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092: 5 Ways to Make Your Workweek Easier and More Productive · Limitless Living with Fredricka Davis

0:32
SPEAKER_00: Picture this.
0:32
SPEAKER_00: It's eight o'clock at night.
0:33
SPEAKER_00: You've worked all day.
0:35
SPEAKER_00: You're hungry now.
0:36
SPEAKER_00: And you get home and you're tired and you open the refrigerator.
0:40
SPEAKER_00: And yes, there's food in there, but everything that's in there still requires you to do something with it to make it edible.
0:49
SPEAKER_00: And right now, that's just not who you are because you are done.
0:52
SPEAKER_00: And you might still be remembering that you have an email that you didn't write yet, and something you promised to send somebody has to go out.
0:59
SPEAKER_00: And the fact that you meant to take a walk today might be weighing heavy on your mind.
1:03
SPEAKER_00: So now you have to figure out dinner, unfinished work, another day where taking care of yourself just got pushed back again, somewhere into the background and did not happen.
1:14
SPEAKER_00: I know this situation oh so well.
1:17
SPEAKER_00: And here's the thing the problem actually began before your day even started.
1:22
SPEAKER_00: You planned what you needed to do for work for the day, but at some point didn't really make the arrangements for any sort of plan to take care of you, the person who had to be doing the work.
1:34
SPEAKER_00: So today, what I want to do is I want to help you change that.
1:37
SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to the Limitless Living Podcast.
1:39
SPEAKER_00: I'm Frederica Davis, your host, and this is Sustainable Success Tuesday.
1:45
SPEAKER_00: We're talking today about five ways to make your work week easier and more productive while still making time and room for you to eat, rest, move, and have a life.
1:57
SPEAKER_00: These are really practical things I'm going to be giving you where you can decide and prepare for them before you're in the middle of your busiest day.
2:06
SPEAKER_00: And I live these, I do these.
2:08
SPEAKER_00: So this is coming from personal experience as well as what I teach in my programs.
2:12
SPEAKER_00: I've even got a free recipe and meal planning example for you that will be available in the Facebook group.
2:19
SPEAKER_00: I'll explain that in a few minutes as well.
2:22
SPEAKER_00: So let me start with my own schedule.
2:25
SPEAKER_00: Right now, for me, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are really exceptionally long client days for me.
2:37
SPEAKER_00: I do a lot of other things on the other days, and clients are often included in that.
2:41
SPEAKER_00: But the Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are my longest.
2:44
SPEAKER_00: We are a bit short-staffed at Massage, Walmus, and Beyond.
2:47
SPEAKER_00: So some weeks I'm taking clients on additional days, even longer and more than I would like to be.
2:53
SPEAKER_00: Now, while I love what I do, I also know that these days can take a lot out of me.
2:58
SPEAKER_00: Yet it is really easy just to look at the calendar and think, well, I'll write that email after work.
3:04
SPEAKER_00: I'll figure out the dinner when I get home, or I'll fit some planning somewhere in there.
3:09
SPEAKER_00: Somewhere being the keyword.
3:11
SPEAKER_00: That's a very convenient, imaginary opening in the schedule now, isn't it?
3:16
SPEAKER_00: It's probably that way for you too.
3:17
SPEAKER_00: Because when each day gets here, somewhere kind of turns out to be usually later at night.
3:24
SPEAKER_00: I'm working on this myself right next to you.
3:27
SPEAKER_00: I know what it's like to have a really long list.
3:31
SPEAKER_00: Not one, but two businesses that need attention and a family to take care of and a body that would appreciate a whole lot more cooperation from the person who's making all the plans.
3:42
SPEAKER_00: So the question I want you to keep in mind here is this.
3:46
SPEAKER_00: What can I decide to prepare now so my busiest day asks less of me?
3:53
SPEAKER_00: And then let's start there.
3:55
SPEAKER_00: Number one, I want you to start thinking about your week on the whole.
4:01
SPEAKER_00: Look at the whole week that you are actually likely to have.
4:06
SPEAKER_00: And before you make the to-do list, which will maybe look long and overwhelming and feel like it's never done, I want you to look at your appointments and your commitments, the musts, which days are already really full?
4:20
SPEAKER_00: Where do you have client work, meetings, travel, or family responsibilities or just appointments that you can't move?
4:28
SPEAKER_00: Your non-negotiables.
4:30
SPEAKER_00: And what does that leave you afterwards?
4:33
SPEAKER_00: So if Wednesday is booked from morning until evening, Wednesday probably isn't the day to give yourself any additional projects.
