Episode 3 – How To Design Your Day For Success

Loree Philip: 00:02

Hi, and welcome to the Daring to Leap podcast. I am your host, Loree Philip. I am so excited to dive into this week's episode with you. So on this week's episode, I'm going to teach you how to design your day for success so that you can elevate yourself from the busyness of the day and make progress on the things that will actually make a difference in your career and your projects. 

Loree Philip: 00:30

So let's get started. So this one is one of those topics that we've all been there. Imagine your day. You come in, your schedule is already booked from the morning to the afternoon. You've got a laundry list of emails to get through, and before you know it, it's the end of the day and nothing got done. 

Loree Philip: 00:58

Now, this situation happens all the time. So how do we elevate ourselves from this situation and find the time to focus and the energy to tackle the actions that will actually make a difference in your project or your job? 

Loree Philip: 01:22

So that's what we're going to tackle here today. I've got five steps for you to consider on how we can design your day for success from the beginning. And this will help you be more strategic, more intentional, get the things done on your plate because that's what you're there to do. 

Loree Philip: 01:44

So the first one is to get really clear about your priorities, both the larger goals and the smaller ones. Evaluate it every day. What I want you to do is when you think about what are your priorities and you think about, okay, this year my goals and objectives in my position are this, and these are the projects I need to get done those types of things right. 

Loree Philip: 02:10

And those are the ones that are going to make a difference. That you're getting evaluated on, that your bosses are expecting from you. And those ones need to be in the forefront of, of your mind as you come into your day-to-day, because you're going to get caught up in all the demands from everybody else on their priorities. 

Loree Philip: 02:31

So you want to be really clear about that. And what I challenge you to do is include your personal priorities in the list and values like your health, your family commitments, things like that, because at the end of the day, those are important and those will help make you a better professional and leader in your career. 

Loree Philip: 02:55

So once you've got your list, I'd like for you to create a small amount of space in your calendar to plan. It doesn't have to be an hour, it could be 15 minutes. And usually the best time for this is in the morning or at the end of the day.

Loree Philip: 03:10

And this is going to be a daily habit because things shift around. And when you have that space in your calendar, you can take the time to plan, look at your list. When will you find the time to take those steps towards that list, to making progress on your priorities? 

Loree Philip: 03:31

And this is the few minutes you'll have to evaluate your calendar and figure out, when am I going to do this. You have to schedule it with yourself, you just decide, make appointments, things like that. 

Loree Philip: 03:44

The next thing is really important and probably the hardest thing to do on this list, and that is practice saying no to new actions. Requests and projects that do not align with your priorities. Your time is valuable. 

Loree Philip: 04:04

I'm going to repeat that. Your time is valuable. And you can't always say no, I get it. But you can take that step, when something new comes across your desk, something new comes through. Just take a few minutes and think about do I have the bandwidth to do this? 

Loree Philip: 04:26

Do I want to do it? Is it in alignment with my goals and priorities? And make an informed decision on whether or not you're going to take on that new assignment, meeting, whatever it is, action. And you may have to re-prioritize your list if you decide, hey, this is great, I'm going to do it. 

Loree Philip: 04:44

But you can't do everything, because if you do everything, none of it is going to be done well. And I'll repeat, your time is valuable, so it's not any less valuable than anybody else's. And this is a good habit to start practicing. 

Loree Philip: 05:03

The next thing I'd like for you to consider doing here in Designing Your Day for success is to review each meeting, and meeting request with an eye toward do I really need to be in this meeting? Does it align with my priorities? 

Loree Philip: 05:18

If not, cancel it. Ask to be removed if you can delegate it, if it's possible. I tell you, meetings are such a time suck during the week, especially if you are not going to get anything out of it and do not need to be there. 

Loree Philip: 05:34

Focus that time and your energy. And don't forget your energy on something else, something more important. And the last step in Designing your Day is to set boundaries on your work. When will you end your day?

Loree Philip: 05:55

And it doesn't have to be so hard and fast. But for the most part, on an average day, when will you end your day? And if you allow yourself to disconnect and take that break, you will have more time and energy at work and you'll be able to also focus on your personal priorities that are important. 

Loree Philip: 06:22

So, just to recap, we talked about five things you can do to design your day for success. Get really clear on your priorities, to create a small amount of space in your calendar to plan. Three, practice saying no to new actions, requests and projects that do not align with your priorities. 

Loree Philip: 06:48

Four, review each meeting, and meeting request with an eye towards do I really need to be there? And five, set boundaries on your work. This will take some practice, but as you move forward, intentionally focusing on your priorities, you will be spending more of your time on what is important and less time on what everyone else throws at you. 

Loree Philip: 07:16

In the moment, you are going to be more strategic, a person who gets results, and just see how people will start to notice. Thank you so much for listening to this episode. If you've enjoyed it, I would love for you to subscribe, leave a review and share it with a friend. Until next time.