Want to cut
your work hours in half? Create an A/B schedule
If you try and do too many different types of work on the same
day, you’re making it hard for yourself.
Entrepreneurs wear many hats.
As a coach who works with a lot of business
owners and solopreneurs, I’ve seen my clients do everything from marketing to
idea generation to logistical firefighting. Often, they’re doing all these
things on the same day, if not the same hour. That makes about as much sense as
actually balancing, wearing, and placing a stack of hats on your head at the
same time. So I tell my clients, they need to put on one hat–one role–at a
time, and adopt an A/B schedule.
I do this myself, dividing my schedule
between “A” and “B” weeks for different types of work. Working this way has cut
my hours almost in half, and has allowed me to run a nearly seven-figure business
in just 20 hours a week. Even better, I feel more energized at the end of every
day.
LIFE BEFORE AND AFTER AN A/B SCHEDULE
The formal name for this type of schedule is “context
switching.” I discovered just how big an impact it
can have on your productivity when I worked as a coordinator overseeing autism
programs at two schools in a particular district. Each school had its character
and needs, and I found that if I tried to visit both each day I rushed through
my prep and ended the day exhausted. Each time I switched schools, I drained my
energy.
To plug these energy leaks, I developed a
schedule in which I visited one school on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and
the other on Tuesdays and Thursday. Suddenly everything changed. I knew ahead
of time where I’d be each day, which let me prepare thoroughly and get in the right
headspace for each. I was better at my job, and I felt better doing it.
These days, I work with CEOs, and alternate
weeks rather than days. Each month I set aside two weeks for my group work with
new entrepreneurs who require basic support, and two weeks for long-term VIP
clients who are further along in their professional journeys. This provides
consistency for my clients, who know in advance when I’ll be available for
sessions. It also allows me to work efficiently and bring the right type of
energy for each kind of client.
This approach limits scheduling headaches and
helps me feel phenomenal at the end of the day. But more than that, it has
improved my results. Now, I manage to get all my client work done in just 12-15
hours a week and my administrative work in another 5-8 hours, which leaves me
plenty of time to focus my energy on dreaming up new products and find the
right market for them. I no longer try to shoehorn backend tasks into the
cracks in my day or think creatively late at night when I’m exhausted.
HOW TO SET UP YOUR OWN A/B SCHEDULE
Of course, setting up a method that worked
for me and my current business took some time and tinkering. You’ll probably
learn that you’ll have to test a few things before landing on a system that
suits you.
To get started, I recommend taking the
following steps:
1. Examine your current schedule: Look closely at how many hours you’re spending on
each task, or the role your work demands. Then imagine what it would look and
feel like if you put each into its own block, day or week. Could you put all
your meetings in one or two days? Reserve one day a week for deep, creative
thinking? Would an alternate-week schedule like mine work best for you?
2. Communicate: Once you’ve decided what sort of schedule blocking might work for
you, be sure to communicate your new approach in advance to your clients and
colleagues. No one should be taken by surprise when they can’t reach you at a
specific time for a particular type of task.
3. Tinker: It took me a while to figure out the exact pace and rhythm that
suited my business and me. You’ll probably experience the same thing. Expect
the first thirty days of any new schedule to involve lots of trial and error.
4. Keep your health in mind: Remember, the goal of developing an A/B schedule is
to feel great about your work at the end of the day. If you sit at your desk
for eight hours straight, you’re not going to feel great. Make sure you build
adequate rest breaks, movement, and time for healthy eating into your schedule.
For every two hours of work, I schedule a 20-minute movement break in my
calendar.
Every entrepreneur starts his or her business
with particular aims in mind–the people they want to serve, the problems they
want to solve, and the goals they want to reach. Fulfilling this purpose
demands a lot of energy. If you’re constantly
switching tasks, you’re leaking that precious energy. Save
that effort. Set up an A/B schedule, and you can get more done with more power
to spare.
BY ANDEE LOVE https://www.fastcompany.com/90305012/how-to-cut-your-work-hours-in-half?utm_source=postup&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Fast%20Company%20Daily&position=6&partner=newsletter&campaign_date=02182019
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