4:42
SPEAKER_00: But it might be a day where you have to serve clients and handle maybe some essential follow-ups or eat the lunch that you brought and just simply say, hey, that's gonna be enough.
4:51
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna go home and I'm gonna go to bed and then finish.
4:54
SPEAKER_00: That can be, unto itself, an incredibly productive day.
4:58
SPEAKER_00: The trouble really comes when we put a full day of work on the calendar and then we expect ourselves to complete yet another half day of work around it.
5:05
SPEAKER_00: Now, I get it.
5:06
SPEAKER_00: Some of you are saying, oh, yeah, but I have my family, I have this, I have to run kids here, I have to do this, I have a second business, I'm trying to launch this business while I keep my day job.
5:15
SPEAKER_00: I know, I get it.
5:17
SPEAKER_00: Because I've been there in all of these things.
5:19
SPEAKER_00: It's something that I have to watch with myself as well.
5:24
SPEAKER_00: And before you know it, you've created a plan that you can't possibly finish.
5:29
SPEAKER_00: It's just not reasonable.
5:31
SPEAKER_00: And then you're disappointed.
5:34
SPEAKER_00: And we think to ourselves, geez, I just another day I didn't get anything done.
5:37
SPEAKER_00: And that just really wreaks havoc with our sense of self, our confidence, even our health can be affected by that.
5:44
SPEAKER_00: So take a few minutes and now I want you to identify your most demanding day.
5:49
SPEAKER_00: What usually makes that day harder?
5:50
SPEAKER_00: Is it getting out the door, or is it the meals that you might need for that day?
5:55
SPEAKER_00: How about a meeting that might be scheduled and that you have not yet prepared for and you know you need to, or coming home even to a list of things that nobody else has handled, or after work obligations?
6:08
SPEAKER_00: What is it?
6:09
SPEAKER_00: Then I want you to ask yourself what on that day can be arranged beforehand.
6:16
SPEAKER_00: Choose something predictable.
6:19
SPEAKER_00: You might put your work materials together the night before so they're ready to go that morning.
6:25
SPEAKER_00: You might need to confirm an appointment or move an errand that's just not really going to be realistic and work in there.
6:33
SPEAKER_00: I can't tell you how many times I've tried to squeeze in this, that, or the other thing, thinking, oh, I can get that in.
6:38
SPEAKER_00: I should have just enough time.
6:40
SPEAKER_00: And then I don't because I didn't really think ahead.
6:42
SPEAKER_00: I didn't think the whole day through.
6:45
SPEAKER_00: Ask somebody else to handle dinner if that's what you need to do.
6:48
SPEAKER_00: Get the help and list the help if you can.
6:51
SPEAKER_00: What we're doing here is you're looking at your week and using what you already know to start out.
6:57
SPEAKER_00: And include your energy in this assessment.
7:01
SPEAKER_00: You really want to be thinking, am I going into this week refreshed from the weekend, or am I already completely drained?
7:08
SPEAKER_00: Which days are going to drain me more?
7:10
SPEAKER_00: Which ones might lift me up?
7:12
SPEAKER_00: Just think about your energy throughout all of this.
7:15
SPEAKER_00: And opening on the calendar does not always mean you're going to have enough concentration left or enough energy left for something difficult.
7:25
SPEAKER_00: So if you know you're worn out after a particular kind of a day, take all of that into account.
7:31
SPEAKER_00: Now, I'll give you an example.
7:33
SPEAKER_00: Because I do those three exceptionally long client days, I know that I'm drained.
7:38
SPEAKER_00: I'm drained by the time Friday comes.
7:40
SPEAKER_00: And I do not take early morning appointments on Friday.
7:45
SPEAKER_00: And I do that purposely because that's what I need to not be drained anymore.
7:49
SPEAKER_00: So you want to be thinking about things like this.
7:51
SPEAKER_00: Number two, why not make food easier before you actually get hungry and tired?
7:56
SPEAKER_00: This is where my crock pot chicken recipe comes in.
8:00
SPEAKER_00: I put together a recipe and I will share it with you for a batch of savory chicken that you can use in several different meals.
8:09
SPEAKER_00: And it's so easy.
8:10
SPEAKER_00: You just throw it in the crock pot.
8:11
SPEAKER_00: So this does not involve a lot of time or energy either.
8:14
SPEAKER_00: The idea here is that when you prepare some useful foundational items, you can change what you do with them throughout the week.
8:25
SPEAKER_00: So you're not getting bored so that you have whatever flavor you're in the mood for.
8:30
SPEAKER_00: For example, I like to take that one batch of chicken, and one night or one day, I might turn it into a Mexican-style bowl with lettuce, tomato, fresh cilantro, squeeze of lime, and then whatever additions you want to add to that, you can, whether you want quinoa or rice with it or whatever.
