you would like to do, but you can't be vague! Here's what your post must include:
- Your ultimate goal. Tell us what you want to accomplish. What is your definition of success?
- What are your next 3 steps to work towards that goal?
- Set a deadline for completing the first 3 steps. Make it a real date and make sure it is realistic!
Bonus for posting a selfie so we can get to know you!
You ALREADY have the time to learn something new. You just don't know it.
The beauty of the new era of information we live in is that we do not need to take a college course to learn something new, or to be inspired by the greatest minds of our time.
We can listen to podcasts and audiobooks or even listen to YouTube talks while we are on the go.
Today's challenge is all about finding influencers that will inspire you and teach you the way, so you can listen to them while you are commuting, doing the dishes, or even taking a shower!
These listening sessions are what I would call: MIND FOOD.
What is Mind Food?
Our goals and our ability to complete them are founded in 2 distinct, yet equally important inputs:
- Inspiration
- Strategy
From inspiration we draw motivation.
You know what is hard? Implemeting strategies without motivation.
You know what's even harder? Succeeding without appropriate strategies.
Where do we get these strategies and inspiration?
From listening to others who have been there. From reading their work. From watching their videos. From studying what they do every single day.
These magical people who have already carved the path for you are known as influencers and they are all around us, we just have to find them.
Who should you listen to?
There's the 64 million dollar question.
In the online space there are thousands of podcasts, books and FB and Instagram accounts to follow that will give us both strategy and inspiration.
It all depends on the field you will be going into. Do you know the names of some of the biggest people in your industry?
If so, then I would encourage you to do a quick YouTube search for some of their work, and find out if they have a podcast.
If you are really at a loss and have no idea who to follow, here are some usual suspects that have changed millions of lives with their word:
- Tony Robbins: he's mostly a stage speaker, but there are hundreds of YouTube videos of his talks. Don't look for the podcast. Even though he does give an intro in most of his podcast episodes, he does not actually speak in them. Stick to books and YouTube for his teachings.
- Marie Forleo: Marie shaped the way for thousands of life coaches to step into their greatness and let people dream big. She has a YouTube show called "Marie TV" which is packed with gold nuggets of inspiration and strategy to get things done. She's all about personal improvement for entrepreneurs.
- Lauren Eliz Love: Find her podcast by searching for "Badass Business Babe." Lauren is a life coach turned business coach and her podcast episodes are PACKED with strategy and motivation.
- Jen Sincero: find the audiobook for her best seller "You are a badass" and "You are a badass at making money" and do the exercises. It will completely change the way you see money.
- Corporate Trailblazers (podcast): Did you think I wasn't going to plug my own podcast??? Crazytown. In my podcast I talk about the entrepreneurial journey and interview people who went from having a regular job to working for themselves. Most of the episodes are just me talking directly to you and teaching you about how to navigate entrepreneurship. Here's the iTunes link, or you can just search for "Corporate Trailablazers with Ina Coveney" wherever you listen to podcasts.
The idea is that you would have audiobooks or podcast episodes queued up and ready to go whenever you have some free time.
Great investments
In order to make your life easier, invest in a bluetooth speaker for the shower, and a bluetooth wireless headset. Always be ready to turn it on and listen on the go!
#time
It's time for you to head over to the Facebook Group and use the hashtag #time to tell us: which podcasts have you subscribed to, and which audiobooks did you purchase?
How to find large pockets of time
Here's the deal guys: when we live full lives, it seems like EVERY SINGLE DAY is booked up with meals, kids, work, spouses, family, birthday parties, laundry and a million other things on our plate.
It never ends and occupies 100% of your time.
Here's the deal, though: if you were ever in a situation where you absolutely needed to change your plans to do something else for an evening, you would.
For example: you have to get home by 4:30 so you can pick up your son at school, help him with his homework, then make dinner, and put the kids to bed, then get to bed at a reasonable time yourself.
But then, you get a call from your mom saying she completely forgot to call a dog sitterr and she needs you to go 45 min out of your way to make sure the dog doesn't eat both couches while she's out, would you do it for her?
Would you say "Sorry mom, I got my night perfectly planned... you'll have to deal with it yourself" or would you call your spouse and tell them to please take care of the kids, you have to go help your mom.
I know what you would do. You would rearrange. You would be flexble. Your perfect evening would just get taken care of by someone else.
The goal for today is to make that sudden reschedule a PLANNED reschedule.
Do you have support? USE it.
This is the hard part, which, after you do it, you'll realize it wasn't that hard at all.
Instead of just hoping you can have some extra time someday, I want you to look at your calendar and identify a period of (at least) 3 hours in your week that you could take for yourself.
This means you will have to ask someone for help.
Step by Step
This is what you need to "pass" today's challenge:
- Identify a pocket of time of at least 3 hours for you to focus on your own goals. It could be one night after work, or it could be one weekend morning.
- Identify WHERE you will go to be alone. I don't know about you, but being at home at easy reach from my husband and kids means that I will probably not get uninterrupted time. I used to go to the library instead.
- ASK someone for help. Ask whoever you need support from and have the "I need this for my own sanity" conversation. Those who love you will support you no matter what.
- Put it on your calendar and NEVER miss a day. This is a non-negotiable, and this is the exact reason why people opt for getting business coaches like me. Accountability is HARD especially if nobody is watching. You'll get "flexible" and start skipping days, moving them around, and eventually use your next microfailure as an excuse to just bail altogether. Coaches help you stay on track, and you are paying them well enough to really SHOW UP and get your money's worth. If you don't have a coach, it will be EXTREMELY important that you are 100% committed and disciplined.
#time
It's time for you to head down to the Facebook Group and use hashtag #time to tell us: when will your 3hr time pocket will be scheduled for, and WHERE are you going to go to be alone.
Can't wait to hear about it!
Create your new Schedule
It is time to put it all together and make it official!
After tracking where your time goes all week long, you must by now have some insight as to what pockets of time you could be using for your own "thing".
So bring out that new planner, or just use a notebook to write down exactly the pockets of time you will be using from now on.
How to write up a schedule
Some of us will write up a schedule and never look at it again.
And that is ok! This challenge is not meant to change how you react to structure.
What IS important to do, at least once, is to WRITE DOWN the circumstances in which you will be giving yourself permission to NOT clean up after the kids, to NOT make dinner that night, to NOT do work until wee hours in the morning, and instead proclaim that it is OK for you to spend that time focused on your next steps.
Here are a few suggestions to follow when "creating your schedule":
- Create a layout for what your days "normally" look like, and highlight the times when you will listen to podcasts/audiobooks, and when you will open your computer or focus on your phone and get your own work done.
Something like this:
- 6-7am: My own thing
- 7-8: Kids/Breakfast
- 8-9: Commute (listen to mind food)
- 9-12: Work
- 12-1: Lunch (listen to mind food)
- 1-6: Work
- 6-7: Commute (mind food)
- 7-9: Dinner/Kids
- 9-11: My own thing
- Add your new 3-hr time pocket to your calendar, and be religious about attending. Show up for yourself every single time.
That's pretty much it. What format you create this calendar on is not important.
What's important is that you respect your new boundaries and your new determination to moving in your goals, one week at a time.
#time
Now it's time to go back to the Facebook Group and tell us about your schedule. Are you excited to start next week?!
Let's do this for REAL
The doors are open to my 1x1 Star Launcher Program
