Live Life Better - Exploring how faith, family, and business work together.

#30: How I Accomplish More By Doing Less…And Spend More Time With My Family [podcast]

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As a mid-level manager, seminary student,speaker, podcaster, husband, and father, it’s extremely easy for me to get overwhelmed.

In fact, it was just a few weeks ago that I did hit a wall. My passion for podcasting was running low, my patience wasn’t where it needed to be with my family, and I was coming close to simply burning out.

That’s what led me to create what I call an Annual Plan.

 

Three Benefits of an Annual Plan
  1. Provide a glimpse of the future – I can know what it coming up when, and what to expect. This is useful not just for me podcasting, but also coordinating dates with my wife.
  2. Makes room for other things in life – By knowing how heavy or light my workload is, I can better determine what I can ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to as opportunities present themselves.
  3. Ensure a balanced life – The visual element of the Annual Plan shows me how my time is being spent on a regular basis.
    4. How You Can Make Your Own Life Plan

    I’ve created a free excel spreadsheet for you to download. It’s already pre-populated with my own calendar, so you can edit the items and change the colors as needed.

    It’s divided into quarters:

    • Q1: Jan, Feb, Mar
    • Q2: Apr, May, Jun
    • Q3: Jul, Aug, Sep
    • Q4: Oct, Nov, Dec

      • I list the non-negotiables first. These are items that I either have little control over, or am unwilling to change. Here are my personal ones:

      • Work
      • Family time
      • Exercise

        • After you’ve entered your non-negotiables, list your negotiable items. These are things like hobbies and personal projects:

        • Podcast
        • Youtube video creation
        • Mastermind group
        • Coaching
        • Speaking

          • You can download the spreadsheet here for free. If you’ve found it useful, feel free to share it with your friends.

          Resources
          • A special thanks to my producer, Justin Medley
          • Invite me to speak at your next event!
          • Entrepreneur On Fire
            • How have you created more margin in your life?
            ...more
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            Live Life Better - Exploring how faith, family, and business work together.By Philip Devine: Empowering Men to Lead Their Families