8:50
SPEAKER_00: Another meal from that one crock pot chicken, remember, could be chicken salad, but made with avocado mashed up, celery and apple slices, a little salt and pepper, squeeze of lime.
9:05
SPEAKER_00: That is not only healthy, but it's delicious chicken salad.
9:09
SPEAKER_00: So making that chicken ahead, now we're into two different meals.
9:13
SPEAKER_00: And as far as the celery, the apple goes, you can just chop that up and put that into a little container and boom, you have them ready for the week.
9:21
SPEAKER_00: You could even serve the chicken just as is, because it's a savory chicken, with some vegetables, put it in a quick soup or make some lettuce wraps with hummus and cucumber.
9:31
SPEAKER_00: The idea is that you've done the main cooking once, but it still gives you choices.
9:37
SPEAKER_00: I don't like boring.
9:38
SPEAKER_00: I like flavor and I like to eat what I'm in the mood for at that moment.
9:43
SPEAKER_00: So that really matters because while I can eat leftovers, I do not like to eat the same lunch or the same dinner over and over.
9:52
SPEAKER_00: I like to be able to customize it according to what my taste buds might be craving that day, but I'm so happy to have something ready that makes getting lunch or getting dinner together a whole lot easier.
10:04
SPEAKER_00: I created a handout for you with the storage directions, with the portions, the whole nine yards.
10:10
SPEAKER_00: I'll share the link in the show notes for that.
10:11
SPEAKER_00: Now think about what makes this work.
10:14
SPEAKER_00: You need more than cooked chicken.
10:16
SPEAKER_00: If you want lettuce wraps, you'll need some lettuce.
10:18
SPEAKER_00: If you want the avocado chicken salad, you'll need the ingredients for that.
10:22
SPEAKER_00: So what I like to do is choose two or three combinations before I shop.
10:28
SPEAKER_00: And then I check what I already have and get what's missing.
10:32
SPEAKER_00: And if you've listened to the show for any length of time, you know I will often have my groceries delivered, which also helps and eliminates issues that way if you have not tried that.
10:42
SPEAKER_00: And then what I do is wash or chop whatever I need to do that's practical, and it usually doesn't take too much time.
10:48
SPEAKER_00: If I'm gonna cook some vegetables, I might even pre-cook some vegetables ahead of time.
10:52
SPEAKER_00: And I just have them all in the refrigerator.
10:56
SPEAKER_00: The night before I go to work, I'll put a lunch-sized portion into a container before I'm gonna leave the next morning.
11:02
SPEAKER_00: That way I can grab it and go.
11:04
SPEAKER_00: Or sometimes I will actually take the individual ingredients to my office with me because I am fortunate enough that we have a kitchen at the office and I can just leave them in there and I keep spices and things like that there.
11:16
SPEAKER_00: So I can always customize during the day according to whatever I want.
11:20
SPEAKER_00: So there's a couple of ways you can go here.
11:22
SPEAKER_00: The idea here is that you are choosing to do some things ahead of time without it taking much time at all.
11:30
SPEAKER_00: So you're batch cooking.
11:32
SPEAKER_00: And I talk a lot about this in my programs because once you get used to doing this, it really changes everything.
11:38
SPEAKER_00: You can eat healthy, be completely satisfied, and you can really maintain your energy level, your focus level.
11:46
SPEAKER_00: I mean, wouldn't you want to focus better at work?
11:48
SPEAKER_00: Wouldn't you want to get the job done more efficiently, better, and maybe even quicker because you're not feeling tired, you don't have brain fog because you're nourishing your body?
11:57
SPEAKER_00: That's what this is all really about.
11:59
SPEAKER_00: Living healthy, doing our best, and being able to experience a limitless life and sustainable success.
12:07
SPEAKER_00: And for those of you who live alone, who are thinking, oh my gosh, I don't want to cook that much, I just live alone.
12:12
SPEAKER_00: It's just me.
12:13
SPEAKER_00: If you have time to cook, that's great.
12:14
SPEAKER_00: If you want to cook every day, every three days, something like that, then that is wonderful.
12:19
SPEAKER_00: Go for it.
12:20
SPEAKER_00: But if you're finding that some days you just don't eat because you don't feel like you want to eat, or you don't know what to eat, or you didn't prepare anything ahead of time, or you're grabbing things, or you're ordering things out, or you're just tired and frustrated, then this is an excellent way to go, whether you are alone or not.
12:38
SPEAKER_00: Now, my daughter's a college, so it's my husband and myself.
