Welcome Jess Halbert, lawyer, mindset coach, speaker, and busy mom. If you're caught up in the holiday bustle, this is a great time to become a time management ninja! We'll dive into a practical step-by-step strategies with Jess.

One of the things that is really important on our journey is to not try to please everyone. Especially as women, we are programmed to want to make everyone happy somehow or we fail. It's a societal thing. It's programmed in and leads to what I want to talk about tonight. As a general topic, we need to be OK with not pleasing everybody all the time. We need to be OK with cherry picking what needs to get done, prioritizing, and letting go of the guilt that goes with it. So many of us get good at prioritizing but have so much guilt in saying "no" that we feel like we are letting people down or not the ideal girl we are supposed to be, and that is hogwash.

This is the time of year when time management skills, in my opinion, become more important than ever. Time management and planning are what make the difference between the next two months from being something that you are happy with and comfortable with on the path to success and goals for 2020, or where you spiral, fall apart, and beat yourself up because you not only fell off your goals, but you didn't achieve things or make the people happy in your life that you wanted to. So much of that comes to time management. This time of year, a lot is being asked of us.

We've talked about the fourth quarter idea in previous talks, and what we need to do to get the ball rolling to hit our first quarter goals. One of the things we need to do is time management. We really need to get in there and gritty with our time management. We need to not apologize when we make necessary decisions that are going to help our success.

I'm going to share with you how I do it, and a couple of pitfalls that I really want to help you avoid as we go into a busy holiday season, a busy time of school year, a busy time for businesses . . . busy, busy, busy, busy . . . this time of year is busy, busy, busy; it's crazy. We have to get real about what our goal and focus is.

We don't want to lose sight of what we want in 2020, but we need to be diligent and accepting of the fact that this time of year is, in fact, more challenging. This time of year, more is going on. Does this mean we abandon our goals? Absolutely not. Does that mean we try to do everything until we wear ourselves into the ground until we're useless to everyone around us? Also no. What it means is we need to get really smart and savvy about our time management.

Whether you have a physical, wellness, financial, or business goals, time management is where it is at.

Right away, I'm going to get rid of the first pitfall. Do not think time management is time management perfection. Nobody has time management perfection. What time management is is a plan, not a cemented into the ground path. It is a plan. Time management allows us to have in place the skills, tools, and layout we need to move toward success. It does not mean that we have something so fixed in sharpie that we have to throw it out and start over. It doesn't mean that. This time of year needs agility and flexibility, but we cannot have agility and flexibility if we're not able to ebb and flow. You cannot have the ebb, flow, and flexibility that you need to be really successful if there's not a plan there first. You can't be flexible with your plan if there's not a plan.

We're going to talk about how I do time management, and hopefully this is a skillset that will help some of you. You might not find it useful, but I do think it's really important that we share our best tips and practices. Here are mine.

I'm very big on calendaring. My husband and I sit down once a week to pull out our calendars and make sure that we are in sync. Make sure that I didn't just tell him that Finn has a doctor's appointment on Tuesday that's not in the calendar. Make sure that he didn't remind me that he has a class, but I didn't note it down. We open up our calendars. We take nothing for granted. We don't assume the other knows anything. This is a tip for your kids and co-workers too. This isn't just about spouses. With my spouse, this has been night and day since we started doing this by not being frustrated by taking things for granted or not getting schedules correct. Once a week on Sundays, we sit down and pull out the calendars to look at the week and the next month. We make sure that anything that's on one calendar is also on the other. Appointments, parties, birthdays, travel . . . it's vital to everyone in my house to know when I'm leaving and coming back. We put down the things that are set and beyond our control.

Then, every Sunday night, I map out my week. What does my week look like? You can't skip the step of the reality of what you have going on in a given week. Look at the week infant of you and say "here's what I'm working on right now." I'm working on my fitness goals; I'm working on my business. I'm trying to get Christmas shopping done. Whatever you're trying to do . . . then you need to time block.

You've already got your family core and cannot-move-them-things on your calendar. Then add the other things that are part of your lifestyle that you do every week that are non-negotiable. For example, if you go to church every Sunday morning, block off that time on your calendar. If you have dinner with your mom every Wednesday night, block that out. If you have a class you teach at the local YMCA, block that out. Get in there and put everything in there that is non-negotiable and already set to happen on your calendar. Then you get a real picture of what your week looks like.

