Would you like to become a master of your time and productivity? If you’re anything like me, you may have found time management can present challenges, especially if you’re a creative and motivated person who likes to accomplish a lot. As we all know, life happens sometimes, and unexpected situations come up that can set us back. We fall short of our goals and timeframes, and sometimes, we just need a little extra time for a task or project for which we didn’t budget accurately. I find that staying ahead on my work and priorities makes me feel more relaxed while conquering my tasks.
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Mastering time management doesn’t have to be hard. Creating a system that’s easy to duplicate month over month so that you can always be two weeks ahead on your work is easier than you might think. Let’s review the necessary steps and habit creation to get and stay two weeks ahead. While creating your own system can be great, I have found I prefer the innovative time management tool Motion to help keep my business and team on track, enabling us to always be at least two weeks ahead on our work.
Motivation is fickle, and sometimes, we just don’t feel inspired to be productive. I find that when I give myself challenges and ask others to hold me accountable, maintaining forward momentum is much easier. I can tell you it’s even easier when you are two weeks ahead. Being ahead on tasks that can be done in advance takes the pressure off. When you feel less pressure, you feel more work satisfaction and a clearer mind. A clear head is generally more creative.
Why Be Two Weeks Ahead?
Life happens, and sometimes we get sucked into obligations that reduce our ability to juggle our work and obligations. It keeps us out of the reactive zone, which is less productive. It also gives us flexibility to take advantage of unexpected life opportunities, be they business or personal. Being ahead gives us the peace of mind that some things can be set aside while we deal with others. Being weeks ahead also frees up space to focus, so we can remain calm in our work and begin to see results regularly.
How To Get Two Weeks Ahead
Go over your current work on a piece of paper. Draw a vertical line down the middle and put what needs to be done now in one section and what needs to be done later in the next section. Leave space under each for 4 bullets. Use the four bullets to list the top things that need to be done to move each of these tasks forward. Now, make those tasks priorities that need to be done first, second, third, and so on. Next, find two hours in your day where you can put all your focus on each of these. You will be amazed at how much anxiety is alleviated, freeing your mind up to focus when your to-dos are out of your head and down on paper, then organized in Motion. Take some time to go over your work and write down a couple of lists.
- List priorities from most important to least important. Include due dates and put a little mark if any of these are tasks that you do more than once a month.
- Time block your day into 2-hour time blocks to do tasks based on similarities so that you aren’t going back and forth to different things. Say 2 hours on emails, 2 hours on data entry, or whatever the tasks are. If the task only takes 30 minutes, then look for more tasks that are similar to group together or plan things that need to be done later that are similar.
- Create a two-hour period to work on these similar tasks each day. Make sure all distractions are out of your way, and your focus is 100% on the tasks only.
- Don’t mention to anyone that you are working on future work, no one needs to know. Just keep putting in a bit of extra time to do the work you will need to do later each day. Trust me, if anyone knows you’re doing work for the future, they will want that work sooner, and then it’s no longer future work; it’s current work. Stay private about how you organize your day and life, and it will be working out amazingly for you soon enough.
- Now that you have identified your regular tasks map them out in Motion with dates and times. You might find that you can’t have all the tasks finished, but the redundant parts of the tasks can be completed. The tasks that need to be done every week and their details can be input, but certain aspects will still need to be added to them. This is not perfect; it’s all a bit of this and a bit of that; but when you have the final data and the date the task is done, then you go in and finish it. Mark down when the aspects need to be added in Motion so that you can complete it within the time block you scheduled for it. You will find finishing the tasks to be so much quicker because a lot has already been completed.
What You Can Be Two Weeks Ahead On
Certainly, it’s not possible to be two weeks ahead on all your work, but there are a lot of tasks that can be started or partially completed. You can be ahead on activities that are replicable, maybe not all the aspects, but whatever is repeated week after week, you can be ahead on. For example, if you’re in sales, you can be ahead on contacts and connections; if you’re a creative, you can be ahead on content and writing. If you do just about any kind of work, you can find ways to be slightly ahead on your various projects and plans.
Time management is crucial for success in any field. In today’s fast-paced world, staying organized and ahead of your projects is not just a desire, it’s a necessity. This is where Motion comes into play. Motion was designed to revolutionize the way you manage your time and tasks.
What Is Motion?
Motion is an innovative time management tool that helps users streamline their workflow and stay on top of their projects. It’s not just another calendar or to-do list app; Motion combines artificial intelligence with a user-friendly interface to offer personalized time management solutions.
How Motion Helps You Stay Ahead
Staying two weeks ahead might seem like a stretch, but with Motion, it’s entirely achievable. Here are some examples of how Motion makes this possible:
1. Intelligent Task Scheduling
Motion uses AI to understand your working habits and optimally schedule tasks. For example, if you have a project due in a month, Motion breaks down the project into smaller tasks and schedules them over the upcoming weeks, ensuring you’re always two steps ahead.
2. Prioritization and Focus
Motion helps prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance. It suggests dedicating mornings to high-focus tasks while leaving afternoons for meetings or less demanding activities. This way, you’re taking advantage of your peak energy times to be not just busy, but highly productive.
3. Adaptive Planning
Life is unpredictable, and plans change. Motion adapts to these changes seamlessly. If an urgent task pops up, Motion reorganizes your schedule without compromising on your two-week lead.
4. Integrations and Reminders
With integrations into various other platforms, Motion ensures you have all your tools in one place. The timely reminders mean you’ll never miss a deadline or a meeting, keeping you consistently ahead.
5. Eliminating Overwhelm
By visually presenting your schedule and tasks, Motion helps eliminate the feeling of being overwhelmed. You can see at a glance what’s on your plate for the day or week, making it easier to manage your time efficiently.
Real-Life Examples
Let’s look at how real users have benefited from using Motion:
- Freelancer: By scheduling tasks for ongoing projects, they were able to submit work a week in advance, impressing their clients and securing more contracts.
- Small Business Owner: Implementing Motion for their team resulted in projects being completed ahead of schedule, which led to increased client satisfaction.
Staying two weeks ahead takes time and practice. It’s not always easy to organize, but as you get used to it, completing tasks becomes simpler to manage, and when you start to see results, you will feel the benefit of being ahead and will be more motivated to complete them. Motion helps, and your ability to stay on track with your goals will improve over time, making your time even more available and flexible. This is how you gain work-life balance and freedom. By intelligently organizing your tasks and helping you prioritize your day, Motion ensures that you’re always on top of your game, ahead of deadlines, and able to handle whatever comes your way with ease and efficiency.
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