Carving out time to do what I want + the power of small, consistent steps

The first week of July was rough. I spent the majority of June traveling and spending time with family and friends, but I had a lot of work to catch up on when I got back.

Every Friday, I make a list in Apple Notes for the following week with tasks for each day. My daily lists kept getting longer and longer and I was having a hard time keeping up.

On Friday, I time blocked my afternoon. If you’re not familiar with time blocking, it goes a little something like this:

• Make a list of what you need to do for the day (or a portion of the day)
• Add a time that you’ll do each task (I like half hour or hour increments)
• Build in time for checking email, taking shorts breaks and eating
• Stick to the schedule

When I remember to time block, it works out really well.

At the end of the day though, I decided to put off the last task (client work that could wait) in favor of something I really wanted to do — review my last 12 (actually 9) Week Year and set my goals and tactics for the next 12 Week Year.

I recorded a video, created a playlist with my other videos and updated my signup forms.

These videos are behind an email signup because they’re a little bit personal and I don’t necessarily want the whole of the internet to see them, but I do want to share with people who are interested. (If that’s you, learn more about the videos and sign up here.)

This is just something I like doing. I believe in the power of figuring out where you want to go and taking small, consistent steps to get there.

What do you think about time blocking and/or goal setting? I’d love to hear from you.

P.S. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about this newsletter. I advertise it as “monthly tips about the web, email marketing and lead generation” but realize I hardly ever write about those things. This month, I’m carving out some time to think about what I’m actually doing here and what you can expect. If you have any thoughts or feedback, hit reply and let me know.