Next, I figure out my workouts. I find that if I treat my workouts as a real appointment, I honor them as such. If you're a food prepper, put that on your calendar. You want to calendar all of it. If you work a traditional corporate job, block out those hours. Your 9-5 is dedicated to something else; block it out.

Then look at your week. You have your non-negotiables, your fitness goals, your working hours, appointments, things I do with my son . . . now where are my gaps? I call them goal gaps. Oh wow, Monday night I have nothing; that would be a really good time to sit down and tackle some business goals, or some things I'm trying to get out the door. Oh, look, Friday is a really light day for work. Maybe I could leave a little early and get errands done. You map it out. If you are doing an Isagenix business, for example, schedule it like you would any other appointment. You need to put it on there to hold you accountable.

Here's the secret: nothing is going to go perfectly according to plan. Accept it. Don't worry about it when you're mapping out your schedule. As your week goes on, touch base with your calendar. Am I getting done what I said I would get done? For example, Monday my mom had an emergency and I didn't get those two hours; is there somewhere else I can put it in my calendar? It's not a matter of meeting every single one of those appointments, but rather being aware when you miss them. Agility doesn't happen if you don't know you're off plan in the first place. Did I accomplish what I set out to do, and if I didn't is there someplace else I can make up for that? If not, is it something I need to be doubly aware of next week to make sure I get it in?

So many of us are running along that we don't necessarily truly connect with what we are doing and not doing. Since we're running along busy, it's easy to say "yeah, I put a ton of work in, why didn't I get my results?" It's like somebody who thinks they're eating really healthy, but when they track their food for a week they realize they were eating three meals of overage in certain categories. When you actually track your food, you go "wow, I didn't realize I was eating 400 extra calories of empty nourishment food." It's the same way with time management. If you don't put it down, you don't realize what you're missing. You don't realize what you're failing to accomplish because when your busy you feel like you did everything you possibly could, but wonder why your goals haven't come true. Were you busy with the right things?

I look at the calendar and say I had a serious goal to do 8 hours this week. What did I do that limited that? It might be my uncle in the hospital, or my best friend in trauma, or my kid being sick; sometimes it's real stuff. Sometimes its "I really thought I was busy, but I wasted time doing X, which really doesn't get me any closer to my goals." I decided to clean my T-shirt drawer, which really doesn't need to be done when I'm super behind in connecting with people that I help with health and wellness. You need to be honest with yourself. The only way to take that honest account in is to have a plan. It's not about perfection. Once in a blue moon, I have one of those weeks where I check it all off and feel like a rockstar. But that is once in an actual blue moon; it almost never happens. It is so rare, but I do know what I'm missing. I know if I'm on track. I know if I'm on plan.

The other thing it shows me are trends. I'm a data girl. I love science; I love analytics; I love data. If you look at your calendar over the past few weeks and say "wow, every Wednesday night when I try to get my workout in, something comes up at the office that holds me and I keep missing my workout, OK." Maybe Wednesday night is not a good time for a workout for you. Maybe by looking at your calendar you develop an understanding of days that are likely to be more hectic or interrupted. When something is falling off your calendar too often, it is time to re-evaluate. Are you setting yourself up to fail? I see this all the time. Once in a while, it is OK to dial back and be realistic, but be consistent and purposeful in your goals. If I find small chunks where I can get even four hours in, it's way more efficient than being frustrated by scheduling eight and saying "screw it; I'll get back to it next week." When we set ourselves up for failure by overextending ourselves, we set ourselves up for frustration.

In time management, we also learn where we need to say no. I never say yes right away; I say, "let me look at my calendar." I start to realize things I say yes to that guarantee veering off course. "Hey do you want to go somewhere Saturday afternoon?" But, I know Saturday afternoon, I get in two hours of catching up on work between morning and evening family activities. I'm going to say no because I know 1-4 on Saturdays is either family time, chores, or catching up on work. I needed to start saying no, unless it was something over-the-top awesome. If I give away that time, I know I'm setting myself up to fail later in the week. Sometimes time management means saying no to something you want to do. Sometimes time management is knowing that you have too much going on right now, so you shouldn't add your plate. It sounds fun; it sounds great; it may actually contribute to a goal I have next year, but is it path with what I'm trying to do right now? It's not on my goal path with what I'm trying to do today.