12:41
SPEAKER_00: My husband has his own way of eating and his own schedule.
12:46
SPEAKER_00: So our way of eating is very different sometimes.
12:51
SPEAKER_00: So when I batch cook, I'm basically batch cooking for one.
12:56
SPEAKER_00: And anything that I'm not going to be using the next several days, I pop it in the freezer.
13:00
SPEAKER_00: So I might not batch cook it and eat the whole thing the whole week.
13:05
SPEAKER_00: I might wind up having the rest of that next week or the week after and rotating.
13:09
SPEAKER_00: So you see how this can help you in just your everyday life and in your nutrition and in your health and in your productivity.
13:17
SPEAKER_00: The point here is to reduce the amount of effort that is required of you every single day when you're likely already tired at the end of the day.
13:27
SPEAKER_00: Now, not only did I make the recipe for you, but I also made a handout that tells you exactly what each of the ingredients contribute to you nutritionally, what they're actually doing for your body.
13:40
SPEAKER_00: I mean, we all know we need to eat more fruits and vegetables and proteins and oh, you're smart.
13:45
SPEAKER_00: You know this.
13:46
SPEAKER_00: We all know this.
13:47
SPEAKER_00: But so often we don't know what each one is doing for us.
13:50
SPEAKER_00: And sometimes once we know that, it helps us make the decision to choose better.
13:55
SPEAKER_00: I've heard that as a common thread throughout my programs, that one of the things they really loved was learning the why behind the food or behind the movement or behind the mindset or behind the this or that, the other thing.
14:08
SPEAKER_00: Because once you understand the why, you can get how important it is.
14:11
SPEAKER_00: And you sometimes, oftentimes, will start choosing for yourself in a better way.
14:18
SPEAKER_00: So both of those, the recipe and the companion handout with all of the nutritional information, everything.
14:25
SPEAKER_00: I'm putting them in my free Facebook group, Limitless Living for Women Who Are Becoming.
14:29
SPEAKER_00: The link is in the show notes.
14:30
SPEAKER_00: You can hop in there, join the group, and you'll get it.
14:33
SPEAKER_00: It's just in there.
14:34
SPEAKER_00: You can download it and save it and try it.
14:36
SPEAKER_00: And I'd love to hear in the group if you make it, see a picture, tell me how it was.
14:40
SPEAKER_00: Now, if chicken isn't something you eat, this whole podcast episode is not about crock pot chicken.
14:46
SPEAKER_00: I want you to use the same principle with foods you actually enjoy and you tolerate.
14:52
SPEAKER_00: So prepare something that you can have more than once during the week or can be a base item, like maybe you prepare a bunch of quinoa and then you roast a bunch of vegetables.
15:03
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you are vegan, vegetarian.
15:06
SPEAKER_00: The same principle will apply here.
15:09
SPEAKER_00: Keep a few ingredients that are there for you that you can absolutely grab to maintain your energy levels and nourish your body on those days where your whole day falls apart, where you're just too tired.
15:21
SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's going to be a freezer meal or eggs and vegetables or something that you already portioned and is ready to heat.
15:28
SPEAKER_00: As I mentioned, anything that's passed a few days, I throw it in the freezer.
15:32
SPEAKER_00: I might not eat it this week.
15:33
SPEAKER_00: It might be a month later that I eat it, but it's in the freezer.
15:37
SPEAKER_00: It really helps to know what the backup is before you're standing there hungry.
15:41
SPEAKER_00: I really want to stress the business connection to this.
15:45
SPEAKER_00: You are making decisions probably all day long, from the moment you wake up, whether it's for your clients or your employees, your patients, your own projects all day, whatever it is.
15:58
SPEAKER_00: Then you get home, and now you have to make a whole new set of decisions about feeding yourself.
16:03
SPEAKER_00: And sometimes it's just too much.
16:04
SPEAKER_00: We are all living with an exorbitant, ungodly number of micro decisions all day long on top of the big decisions.
16:14
SPEAKER_00: And we are decision fatigued.
16:16
SPEAKER_00: A little preparation can take some of that work off your evening.
16:19
SPEAKER_00: Your meals belong in your plan, in your business plan, your life plan, because you're the person who's actually doing all this work.
16:28
SPEAKER_00: You need to care for yourself so you can do all this work as efficiently, as well, and as long as possible.
16:36
SPEAKER_00: Number three, choose what needs to move forward and give it an actual place.
16:43
SPEAKER_00: So most of us can make a really long list in about 30 seconds.
16:47
SPEAKER_00: I know I can.
16:48
SPEAKER_00: I'm a list girl.
