Do you ever feel like there’s just “not enough time” for what you want and need to do?
Are you wishing you had “more time” for your business, your exercise routine, your loved ones, or whatever it is that you’re just not getting enough of?
Or are you just feeling overall overwhelmed and underproductive?
I get that. And I’ve felt that way too, many times throughout my life. But here’s the thing…
“How you spend your time defines who you are.”
You know who said that?
Oprah Winfrey.
Now, there’s a woman who uses her time wisely!
So think about how you’ve been using your time lately, and ask yourself… is this who you want to be?
Don’t get me wrong, though. I definitely am NOT suggesting that you do more with your time — in fact, you’re probably already doing too much.
But what I AM suggesting is that you work on your relationship to time.
Because the key to Million Dollar Behavior is the conscious and intentional treatment of time: how you spend it, how you save it, and how you maximize it.
So, how can you improve your relationship with time?
First thing’s first — you need data.
Just like you can’t understand how to make money without understanding how you spend it, you can’t find out how to maximize your time without fully grasping how you use it.
Enter: The Two Week Time Study.
Does it sound boring? Yes.
Could it potentially change your life and your relationship to time forever though?? Also yes.
After completing the time study, and maybe even while you're going through it, you’ll begin to notice where your time is being lost, misused, and drained.
That's some good-ass data. Data you can use to make new, million dollar decisions about how to use your time.
So, here’s how it works:
1. On a notepad, in a spreadsheet, or wherever works best for you, keep track of everything you do for two weeks straight.
For example:
- 6 – 6:30 — morning routine
- 6:30 – 7:10 — checking + replying to emails
- 7:10 – 8:30 – walk dogs, housework, breakfast, shower
- 8:30 – 8:45 — reviewing financials
- 8:45 – 8:55 — scrolling through IG
Etc. Etc. For greatest accuracy, I recommend you do this in 15-minute intervals, recording how you just spent the previous 15 minutes.
I also recommend you set up your note taking with spots to record your Energy (did this activity feel draining or constructive?) and your Focus (how would you categorize this activity? Strategic? Tactical? Home care? Self care? Choose categories that make the most sense for you).
As you write down each activity, note down a + or a – for your energy, and note what category it falls into.
Be as specific as possible, so you can have a clear vision of how you’re spending every minute once the two weeks are up.
2. Record one main discovery about your relationship with time each day.
Looking at the data at the end of your day, consider what it reveals about your relationship to time.
As you read over all the tasks you did, your energy levels and activity categories, think about what’s working well, and in which parts of the day you’re most effective. Be honest with yourself about which tasks you have no business doing. Consider where you spend more time than you thought you would (or should).
Then, each day, write down one main takeaway about how you’re using your time, and how that affects your life and your business.
3. At the end of the two weeks, set aside an hour to review your time study as a whole.
Review your 14 main takeaways from the study. In a journal or in a doc somewhere, ask and thoughtfully answer the following questions:
- What are three time-maximizing changes you can make in the next 90 days? Be specific.
- What will you delegate? Consider those tasks that are draining your energy and could be done better or more easily by someone else. Then make a plan to never do them again.
- Which days and/or times of day are best for creating time blocks to accomplish focused work? Hint: it’s less when your schedule allows, and more when you’re at your best.
- What boundaries do you need to set in order to claim blocks of time for your most valuable work?
- What boundaries do you need to set in order to claim rest and renewal time?
- Why do you want to be more intentional and strategic with your time?
- What do you need to believe in order to take the necessary actions this time study yielded?
- What’s most likely to get in your way as you take these actions? What do you need to remember to take the actions anyway?
At the end of this time study, you’ll have the insight, clarity, and motivation you need to make empowering changes in your everyday life.
You’ll see where you need to let go of low-priority tasks immediately, and which parts of your days are ideal for your most valuable tasks (e.g. money-generating activities, self-care activities, personal growth activities, etc.).
For example, maybe you’ll discover that you’re spending 2 hours a week on laundry. You realize that if you outsource to a laundry drop-off service, you could use those extra hours to uplevel your exercise routine instead (something you’ve been wanting to do for like…ever). Score.
Or, maybe you’ll realize that you’re currently using your prime-time hours — those 90 minutes in the morning when you have the most energy, brain waves on 100, feeling like a genius, etc. — to answer emails. But when you think about it, you could answer those emails just as well at 3:00 pm. Working on your business strategy though? That should be a prime-time activity. Schedule reorganized. Check.
The results of the study might even give you a cold-bucket-of-water wake up call — perhaps you realize that you’re spending nearly all your time putting out fires at work, and taking care of others at home. And amidst all that, you’re making no time to take care of yourself. With the data laid out in front of you, it’s never been clearer that you need to set some boundaries, and reclaim your time (and your life).
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, underproductive, and overall like you could be using your time better, a time study will give you the data you’ve been missing…
…so you can create the time you need, to build the life you want.
Happy studying!
xo,
Rachel
PS. If you run a business with employees, time studies are a great way to understand where everybody’s time is going, make changes as needed, and reduce overwhelm at work. In fact, here at Hello Seven we JUST finished a two-week study. I’m so excited to look at the results and get clarity on how we can maximize our time, so we can do even more great things together as a team.
PPS. Want more specific guidance, templates, and workbooks to do your time study? You can get all that in We Should All Be Millionaires: The Club. Get on the waitlist so you can be the first to know the next time we open the Club doors!
