The Type A+ Podcast Episode 23 - Productivity Month: Avoid Procrastination with the Timetable Method
Episode Description:
On this week's episode, Beth outlines the Timetable Method and how she used it--just this week--to stop procrastination in its tracks.
This short-form podcast can be listened to in chronological order, or by subject when the inspiration strikes :)
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Links mentioned in the episode:
Podcast:
The Type A Plus Podcast Instagram
Host:
Beth Lawrence & Company Instagram
Beth will be back each week, delivering bite-sized tips (15-minute episodes or less) on how to optimize your life and work.
Episode Transcript can be found below:
Welcome back, Type A+ Community! I'm your host Beth Lawrence and I'm back with another Productivity Month episode. Today's tip has helped me ward off procrastination just this week, in fact.
This method is called a 'timetable hack.' I have also seen variations of this referred to as 'time blocking,' but the terminology doesn't necessarily matter; it's the way you apply it.
This week was, for some reason, a week where I had a lot of focused work to do in addition to my calls. I absolutely love calls because I love getting to know people and speaking with people, but it can take my focus completely away from the tasks that require full brain power or concentration. But, this week I had one full day with no scheduled external meetings (which means less follow-ups) and let me tell you, I got *so* much done.
Looking at this day, it was very tempting to schedule a lot of breaks or do work that would allow me to check boxes, but not necessarily use the time wisely.
After work the night before, I put together a timetable in my phone's Google Calendar, to showcase at what times I was performing which tasks.
I had a few projects that required copywriting, which is a completely different side of my brain than making calls--but I had a lot of follow-ups to do too.
Here’s a sample timetable from my day
7:30-8:30: Gym and walking Diesel
9:00 – 9:30 am: Set up all your tools, browser tabs, sort emails & respond to immediate needs, grab coffee, etc.
9:30am-11:00am: Outbound calls & sales ops
11:00am-12:00pm: Briefing doc for event
12:00pm-12:30pm: Walk
12:30pm-1:00pm: Lunch
1:00pm-2:00pm: Review & refine pitch for article
2:00pm-3:00pm: Compile press mentions into spreadsheet for web design team
3:00pm-3:30pm: Write proposal
3:30pm-4:00pm: Briefing doc meeting
4:00pm-5:00pm: Wrap up and proposal correspondence
We all know that giving yourself deadlines is the best productivity hack for getting things done, but sometimes putting a date on the calendar isn't enough! Let's break down why this schedule worked for me:
Structured time for self and time outside (gym, walks, lunch, breaks)
Batch all of my calls for when I have the most energy
Do the follow-up at the same time the calls are happening
Focused work is blocked off
No Slack notifications, no Gather meetings, no interruptions!
For a way to do this in a more widespread way, listen to our Discovering Your Ideal Work Week episode from season 1!
As always I hope this helps you achieve Type A+ greatness this week, and we'll be back next week with our final episode of the #Productivitymonth series!