16:49
SPEAKER_00: I can make a really long list of things I need to do.
16:52
SPEAKER_00: The hard part, though, is deciding what actually deserves our attention with the real available time that we have or don't have.
17:01
SPEAKER_00: So start with one meaningful result that you want by the end of the week.
17:08
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you need to get a proposal out by the end of the week, or complete an application, or contact past clients by the end of the week, or prepare a holiday offer by the end of the week.
17:22
SPEAKER_00: What would moving that forward actually look like?
17:26
SPEAKER_00: Let's say you want to promote a holiday service in your business.
17:30
SPEAKER_00: Adding work on holiday marketing is too vague to be on your list to really help you know what to do when you only have a 30-minute window that becomes available to do this.
17:41
SPEAKER_00: So break it down.
17:43
SPEAKER_00: Break down the things that you need to do and what you need to accomplish by the end of the week into smaller bite-sized steps.
17:51
SPEAKER_00: So for this example, work on holiday marketing, maybe the first thing you need to do is choose the service and the offer.
17:57
SPEAKER_00: Or choose the price and the details.
18:00
SPEAKER_00: Or write the email, arrange the image for this, or schedule it, add it into your booking system or your sales system.
18:10
SPEAKER_00: Now put the next action into a real opening.
18:13
SPEAKER_00: So work on holiday marketing, yes, is what you want to do this week, but what's the outcome you want by the end of the week?
18:21
SPEAKER_00: How many steps are there to get there?
18:24
SPEAKER_00: If you have each one of those steps laid out in front of you and you get a 15-minute window, a 10-minute window, an hour window, you can pick the next step and actually work on it versus taking 10 minutes or 20 minutes just to kind of figure out where you're at and where to pick up from.
18:39
SPEAKER_00: Now, scheduling it, that can help too.
18:42
SPEAKER_00: You want to put that next action into what's going to be a real opening.
18:46
SPEAKER_00: Perhaps you're looking at your schedule and you see Monday.
18:49
SPEAKER_00: So maybe by the end of Monday, you know you want to choose the offer.
18:53
SPEAKER_00: Wednesday, you're looking at your schedule, you get a short window, and you needed to review the details of the offer.
19:01
SPEAKER_00: That was one of your itemized things and finalize them.
19:04
SPEAKER_00: So you take that Wednesday short window and you do that.
19:07
SPEAKER_00: Friday, you have a little short window.
19:09
SPEAKER_00: And the next thing you need to do is write and schedule the email.
19:12
SPEAKER_00: So you use that for that day.
19:15
SPEAKER_00: You can see what you're asking yourself to do when you approach it like this.
19:20
SPEAKER_00: You can also see when there's not enough time to do it.
19:25
SPEAKER_00: That is really useful information.
19:27
SPEAKER_00: It gives you a chance to either simplify, ask for help, change the deadline, or maybe choose a different step if you can rotate something that would fit in there.
19:37
SPEAKER_00: Now, for someone working in a career rather than those of you who own your businesses, the same approach really applies.
19:45
SPEAKER_00: If you have a presentation that's due Friday, what do you need to do between now and Friday?
19:51
SPEAKER_00: Itemize it.
19:52
SPEAKER_00: When will you gather the information?
19:54
SPEAKER_00: When will you build it?
19:55
SPEAKER_00: Does someone need to review it?
19:57
SPEAKER_00: Do you need to design graphics for it?
19:59
SPEAKER_00: Put all those steps somewhere where they can realistically happen and prepare the starting point.
20:08
SPEAKER_00: Open the document, gather the numbers, find the file you need, whatever it is.
20:12
SPEAKER_00: If you have a short work period, you don't want to be spending most of that little tiny opening hunting for the information or regrouping mentally to get focused on what you have to do.
20:25
SPEAKER_00: This is the same principle as the chicken.
20:28
SPEAKER_00: I know that sounds funny, but yes, it is.
20:30
SPEAKER_00: When you're ready to make the meal, the main ingredient is already there, makes it a whole lot easier.
20:35
SPEAKER_00: When you're ready to work, maybe you've got that little window in that opening, the materials are already ready and you know the next section and you know what the next action is.
20:46
SPEAKER_00: You made starting easier.
20:48
SPEAKER_00: And one more thing, I'm gonna talk about priorities.
20:51
SPEAKER_00: Daily responsibilities will always exist.
20:54
SPEAKER_00: I mean, we always have things we have to do.
20:56
SPEAKER_00: Clients need care, and messages are gonna need to be answered, and bills, of course, need attention.
21:03
SPEAKER_00: Account for that work week rather than pretending your entire day is available for projects.
