I know it’s cold. It 4 degrees here. Florida is looking pretty good right now—and this week hubs and I are getting away for a quick weekend in Orlando for my birthday. Which means I have three days to get all my work for a week done.
Yikes. Time to grab my planner…
So, how do you knock it out of the park on a short week? Or any week, really?
I have four quick tips for you today to think about as you build your power blocks and move forward to win the day (or week!)
- Put the fires out first: Every day I have a list of things I need to accomplish, based on my values and my goals. But there are also fires burning, right? So, my first power block is dedicated to the Fires That Must be Extinguished (or fed, depending on how you view it).This is an hour of power where I focus on calls, or emails, or blogging, or making dinner or laundry or whatever it is that is an inferno.
- Prioritize your Top 3. After the fires are out, look at your list. What are your TOP 3 priorities? You might prioritize by easiest to hardest. Or from long-term to short term. I usually prioritize the thing that must be done today first. A blog. A letter. Then, I take a look at my first big deadline. What bite can I take out of that? And finally, what is a long-term goal I can tackle? The key is to spread things out and take a small bite out of them every day.
- Aim small, miss small. Want to really feel accomplished? Make a micro-goal for today that is connected specifically to one of your core values. If I JUST get this one thing done, I’ll have rocked it. One small goal, one small bulls-eye. Sometimes it’s one of the priorities. Sometimes it’s something different. My goal today? Have coffee with a long-time friend I haven’t connected with for a while. one of my values is friendship).
- Celebrate your Wins! What does success look like for you? This is the question you need to ask yourself as you attack each day. I like to end my day with highlighting all the things I got done…or even writing myself a little hooray note at the end of my day. You rock, {{ subscriber.first_name }}, because you did….(fill in your win!!)
For example, today, I did email for an hour, took care of bills and calls and paid some bills. Now, my first priority is writing to you all. Then, I’ll sneak out for coffee with my friend (power block 1) then I’ll come back and I’ll work on a proposal for an upcoming series, (power block 2), and finally, I’ll finish the day plotting an upcoming book. (power block 3).
Simply. Focus. Make small goals. Identify your win. Use your powerblocks wisely and give yourself grace. You’re going to have a great week!
Your story matters! Go, write something brilliant!
Susie May
P.S. Not sure what powerblocks are? You can discover more about powerblock planning and other tips and tricks on how to build a brilliant writing career through our Brilliant Year Strategy course. By the course for the amazing price of $39.99 and get a planner free!!
check it out here: https://www.mybrilliantwritingplanner.com/course