I learned a valuable lesson last week from my 11 week old son, Charlie, that I thought I would share with you.

Last week was my wife's first week back to work after 11 weeks with the little man. I had Charlie all to myself because he hadn't started daycare yet.

I knew it would be tough to get my typical amount of work done. I thought I would be able to accomplish 6 or 7 important tasks last week but completed only half that number. My expectations were out of line with reality.

I'm sure many of us share this common problem. We overbook meetings, underestimate design time and overestimate the number of tasks we can accomplish in any given week. I've noticed these unrealistic expectations only lead to disappointment at week's end. It's like we run around all week to accomplish more than is possible, and then get no fulfillment from what we did accomplish.

Charlie and Dad writing at 6:00 a.m.

Two days into my week with Charlie I realized I needed to lower my expectations. I asked myself--"What are the 3 most important things I can accomplish this week?" Once I determined this, I didn't worry about anything else and put my focus on just these 3 things. By the end of the week I was perfectly content with only accomplishing these 3 tasks.

If you tend to place unrealistic expectations on yourself in regards to your workload, here are a few strategies I've found to be useful:

1. Set "work hours" for yourself and stick to them! This gives you a framework to schedule tasks, meetings, etc. Example- 9:00-6:00 Monday-Friday



2. Identify your top 3 priority's for each week and how much time each will require. Don't underestimate the time! Add these to your calendar/planner.



3. Use "Time Blocking" or "Batching" to organize common tasks. Set aside specific blocks of time each day, or week, for meetings, phone/email, site visits, marketing, bookkeeping, etc.



4. Write down everything you hope to accomplish during the week, then cut your list by 50%.



5. Plan your week in advance. Don't wait until Monday morning to plan your week.

These strategies could work really well for you, especially "batching" your tasks. I encourage you to implement a system for managing your time and calendar. Try mine for 21 days and see how well it works for you. The short video below walks you through my system more in depth.

Do you have a time management system that works well for you? If you would like to share your strategies, just leave a comment in the box below.

Feel free to share any other comments about this week's tip as well.

To your success,

Chris Heiler, Editor

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