Have you ever felt like there just aren’t enough hours in the day?
Between writing, revising, corresponding with agents and editors, marketing, attending or planning book events, plus managing all the admin of running your author business, it can feel like you’re always playing catch-up. Add in kids, partners, pets, family events, chores – oh, and the day jobs that most of us still have – and you might be looking at your calendar weighing the pros and cons of quitting sleeping.
It’s true. There isn’t time to get everything done. But I’ll let you in on three little secrets:
- Not everything matters equally.
- Not everything really needs to get done.
- Not everything that needs to get done needs to be done by you.
When I’m feeling overwhelmed, there’s an exercise I like to do that I learned from my very first business coach Britt Seva. Let’s call it the Busy Grid.
Start with a blank piece of paper or a blank document and divide it into four sections. Label the top two columns “Energized” and “Productive.” Label the bottom two columns “Drained” and “Wasting my Time.”
Next, take some time to think about all of the things you have on your to-do list in an average week. We’re going to categorize all of these items based on how they make you feel. Here’s mine:
Notice that I included things that aren’t on my to-do list but that I tend to end up doing anyway: scrolling social media and playing mobile games.
Our goal is to spend most of our time doing top row activities and minimize our time spent doing things that make us feel drained or like we’re wasting our time. Let’s turn our attention to that bottom row and cross out anything that doesn’t actually need to get done.
Now let’s go through each item in the Drained and Wasting My Time categories. Which of these things can you realistically outsource to somebody else? Maybe you can hire a cleaner or get your groceries delivered. Mark these items with an O.
Of the remaining things on these two lists, which can be made easier? For instance, can you enlist your family to help you with chores or cooking? Can you buy something that makes the task easier, like a robot vacuum or a self-cleaning litter box? Can you sign up for a meal service that cuts down on time spent on cooking and meal planning? If you can’t do any of these things, can you do the task in a different way? Can you do it less often? Mark these tasks with an E.
I’ve done this exercise before, but as you can see, I still found three things I can eliminate entirely, three things I can outsource, and four things I can make easier. I can use a laundry service, get groceries delivered, and eliminate most errands by ordering what I need online. I can make checking email easier by using pre-written responses for the most common questions and situations, and I can make cooking easier by buying more frozen meals. (To be honest, that’ll save me money on DoorDash, too.)
The way each activity makes you feel can change over time. For instance, cooking used to be in my “productive” category, because in perfect circumstances I love to cook – but lately it’s started to feel like just one more thing to do. Come back to this exercise any time you’re starting to feel like you have too much on your plate, and see what you can change.
Now that you have a plan for how to redistribute your time, stick to it. Start making changes this week and see how much more time you have for the things you really want to be doing!