How is your week faring? Have you planned each day Monday through Sunday and jotted down each appointment (yourself included) (in pencil), for your exercise, family, kids, hobbies and have you blocked time for your work in your agenda/planner? People have asked me, now that I am an entrepreneur, a wedding planner and designer and out of corporate life, how do I spend my days? My gosh - shock set in. Is it not clear and obvious what i do? I guess not – they don’t see me any more running to my car to be at work and on time, nor carrying my bag of lunch that is bobbling for a spot on top of my briefcase. You know what? They need to see my agenda/planner.
It took "some time" to know how to "spend my time" in my business. In the beginning I was “reacting” to bookings, consultations, appointments, lunches, instead of planning for them. Looking back, I wish I had put all my systems in place beforehand. Since those first days I have now become a master organizer, my thinking is clearer, sharper, I focus on each project with deep concentration. I do not allow interruptions. Have more energy, and I look forward to each and every day. How? My agenda/planner.
I update my agenda each Sunday. I am a visual type so I keep my agenda in paper format (Moleskin). I also keep a handheld electronic (Blackberry) calendar that I update on the road but then transfer to paper when back at my office. By Sunday evening around 5:00PM I know where I am going to be for the following week, if not the entire month. I leave open several blocks of one hour time slots for last minute client consults and changes in time for client meetings. Some juggling does occur – but I try not to juggle too much.
My days are busier than ever as I am doing “everything” to grow my business. That includes keeping my agenda/planner current. I am self motivated and self propelled each day. I find I do a lot of positive self talk in silence, out loud and in the car and between meetings and projects. I have learned to be “tough minded” – something I learned to do and practice from a former “great boss of mine” (thanks Tim). To be an entrepreneur you have to be tough on yourself – and you have to write everything down – somewhere – let’s start with your agenda/planner. Are you tough minded?
This is how my agenda looks most days - like you, I need an hour of some type of aerobic exercise, some lifting. Household chores and errands I get out of the way in the AM and then right about 9:30AM I start with phone calls for a couple of hours, lunch is with a vendor or with a client and after lunch I go straight to my calendar and review my “chunked schedule”. My calendar consists of an hour or two for Vendor Meetings; Marketing Meetings: sales, networking, database management, Client Management; Research and Merchandising; Web and E-Commerce and Publishing: Blogs, Web, Twitter, Ning. E-Letters, etc. In the PM: Networking; Studio Kitchen (when we have a catering job) Client Dinners, Event Management. By the end of the day I spend an hour on reflection and gratitude.
So now a have a solid schedule I can proudly share with my friends – they have stopped asking me what I do all day.
Guess What?
They now all want to work for me. To be continued….
Here's to Bonne Planning!
Joanna
P.S. I like Google Calendar
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