Shownotes: http://fizzleshow.co/271

Do you struggle to fit in all your commitments? Is your calendar getting the better of you? Does your schedule make you want to run away from it?

As entrepreneurs we have to manage our time - it is one of the constants in the game. As business owners the open ended nature to our time can be daunting, especially when there is usually so much you could be doing!

In this episode, we talk about a new way to look at your schedule and organize your calendar. By thematizing your day or week you can save loads of time and energy. It is a system that we at Fizzle all use to varying degrees and is flexible enough that you can tailor it to your own needs perfectly.

Here on the show today we are joined by Mike Vardy to help us unpack these concepts of time blocking and calendar themes. Mike is a productivity expert and coach who has built a career around improving the systems we use to get things done.

We also talk about splitting your days and weeks into ‘A’ and ‘B’ categories, the disastrous effects that bad planning can have, transition times, and using your schedule to guide your calendar.

So if you would like to up your productivity massively, decrease stress and just make your whole life better, we guarantee this is an episode you are going to want to check out!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Steph’s implementation of ‘A’ and ‘B’ weeks with her own business. [0:05:46.7]
• The negligence of planning and the later effects of this. [0:09:26.3]
• Slowing down and taking control of your schedule. [0:12:01.2]
• How to space out your transitions from different work modes. [0:13:11.4]
• Defining your days and weeks and including things other than work. [0:18:19.6]
• Using time blocking and creating a framework for theming your week. [0:22:12.8]
• Working backwards naturally from certainties and obligations. [0:25:41.6]
• The theory behind why batching and theming is beneficial. [0:28:50.4]
• Taking control of your life and getting worked by your calendar in the right way. [0:38:04.2]
• Letting your monthly or weekly themes guide and focus your days. [0:40:23.1]
• Reclaiming a week that is getting the better of you. [0:43:39.4]
• And much more!

Tweetables:

“If you don’t own your calendar, your calendar will own you.” — @Fizzle [0:09:02.5]

“Dude you already have goals, we just need to discover what they are!” — @Fizzle [0:27:44.7]

“The calendar is just a grid, that’s all it is. It is something you need to leverage.” — @Productivityist [0:29:56.9]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

• Gusto — https://gusto.com/fizzle
• HoneyBook - https://www.honeybook.com/fizzle
• Fizzle — https://fizzle.co/
• Fizzle Toolkit — https://fizzle.co/toolkit
• Fizzle Goals Course — https://fizzle.co/courses/goals
• Fizzle 80/20 Copywriting Guide — https://fizzle.co/sparkline/writing-copy-for-web
• Fizzle Journaling Course — https://fizzle.co/courses/journal
• Fizzle Roadmap — https://fizzle.co/sparkline/small-business-roadmap-1-clarity
• Fizzle Craft + Commerce — https://fizzle.co/sparkline/craft-commerce
• ConvertKit — https://fizzle.co/convertkit
• Mike Vardy — https://productivityist.com/
• Courage and Clarity Podcast — https://www.courageandclarity.com/
• Jim Rohn — https://www.success.com/profile/jim-rohn
• Asana — https://asana.com/
• OmniFocus — https://www.omnigroup.com/omnifocus
• Ken Burns’ Jazz Series — http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/jazz/home/
• Flow — https://www.amazon.com/Flow-Psychology-Experience-Perennial-Classics/dp/0061339202/
• Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi — https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi-father-of-flow/
• The Five Minute Journal — https://www.amazon.com/Five-Minute-Journal-Happier-Minutes/dp/0991846206
• The Gift — https://www.amazon.com/Gift-Creative-Spirit-Transforms-World/dp/1841959936