I love when people do “Ask Me Anything” question boxes on Instagram. It’s fun to get to know more or less random facts about people or what they think about a topic. For this blog series, I will be responding to some questions that folks have asked me in the past few months. There is a variety of topics like decluttering, planning, homeschooling, and more. In this blog post, I will respond to this question about how I create and work:
When do you sit down to create and work on your groups?
Quick Response
In this current season, I sit down to create and work on my groups in pockets of time.
A More Thoughtful Response
I wish had a more consistent, time-blocked schedule but this is the not season for a solid work schedule since most of the work I do is unpaid work. My family (includes extended family) and our home as well as other commitments I have said yes to are the non-negotiables so I work around all of that. Anything else gets filled in during “*the fringe hours,” which is why I plan for margins in my schedule.
That doesn’t mean I don’t have a workflow though. As I mentioned in my last post about how I plan my day, I break down my tasks into doable chunks. Since I am not able to have a large amount of time set aside for any one project, I am able to do most tasks within a 30-minute block of time.
When my girls have choir rehearsal, I bring along a notepad to write ideas. Sometimes I turn the timer on for 10 minutes and check in on a group. As I wait for something to heat up as I cook a meal, I reply to a handful of emails. But if I was to track my time, I would say that the main times I sit down at a desk to work and create my groups are in the early afternoons after lunchtime. I do a lot of pre-planning of the groups during my Weekly Reset time on Sunday afternoons.
Other Thoughts on Working on My Groups
Currently, I am only hosting two groups. The Declutter Community is a free group that runs every month for 3 weeks with a prep week. The Accountability Community is a paid group that is ongoing but this is still in a quasi-alpha/beta testing mode so the price and registration will be subject to change.
I like to frontload main tasks. So I try to do the bulk of the prep at the beginning of each session or month. I schedule lots of posts. Then, to prep for the next session/month, I create graphics and posts by the week or whatever I am able to finish within a 30-minute block of time.
Conclusion
In short, I don’t have a fantastic schedule going on but because of planning and systems, I am still able to get some work done.
Do you time block? How do you manage your workload? Are there resources that are helpful in time or project management?
Related:
- Blog Post: My Community: The Declutter Community
- Blog Post: My Community: The Accountability Community
- Book: The Fringe Hours by Jessica N. Turner
- Download: How To Create A Tiger Time Ritual To Protect Your Valuable Time
*Note: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a tiny percentage if you make a purchase through my link at no extra cost to you. Read my disclosure policy here.