#49: My System for Getting it All Done
Are you working harder than ever before, but feel like you’re not making progress?
Do you start each day stressed and end the day stressed and exhausted?
Worried about forgetting about an assignment or dropping a task?
As marketing professionals, and many of us as working moms, we have a lot on our minds all the time. And, these past two years haven’t helped anyone relieve this burden, in fact, it’s made it the worst any of us has experienced.
What if there was a way, a system per se, that provides one central tracking location for everything – work projects to personal events. A way to make measurable progress toward the goals that matter to you, instead of what’s put on your desk? If you could shift from trying to get everything done to get the right things done?
That’s impossible, right?
Wrong. It’s not impossible. It’s not easy, but it’s possible. I know because I have been using a system like this for years.
Let me back up a bit.
I Realized I Needed a Better System
When I became a marketing director back in 2013, my work life went from managing and writing proposals most of the time to being in meetings, lots of meetings, and having to make lots of decisions and answer lots of questions from my staff to keep their work flowing. But I still had my own tasks and assignments to get done.
I was spending 6-7 hours each day on calls and in meetings. And, I had an hour commute each way and I wanted to get home at a reasonable hour because my kids were still young then. That left me with only a few hours to get my stuff done.
I had always had a long to-do list. And, I found that keeping that to-do list written in a little notebook worked best for me. Having one notebook is where I also kept track of my work stuff, house stuff, kid stuff, and volunteer stuff. I am sure some of you out there can relate – we wear many different hats and keeping them all in one place is so very helpful.
Now, I had to start tackling this mile-long to-do list in a different way because I realized that I had maybe an hour before meetings, a few minutes around lunch, and some brief time at the end of the day before running home. So, I started each day by thinking about the 2-3 things I must get done to not drop the ball on my assignments and keep making progress on bigger initiatives. In fact, I began writing these 2-3 must-get-done-today tasks on a brightly colored sticky note that sat on top of my mile-long to-do list.
I still used Outlook and my iPhone calendar to manage all my calendars and our CRM to manage our pursuits, but my little notebook with a sticky was where I housed everything I needed. In fact, I found an old photo of this sophisticated system.
I Started Seeing Progress
This system seemed to work for me so I turned it into a blog article on Marketers Take Flight. I have also presented this little time management system to a few SMPS chapters. I was getting such great feedback I even began designing my own planner that I was going to give to my team and sell to marketing professionals!
How I Discovered the Full Focus System
But fast forward a few years and I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts, Online Marketing Made Easy with Amy Porterfield. She raved about her Full Focus Planner and how she uses it personally and provides it to her team. I was instantly curious because it sounded just like the planner that I was in the process of designing.
I ordered one immediately and was instantly impressed. I opted for the leather standard-sized planner in a beautiful olive color. The planner paper was high quality and felt so great to write on. As a marketing professional, I really appreciated the beautiful stationery, modern aesthetics, and functional design.
More Than Just a Planner
But what I learned right away is that the Full Focus Planner is so much more than a beautiful book. It’s a complete goal-setting and achievement system. It took my itsy, bitsy attempt at managing my tasks and injected steroids into it.
This planner allows a place for me to record my annual goals and have them visible, which is a constant reminder of what I should be focusing on. Then I divide my annual goals into quarterly goals and then, in turn, break those down to my weekly goals and finally daily goals.
It takes my previous 2-3 items on my sticky note and gives me direction on what those daily big three should be. This ensures that I am making progress, even small progress, toward achieving my goals.
This allows me to stay focused on the tasks and assignments that are important to the bigger picture aka my goals and to not worry so much about all the other stuff. Or, to put it another way, it allows me to prioritize the tasks that move the needle, instead of wasting time and energy on ‘busyness’ work like constantly checking emails or social media.
Best of all, my Full Focus Planner has all my goals – work goals, personal goals, family goals, etc., all my tasks, and all my achievements in one location.
Success with the Full Focus System
Over the last two years since I have been using the Full Focus Planner, I have achieved more during this pandemic and with more on my plate than I ever have before. I have switched positions at my day job where I’m leading several new product releases. I have launched the Marketers Take Flight podcast, Facebook group, and The Proposal Pro Course. My husband and I have purchased and renovated three real estate investment properties. And we have faced some scary health setbacks with both my husband and mother-in-law.
I am not telling you to brag, but to emphasize that I wouldn’t have not only been able to keep up with all of these tasks but wouldn’t have come nearly as close to achieving these goals if I didn’t have the structure of the Full Focus System.
Becoming a Full Focus Planner Certified Pro
And because of this, when the Michael Hyatt & Co., the creators of the Full Focus Planner, announced they were introducing a new certification program to become a Full Focus Planner Certified Pro, it was a no-brainer. This system has been my backbone these past two years. I knew I wanted to learn more and then teach others this system to help them achieve their goals – both personal and professional.
I signed up instantly for the training. In fact, I was in one of the first classes! I passed my test and I have been testing out the training on my first student – my husband! If you’re married, you may know how hard it is to teach your significant other something new! But he is enjoying it and starting to have some mindset breakthroughs on his own.
If you are looking for a system to organize your life, not just work, and help you achieve your goals, I cannot recommend the Full Focus Planner highly enough.
What’s Next
Stay tuned because I will be sharing more of the Full Focus System on this podcast, on my social media channels, and in some upcoming training. Make sure you’re subscribed to the show and on the Marketers Take Flight email list, so you don’t miss a thing.
Links mentioned in this episode:
*Note: As a Full Focus Planner Certified Pro, I am also an affiliate. That means that I may receive a commission for purchases made through the links above. However, this does not impact my recommendation for using the Full Focus Planner.
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