Maybe it’s the whole winter to spring transition, or the extra sunshine towards the end of the day, but it seems like everyone I know is over-committed lately (myself included). There’s a lot of hustle and bustle going on, with little free time. The more I try to remember and juggle, the less I remember and accomplish. Stress is funny like that (and by “funny” I mean cruel and devastating). So, how do we stay sane when we can’t necessarily slow our collective roll? Here are a few ideas:

Makingmostofyourtime



Have a system. During yesterday’s Tech Thursday, we talked about the benefits of creating systems. You can have a system in place for meal planning, workouts, scheduling- you can systematize just about anything. At Breaking Even, creating detailed documentation for tasks such as building a donation form and installing WordPress, and creating intake forms for website design or social media marketing have made our lives so much easier. In meetings, we can consistently get information we need by following a formula. Before, if Nicole and I separately met with a client, there was a 90% chance we’d come back with different information, because we have different brains that prioritize different things. It’s more effective to have a comprehensive, documented system in place that keeps us organized. That way, we can get the information we need regardless of who is in the meeting.

What areas of your life could use a system? It may be scheduling your hair appointments for the year (a brilliant idea by Nicole) or creating “how-to” documents for tasks. It may take time to get the system in place, but once it’s underway, it saves you time and energy. Fun fact: it also makes delegation possible!



Create a list. And actually use it. I have lost track of the number of times I’ve written a grocery list and left it in the car (which is a bummer, because me going rogue in a grocery store is my budget’s worst nightmare). Similar to having a system, having a list of things to do a) frees up some mental real estate and b) keeps you on track. Prioritizing your to-do list is another helpful way to get through. Keep the most important items at the top. I don’t always hit everything on my to-do list, but I still get a huge sense of relief knowing that the one big thing that had to happen today got done. And I don’t jolt awake in bed at night remembering what I forgot the day before.

One to-do list system we use at Breaking Even is Asana. We can add tasks by project and set due dates. Even if a task doesn’t need to be completed by a certain day, the priority is established. Asana also lets others in the company communicate- Nicole can see if I’ve finished making a Facebook Cover image for a client, and I can see if that weird technical glitch was fixed so I can add pictures to a photo gallery.



Get help when you need it. Having a system and a list may not cut it. If you’re considering cloning yourself and/or researching how to grow extra limbs for efficiency, maybe you just need to take a breather and ask for a hand (a hand that’s attached to someone else, though). At Breaking Even, we have a few people who we ask for help in areas beyond our expertise (Marty from Studio 3 for logos and print work, Colin of Root Deeper for AdWords, the list goes on!). We also have a few other tricks up our sleeve. For instance, the intro clip to our old Tech Thursday videos was actually created by someone Nicole found through Fiverr. Fiverr is an online service where you can ask for something, like a logo or a 15 second intro video, starting at $5. There are hundreds of categories of help to choose from. In terms of asking for advice, there are always Facebook or LinkedIn groups (for creative ideas or technical questions).

One funny example (and an incredibly indirect inspiration for this blog post) was a fly-swatter Nicole and I found today while cleaning in Anchorspace. It’s butterfly shaped and bright yellow (so, pretty awesome). Nicole read on the handle “Swatter you waiting for?” I like to imagine that the fly-swatter makers desperately needed a tagline idea for their company, and made a few phone calls asking for advice.

There are only 24 hours in a day here on Earth. Make the most of them, whether you need to make a list, a system, or a phone call. And, if you’re paralyzed by procrastination (that whole “I have so much to do I cannot even move” complex), I simply ask: Swatter you waiting for?



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