Time. It’s the one thing that we can never get back. And if you have a to-do list longer than your Netflix My List, you may be in for a tough time. Recently in the mastermind group I run, 1000Four, One of our newest members, Jason of Mentormaze mentioned how he hasn’t figured out how to manage all of his time. He has a full-time job and four children. He is moonlighting his startup. 

He received a ton of feedback on best practices including a post Shay Bocks wrote on the same subject. 

Then, I saw a Facebook post about the tv show I host being motivation. Awesome! So, I commented on the post and asked what her next steps were. Answer? A to-do list as long as a Christmas list similar to my childhood days. 

So, what can you do to get the work you need done + stay positive?

I use something called the Stop Light approach. 

It’s simple, green, yellow and red. Plus breaking down end goals into small steps. 

Green is highest of importance, yellow in the middle and red is the someday. 

I recommend putting together a spreadsheet or a piece of paper and list out everything that you want to do. But not end goal tasks rather small tasks. 

Once you have the full list, simply categorize accordingly. What’s super important and what’s not. 

An example would be: 

End Goal: Build a Website — the problem is that building a website is a series of smaller tasks. Instead of saying build a website, task each out. 

1. Research domain names

2. Buy domain name

3. Setup hosting

4. Download WordPress

5. Create a logo 

and so on. 

Another example is an end goal of adding new customers to your database. While it may seem like one step it’s actually a series of steps. 

1. Sign up for Aweber or Mailchimp or Infusion Soft

2. Create text for call to action

3. Sign up for Leadpages — an easy to use email collector. 

4. Sync all accounts

5. Add call to action to page. 

Something like this: 

6. Push page to followers

7. Promote post

And so on. 

Lot’s more than one step. But each checkmark off the list, the more you accomplish. No matter the size. 

The reason you do this is also for positivity. The more to-do’s you check off, no matter the size, the happier you will be. Why, because you accomplished a task. yay! 

One other step I like to do is tasks such as research or new trend searching, I like to do on certain days of the week. For me, it’s typically Sundays. Don’t try to do everything in one day. You’ll destroy your mind and body. Set small obtainable goals and use the Stop Light Approach.

I’d love to know how you stay productive and find ways to manage your time. Simply comment below or email me.