Try this; even if it is for just two or three days. Map out your day; really time block. Take two seconds at the end of each day to see if you really did it.

• Did I adhere?
• Where did I go off course?
• If I went off course, is it something I can pick up or adapt in the week, or did I make it really hard for myself?
• What did I do?

You learn so much about yourself through time management activities, that it ends up not having to do with time management. It ends up having to do with being honest with yourself about what you're doing and how you're using your time. Is it efficient? Are you over extending? Those lessons are phenomenal.

There are days I look at my calendar and say "oh my gosh, I got everything done." I was super efficient; I knew what my goals were; I got it done and I'm not going to feel bad about watching half an hour of TV.

I can also be just as busy in a thirteen hour day and say, "I didn't get jack done. Oh my gosh; where did I go wrong?"

You learn so much through time management. Colors and blocking are not it. It's learning where your time is actually going; learning where your value is actually existing, and learning what you need to say no to and how to set up your day to ensure your success.

If you're one of those people that gets your "go vibe" at 8 PM when you put the kids to bed, then that is where you should put your most energetic and need focused activities. If you're the person that by that time of night has Swiss cheese brain and feel like a bump on a coach, then maybe your day should be aligned to the morning. You don't know this until you start really evaluating yourself. It's such a great mirror. It's a great way to look at "am I going for what I want to go for instead of just being busy? Am I being diligent with diligent and realistic with my time? Am I being wise to set myself up for success?" If I'm continually failing to meet my time management goals on Fridays, I need to figure out what about Friday, or what from Friday I can move to another day of the week.

It is a game changer when you start doing this activity, and everybody in your life will like you more because when you have a plan and know what is on your plate, you are calmer. There is a sense of "I know what I have. Maybe I don't get it done every day, but I know what I expect of myself. I know what I'm trying to get out of that day." Just that peace of mind versus "OMG, I have so much to get done; where am I going to start; how am I going to do it . . ." Who wants their brain running like that?

In my job, I work in a job where crazy stuff happens throughout the day all the time that completely throws my day off. I still time block there too. I really need to time block to catch up on things I owe people administratively, so I time block a chunk. Now if a huge emergency comes up, do I move it on my calendar? Sure. But, I set myself up for a better likelihood of getting it done because I blocked my calendar for a couple of hours. I know that time is on there; I see it; other people are not as likely to schedule because they see it blocked; boom; I got it done because I made space for it. Just don't get tied to it being perfect. Don't get tied to "I have to map this out, and if I can't figure out every single detail, its an exercise of futility." It's not. It is an exercise in learning, understanding your schedule and how you best process your time, and figuring how to set yourself up for success with the least amount of stress and craziness.

I want everybody to time block for 2-3 days this week. At the end of each day, look at it and do a little self analysis and see what you can learn. If you can nail time management during the crazy season ahead and be realistic, yet diligent about what you want to try to do, the stress that comes out of the season is amazing. It's a gift you give yourself. So, try it. If you have something different, share that too. We come back; we answer questions. We all have great tips in this space. I think I'm a good resource to help a lot of people, but its not for everybody. If something really works for you, share it with the group.

One more thing that helps me 365 days/year is having accessible, portable, and convenient nutrition options. It's not about being perfect. During the holiday season we want to make the best choices we can by making it easy on ourselves. I've been partnered with Isagenix for 10 years now for that reason. I used to be a customer that needed nutrition that married with my moral compass of what nutrition should and should not be with convenience and efficacy. At this time of year, I really reach for the Isagenix. The company does have many specials for the holiday right now—special flavors, just released CBD products, special packages just for the holidays. It fits right in with time management by making things easier where you can. Isagenix has done that for me. Whether you want to reach out based on those products or other questions reach out on Instagram, Facebook, or e-mail.

Side note: Jess' favorite Isagenix are a mix of the Mocha and Sea-salt caramel, but her new obsession is collagen bone broth. This time of year (in the depths of winter) I can put this savory option into a mug and it is a game changer. It keeps me from ravaging the cabinets. The herb chicken flavor sourced from grass-fed cows is now a daily regimen.

Feel free to reach out to Jess on Instagram or Facebook. You can also e-mail her at [email protected].