21:10
SPEAKER_00: This is so easy to do for those of your creative types.
21:13
SPEAKER_00: I know I am.
21:14
SPEAKER_00: It's very easy to get caught up in whatever you are creating as your project and not allow fully the time that was necessary for the other things that were already there, already responsibilities.
21:29
SPEAKER_00: And if everything starts to feel like it's equally urgent, slow down.
21:33
SPEAKER_00: Ask yourself what happens if each item waits.
21:38
SPEAKER_00: This is how you figure out what you need to do now versus what maybe can wait a bit.
21:43
SPEAKER_00: A deadline with a real consequence is going to absolutely be different from something that you would simply enjoy crossing off a list.
21:51
SPEAKER_00: And I know for me, a lot of times I want to do the ones I enjoy more than the ones that I really need to.
21:57
SPEAKER_00: And being able to recognize that is so important.
22:01
SPEAKER_00: So that question can help you make a much more honest choice.
22:06
SPEAKER_00: Again, asking yourself what happens if this item waits just a little.
22:14
SPEAKER_00: Number four, I want you to arrange care and support.
22:19
SPEAKER_00: Now I know some of you just cringed when I said that.
22:23
SPEAKER_00: Uh, this is something I have to again really look at for myself is getting the right care and support for executing and for the actual.
22:32
SPEAKER_00: Workload.
22:33
SPEAKER_00: And I'm constantly looking for ways to improve this.
22:37
SPEAKER_00: This is the part that tends to remain vague for so many of us.
22:41
SPEAKER_00: So thinking things to ourselves, like, okay, I'll try to get outside, or I need to go to bed earlier, or I know I should ask for help.
22:49
SPEAKER_00: These might be going through your brain.
22:51
SPEAKER_00: I know they've gone through mine.
22:52
SPEAKER_00: So the question then becomes: what would make those things possible this week?
22:56
SPEAKER_00: What would make it possible for you to get outside more?
22:59
SPEAKER_00: What would make it possible for you to get to bed earlier?
23:02
SPEAKER_00: Or how could you ask for help?
23:05
SPEAKER_00: So if you want to take a walk, when is there a realistic opportunity to do that?
23:10
SPEAKER_00: Where do you need to carve that one out?
23:12
SPEAKER_00: How can you carve that one out?
23:14
SPEAKER_00: If you need to finish earlier, what work needs to move or get smaller or be delegated or eliminated and so on?
23:25
SPEAKER_00: If you want help at home, what exactly are you going to be asking someone to do?
23:31
SPEAKER_00: How will you get that help?
23:34
SPEAKER_00: Be really specific here.
23:36
SPEAKER_00: Be specific enough that another person can understand your request.
23:41
SPEAKER_00: So, for example, Tuesday's a really long day for me.
23:45
SPEAKER_00: Can you handle dinner and cleanup?
23:48
SPEAKER_00: That's a clear request for support.
23:52
SPEAKER_00: And it's a clear arrangement.
23:55
SPEAKER_00: Saying something like, I need more help around here may very well be true.
23:59
SPEAKER_00: I think most of us as women have said that.
24:02
SPEAKER_00: But it doesn't tell anyone what really needs to happen on Tuesday.
24:07
SPEAKER_00: So at work, you might ask someone to prepare a report, confirm your appointments, gather your supplies, or handle a routine task for you that might lighten your load.
24:18
SPEAKER_00: At home, you might ask for someone in the house to make dinner on that particular day.
24:24
SPEAKER_00: Tell them what you need and when you need it.
24:27
SPEAKER_00: Be specific.
24:28
SPEAKER_00: And if they need instructions, give those to them before the deadline is already on top of you or them.
24:34
SPEAKER_00: I also want you to look at what you have been expecting yourself to do after everyone else is taken care of.
24:45
SPEAKER_00: For example, do you eat after everyone else gets to eat or after you are done with clients or after you've returned seven more phone calls?
24:53
SPEAKER_00: When do you eat?
24:54
SPEAKER_00: When do you get to exercise?
24:56
SPEAKER_00: Is it after such and such is done or after the end of the day or after a long week?
25:01
SPEAKER_00: Think about when you make your own appointments.
25:03
SPEAKER_00: You know, we as women, when the kids need us, our parents need us, our husband or spouse needs us, our partner, we will be right there to take them places, book the appointments for them and everything.
25:14
SPEAKER_00: But what happens to the appointments we might need, like our checkups, our annual visits to this, that, or the other thing, or maybe it's a nail appointment or a massage.
25:24
SPEAKER_00: When do you make your own appointment?
25:26
SPEAKER_00: Is it after everybody else has been taken care of?
