34 - My Secrets To Fitting It All In

If you're like me, your life is a juggling act of diverse responsibilities that extend beyond the typical mid-career professional load. Between a demanding day job, family commitments, and everything else you've got, life is a whirlwind. I certainly wouldn’t have it any other way!

A question I get asked all the time, is how do I fit it all in? Well today, I am sharing my secrets to managing it all so keep reading...

1. Automate and Systemise

Automation is my best friend. From scheduling posts to managing reminders, tech tools can handle a lot of the routine tasks for you. When my blog posts are completed I schedule them, I then create a social media post and schedule that too. This delay can also take the anxiety away from hitting 'send' that hold many back from making progress.

I also like to create processes for repeatable tasks such as on-boarding clients and managing their journey, managing finances and social media. Consistency is key and I am all about improvement, this gives me the foundation I need to be able to review and improve - it doesn't work so well if you don't have a process.  

What aspects of your life, maybe in your day job can you create a process for to help your future self or colleagues? Maybe a morning routine, template report or workflow?

There are some amazing tools such as Trello and Asana that can help you with sorting your life tasks out - it does not need to be limited to your day job. In fact, running your life this way may be the answer to some of your troubles.

Be sure to keep everything including your processes and information well organised and backed up on your computer cloud or G-drive.

2. Outsource!

Delegation is crucial. I have a fabulous virtual assistant who manages administrative tasks for me including financial tasks, project management, she even books our weekly family badminton session! I simply do not have the time for all the little things, so having help with these allows me focus on the bigger picture and the things I love.

You may be surprised to hear that you can get a Virtual Assistant for around £3.50 an hour. There are many organisations that provide VA's within the Philippines, and many of them have an exceptional working culture and give back to their local communities and charities. Do your due diligence, hire wisely, and you will have a working friendship for life.

When it comes to the more complicated and technical things such as property investing, I realised that time and expertise is not something I have much of and so I also have a trusted project manager who helps me source property and manage any renovations. Yes, it costs money, but it is made back ten fold in the fact that they are the expert and I am not.

3. Batch Tasks

Batching tasks is a game-changer for optimising productivity. When I’m in the right frame of mind, I take the opportunity to batch tasks like blog writing and recording. This means setting aside dedicated blocks of time to focus entirely on creating content. Doing so allows me to generate a cushion of work that can be used later, reducing stress when life’s unexpected events pop up.

For instance, if I'm planning my social media content, I'll dedicate a few hours to brainstorm, create, and schedule several posts at once. If I have a project or milestone, I will give dedicated time to get it to complete. The Pomodoro technique is famous for its success, where you dedicate 25 minutes of focused time followed by a 5 minute active break. You can get a phenomenal amount done in short intervals, just be sure to keep a pen and paper for all those thoughts that pop into your head. Write them down and get back to the task at hand.

Another example is meal prepping for the week. Spending a few hours on a Sunday cooking and organising meals to ensure you eat healthily and save time during the busy weekdays. Batching these tasks not only increases efficiency but can also provide you the peace of mind that some critical aspects of your life are set on autopilot.

4. Routine at Home

Perhaps the most crucial factor for me is having a strong home routine. My partner is my rock when my day job gets intense or I have to travel. We use a shared calendar to ensure we’re always in sync, especially when it comes to the children and we find this keeps everything running smoothly - mostly anyway!

Having a routine helps you to either say no to things that pop up which are not important, or to re-plan and re-prioritise. If you are struggling with your calendar daily, weekly, monthly, set yourself a routine so you have a sure baseline in which to deviate from rather than hectic uncertainty.

5. Eliminate Time-Wasters

We all know how easy it is to lose track of time scrolling through social media. But these zero-value tasks can really eat into your day. It's essential to be aware of where your time is going. I recommend checking your phone's screen time report to see how much time you spend on social media weekly. It's eye-opening and can be the push you need to reclaim those hours for more productive activities.

This may seem like a lot, but it really does work so maybe try introducing one of the above into your life, and then slowly introduce another. It has taken me years to get in a flow, but over time I have built up an ecosystem that works and that is how I squeeze it all in. I will stress that I get it wrong too sometimes, forget things, miss deadlines and turn up late. But that is OK, I am human. I don't stress and just move on so I can focus on making everything I do intentional, meaningful and to be present in the moment.

One final thing I wanted to share is my love of sleep. I make my brain work so hard whilst it is awake that it is the kindness that I give it back and so I regularly get 8-9 hours of sleep a night. Despite all the things I have going on in my life, I prioritise sleep so I can be at my best when I am awake. .

Take a few minutes to think about your daily routine. What’s one thing that constantly bugs you—something you forget or leave to the last minute? Could any of the above strategies help? Maybe it’s automating a task, batching work, outsourcing a chore, getting more organised at home, or cutting out time-wasters.

I would love to know where you struggle most and what you are going to commit to trying out today!

Always with love,
Elsa