“Will Mom be home for dinner tonight?” That was my son Devin about nine years ago. He was a toddler then. “Not tonight, kiddo. She wanted to be, but she had to work late. I’m sorry.” Jared, my husband, was used to covering for me.
But Devin’s nonchalant response nearly crushed me… ”It’s okay, Daddy.” Something had to change. Instead of round-the-clock proposal management, I focused on systems and data management from 8-5. I ultimately ended up back in proposal management, and now I run a 7-figure consulting business.
But I’m doing it differently this time because life is too short to work hard until the end. So, I manage myself and my team a lot differently now.
I have a plan every night before I go to bed to map out the tasks I need to do the following day. That way, from the moment I wake up, I can focus on these “top three frogs” for myself and delegate other tasks to my team or client.
Every weekday, my priority is dropping off, picking up my kids from school, and eating dinner with the family. If work overflows with deadlines, I get back on my computer after dinner or after the kids are in bed.
Knowing my schedule and priorities from the minute I wake up lights a fire under me to be productive throughout the day, so I don’t miss this time.
Remember: it’s okay to not check off every item on your to-do list for the day. If your top three frogs are done, tomorrow will come, and you can delegate to your team if needed.
You can always check out my favorite books that have made me a much more zen leader right HERE.