25:29
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes we're asking the end of the day to hold far more than it actually can.
25:36
SPEAKER_00: So choose one part of your care and make an arrangement for it.
25:43
SPEAKER_00: Plan for it, get the support or the help that you need.
25:46
SPEAKER_00: You don't have to create an elaborate morning routine here.
25:49
SPEAKER_00: That's not what I'm talking about.
25:51
SPEAKER_00: And you don't have to get people to do every single thing.
25:53
SPEAKER_00: You might just need a lunch break that actually now starts to exist instead of working straight through.
26:01
SPEAKER_00: Or maybe you need a prepared meal, like I was talking about earlier, or a decision about when you're going to cut the work off at the end of the day, or a scheduled time to take your walk.
26:15
SPEAKER_00: For me, this is really a big part of what I consider sustainable success.
26:20
SPEAKER_00: Big part of what I consider limitless living is being able to take care of everything that I want to and myself as part of that.
26:31
SPEAKER_00: I want to build things and accomplish things, tons of things.
26:35
SPEAKER_00: I also know that I need to take care of my body and the life that I have or want to have in order to make all of those things possible and in order to enjoy them.
26:47
SPEAKER_00: Those needs have to appear in the decisions that I make about my week.
26:53
SPEAKER_00: Now, number five, leave room for the week to change because you know it will.
26:59
SPEAKER_00: Things will come up, an appointment will run late, somebody will get sick, a task that you thought would take 10 minutes could take two hours.
27:07
SPEAKER_00: It's just the way life is.
27:10
SPEAKER_00: And this does happen.
27:12
SPEAKER_00: So if every single solitary available minute in your day is already assigned to something, and you have one delay that creates a problem for the rest of the day, you're in trouble.
27:23
SPEAKER_00: And I know this.
27:23
SPEAKER_00: I run very, very tightly with my schedule when I'm seeing clients.
27:30
SPEAKER_00: I build in little cushions because I know there's probably going to be a phone call if it takes, and instead of it taking two minutes, it takes 10.
27:37
SPEAKER_00: It just is the way things go.
27:40
SPEAKER_00: So where you can leave a little space between commitments or keep part of the week available for the unfinished things that you can maybe catch up on the essentials and decide what you're going to simplify if you need to.
27:54
SPEAKER_00: Maybe your dinner will become chicken soup that you can put together really quickly because you've already got a few things prepared for it and you just need to assemble and simmer.
28:04
SPEAKER_00: Maybe the email is going to become shorter.
28:08
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you had six errands on your list to run, but you realize that three of them could wait and you're just going to put them on the not yet list.
28:16
SPEAKER_00: It helps to know which commitments matter most and which ones you can move.
28:21
SPEAKER_00: Otherwise, everything competes for your attention at the very moment that you likely have the least amount of energy or capacity to sort it all out.
28:30
SPEAKER_00: There's also a difference between an occasional disruption and a plan that never fits.
28:35
SPEAKER_00: If you keep reaching Friday with the same important work that is undone, untouched, it's time to really review what you assigned yourself.
28:46
SPEAKER_00: That's a sign you probably need help to execute, to actually get that done.
28:53
SPEAKER_00: Or maybe you just need more time.
28:55
SPEAKER_00: You didn't allow enough time for it.
28:57
SPEAKER_00: Did you need more information from someone to get it done?
29:01
SPEAKER_00: Were you trying to get something done at a time of day when you were just too exhausted to really execute and get it done?
29:09
SPEAKER_00: And use this information as you're going through your weeks to help you plan again, moving forward in the next week.
29:16
SPEAKER_00: If your workload routinely exceeds the available time, I know mine always does.
29:22
SPEAKER_00: My lists, my wants, my goals, my, oh, I want to do this this week is always more than my available time.
29:30
SPEAKER_00: So preparation alone won't solve that for me.
29:33
SPEAKER_00: It won't solve it for you either.
29:36
SPEAKER_00: Preparation will help and it'll help me recognize what I have to keep on the wait list so that I can make the list doable.
29:45
SPEAKER_00: You might need to reduce the commitments like I know I do sometimes.
29:49
SPEAKER_00: You might need to change, of course, how that work is being done, who gets assigned the work, adjust your availability, or just basically get support.
30:00
SPEAKER_00: The point to all this is that you can make your week run a whole lot easier.
30:06
SPEAKER_00: You just need to be honest about how much your week and how much you can genuinely hold.
30:13
SPEAKER_00: On that note, remember, ladies, no is complete sentence.
30:17
SPEAKER_00: No explanation needed.
30:19
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes no is all you need.
