“Everyday is a bank account, and time is our currency. No one is rich, no one is poor, we've got 24 hours each.” --Christopher Rice

 

If there was one thing I could give every smart, ambitious woman it is this:  more time. 

How do you get more time?

You don't.  You start to use it much more wisely.

Deadlines help.  Lists can keep you on track.  But the productivity of smart, ambitious women starts way before we squeeze 2-hour projects in 20-minute time slots.  (And yes, we've all tried that before...)

The real answer is where you decide to focus your time.

Make the decision in the morning and watch how quickly the day comes together.

I understand that kids get sick, deadlines change, people run late.  Those are things you can't control.

What can you control?  Is precisely how you spend your time in the margin.  Consider these few ways to help you accomplish more of where you focus your time:

1. Have a daily planning session with yourself.  (This can be done as part of your morning routine, in the car before you go to work, or the night before.)  Set a routine and stick with it.
2. Write it down.  (The science proves that writing things down helps you stay more focused on the task.)
3. Break down the big goals into small checkpoints to examine your progress.
4. Check your progress throughout the day.  At lunch is a great time to evaluate what comes next. (This is why lists work. You can see where you are in the process.)
5. Give yourself space to accomplish the goal. (No more 20-minutes for the big stuff.)

No one has more time than you.  It's about the choices made and where you put your focus.