How to Be More Productive & Manage Your Time Better

Episode #11 – Interview with Leslie Boyd

 

Leslie Boyd is a productivity coach and the creator of the 3 step strategy. She is also a wife and a busy mum of 2 teenagers. She has always been working, even with young kids and she volunteered on top of that. People always asked her how she manages to do all these things and how she has the energy for it. She says that she had to come up with a system and started to realize that this system could help others to be more productive as well. 

After working in the federal government for almost 30 years, Leslie was ready to start the next chapter of her life and do something new. She started to share her secrets because so many people were asking her for advice and it slowly grew to become her business. She turned all of her knowledge and experience into a strategy and shared it with others to help them as well.

It’s always a good idea to develop a business from something you’re good at and something that people actually ask for. Leslie always tells her clients to work with the time they have. Everyone always tries to cramp so much work into the time they have available. If you only have 3h available every day then you can’t get 7h worth of work done in that time. She recommends keeping a journal and actually write down how much time you have and what you do in that time. The first thing you have to know is how much time you really have available in a day and where that time is located. Then, you can work with what you have and base how much you can get done on the time you have available.

 

How to structure your day to be more productive

It’s also important to set boundaries according to that time and not to try to do too much. Leslie always works backward and starts with a 12-month plan. She prefers this phrase over yearly planning because it allows you to start where you are and not just in January. Then, she makes a plan for what she wants to do and divides that work into 12 months. Every Saturday, Leslie plans the week ahead according to her monthly goals because she doesn’t work on Sundays. First, she blocks out fixed appointments from her calendar and looks at the time she has left. Then, she looks at her 3 major goals for the week and the tasks she has to do to achieve those goals. Usually, she gets up 1-2 hours before everyone else and works on her tasks. She uses the list she made so she knows exactly what she needs to do in that time and doesn’t waste the time she has available. As a morning person, I can relate to that. I also like to get up early and be productive.

For night owls she recommends to just pick one day during the week where you stay up late. If you have to get up early in the morning you should not stay up every night. You can get things done in one evening after everybody else goes to bed. That’s why it’s important to do your time audit first to see where you are productive and when you can work and use your time wisely.

 

Don’t get distracted with your phone

I also don’t use my phone in the morning while I’m working to not get distracted. Leslie also always tells her clients that every text message or notification can wait and nobody will get hurt if you don’t respond immediately. She suggests focusing block 25min without the phone and everything will still be there in 25min. You can take a 10min break afterward and look at your phone and then work for another 25min. She learned that 25min will feel less intimidated than an hour. People can get more done than they think in 25min or an hour if they really focus on the task and don’t get distracted.

 

Manage your time and take care of yourself

In order to get more done and not get distracted by everyday tasks, Leslie also recommends allocating certain tasks to certain days. For example, she does Coaching on Friday and Lives on Monday and this way she knows when she needs time to do what and is able to break it up properly. She learned on which days she is more productive and does certain tasks on those days. She thinks it’s important to have different goals for your business and for your personal life. Selfcare is very important to her and she tries to give that priority to her clients as well.

I personally can highly relate to that because I also like to set certain days for calls, so on the other days I can be focused on other things like creating content. This separation is important to know exactly what needs to get done on those days and to be able to actually get it done instead of switching between different tasks all day and skipping things in the end.

 

Tips for anyone starting out who has a successful role model

Don’t try to take over anyone’s routine just because they are successful. You have to remember that everyone started just as you are doing right now. Remember how long those people have been in business and look at how they started all those years ago. Now, you can learn from their mistakes. Just pick one niche and one place you want to be and start with one thing. Remember to ask the people what they want and do that instead of making this great thing that nobody will need in the end. Those role models started the same way and some of them also share their beginnings and their struggles. It’s important not to compare yourself with someone who has a team and is able to do so much more because they already have a running business.

 

How to start a business with limited time

Find out what you love and if there are enough people who would like your service. Then, you can start connecting with people. Build a page and social media channels and start building relationships and speaking to people. It’s not about the number of followers, it’s about the quality of the connections. Even if there is only one person you can still do your best to help them and then you can ask that one person for feedback. Just show up and give value. You can never give too much away. If you do, they will come back because they keep learning from you.

You have to treat your online space just like you would in real life. If you are at a networking event you are trying to make connections and you should do the same online. You need to learn about what people do and tell them what you do. People will recognize if you do something with your heart and they will remember you. And it can even be easier to make connections online than in real life because we all have limited time or might be shy. So showing up online in the comfort of your own home might be easier and not as time-consuming.

 

Leslie’s plans

Leslie’s vision for this year is to elevate as many women as possible that are in their businesses and just starting out. She realized that she can reach those people with her membership (3 step CEO) and within that, she has her course and mini-courses on how to achieve your goals. Leslie wants to make sure that people know what they need to do and how to get it done. She sets weekly goals and monthly goals and sets up calls to check in and make sure the goals are being reached. She also has a free group and the paid group with her membership. It’s also important to hold people accountable and make sure people can move forward and are getting stuff done.

Favorite book or podcast:

–     Donald Miller “Building a story brand”. She wants to be there to help people and not make it about herself.

Quote Leslie is living by or feels inspired by:

–     Just do it! (get up, face the fear and do it anyway) Nobody ever died by just doing it.

Magic wand with a gift to people:

–     Give the gift to have fun in your business and remember why you are doing this. Remember why and act like that. Focus on the doing.

Link to Leslie’s website

www.leslieaboyd.com

Link to Leslie’s Facebook page and group
https://www.facebook.com/3stepstrategy/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/3StepCommunity/

 

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