30:23
SPEAKER_00: Now let me bring these five things together as we wrap up.
30:27
SPEAKER_00: Look at your real week each week ahead of time.
30:32
SPEAKER_00: Make your meals easier.
30:35
SPEAKER_00: If you don't nourish your body, you cannot execute all the things you need to, and you will break down.
30:41
SPEAKER_00: Choose the work that needs to move forward.
30:45
SPEAKER_00: What genuinely needs to move forward.
30:48
SPEAKER_00: Arrange the care, the support, the help that you might need.
30:53
SPEAKER_00: Leave some room so that you can make adjustments along the way.
30:57
SPEAKER_00: You can easily begin this with just a brief review before the busiest part of your week.
31:03
SPEAKER_00: And here's the thing: your planning doesn't have to happen on Sunday either.
31:06
SPEAKER_00: If your day is going to be better on a Monday or a Wednesday or a Friday, whatever it is, whatever your schedule allows for, just choose a point when you know you have enough time to prepare.
31:17
SPEAKER_00: Look at the calendar and ask, where am I going to be stretched?
31:21
SPEAKER_00: What do I need ready to make this easier?
31:26
SPEAKER_00: What really matters the most this week?
31:29
SPEAKER_00: Who needs to be involved?
31:32
SPEAKER_00: And what can I simplify?
31:35
SPEAKER_00: Then act on each of those answers.
31:37
SPEAKER_00: If you decide you need groceries, arrange the groceries.
31:41
SPEAKER_00: Go get them, ask somebody to pick them up, or order them and have them delivered.
31:45
SPEAKER_00: If someone needs to handle something, ask them.
31:48
SPEAKER_00: If the proposal needs an hour of your attention, find the hour and prepare what you need before then, so that when you have that hour, you're ready to get it done.
32:00
SPEAKER_00: The value here really comes from making those arrangements and being purposeful.
32:05
SPEAKER_00: So here's this week's reset.
32:07
SPEAKER_00: Choose your hardest day in the coming week.
32:11
SPEAKER_00: Before it arrives, arrange three things.
32:15
SPEAKER_00: One meal to nourish you and keep you going, one important work action, and one thing that will support you.
32:22
SPEAKER_00: And here's how simple this could be: it could mean that you pack your lunch, you prepare the materials you need for the meeting, and you arrange for someone else to handle an errand.
32:31
SPEAKER_00: Or it could mean that dinner's already in place, it's ready for you when you get home.
32:35
SPEAKER_00: You just have to heat it up, you've already cooked it, and that you've scheduled one focused work period and that you've kept a realistic finish time.
32:44
SPEAKER_00: Or it could mean putting dinner in place, scheduling a focused work period, and keeping a realistic finish time for something.
32:51
SPEAKER_00: Make it specific to the day you're actually going to have.
32:55
SPEAKER_00: Then afterwards, take a note of what really helped.
32:59
SPEAKER_00: Keep the useful part of it and then just adjust the rest.
33:03
SPEAKER_00: If you'd like my food example, head on over to my free Facebook group, Limitless Living for Women Who Are Becoming.
33:11
SPEAKER_00: Join the group and you can grab the savory crock pot chicken recipe, the five ways to turn it into meals for the week, and the companion nutritional guide.
33:21
SPEAKER_00: You can use it as written or adapted to your household.
33:24
SPEAKER_00: I'd love to hear how you enjoyed it or any additional ideas.
33:28
SPEAKER_00: And I'd love to hear your own answer to this question.
33:33
SPEAKER_00: What or how do you repair ahead of time to make your week noticeably easier?
33:38
SPEAKER_00: You may have something that another person in the group has never even thought to try.
33:43
SPEAKER_00: If you'd like support creating a more workable rhythm for your business and your life, go ahead and visit Fredericadavis.com to explore working with me.
33:51
SPEAKER_00: Reach out.
33:51
SPEAKER_00: You can always email me there as well.
33:54
SPEAKER_00: Now, before you add another task to your week, look at what would help you follow through on the work you've already chosen.
34:01
SPEAKER_00: Have the food ready, know where to begin, ask for help, give yourself a reasonable place in the plan.
34:09
SPEAKER_00: A successful week should include you being able to live through it with some sort of energy left.
34:14
SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for spending this time with me today.
34:17
SPEAKER_00: If someone came to mind while you were listening, share the episode with them.
34:20
SPEAKER_00: And if you haven't left a reading or a review or followed us and subscribed to the show, I would really appreciate it if you would do that right now.
34:28
SPEAKER_00: It helps other people find the show.
34:30
SPEAKER_00: Until next time, be rooted, be resilient, and be limitless.