HOW TO SPEND MORE TIME ON WHAT MATTERS, with Kristina & Laura Vanderkam

  

Do you ever find yourself hoping that someday, life will be less hectic?! 

‘One day’, you say, you'll ‘finally have time for the activities that you love’. Writing that book, more time for you, chasing your dreams, traveling with friends… 

But life is unpredictable – and full - and if we're not careful, dull, unfulfilling tasks can quickly occupy our precious hours, derail our best-laid plans, and make life feel like a slog.

In her latest book Tranquility by Tuesday, my podcast guest Laura Vanderkam explains that if you want something to happen, you need to design your life to make it happen – and you’re going to love taking a front row seat on this inspiring conversation as we talk through how to do just that.

Laura is a world leading expert in time management & productivity, and her practical ideas will inspire and challenge your thinking in equal measure.

 

Key Takeaways:

(1) Being Intentional About Time Management is Essential for You:

Laura emphasizes the importance of intentional time management in creating a fulfilling life and spending time on what matters.

By setting clear dreams, goals & priorities, planning weekly schedules, and allocating time to passions and activities that bring you joy, you can make the most of your available hours and achieve a balanced life.

 

(2) You Need a Weekly Planning Practice for Success:

Implementing a weekly planning practice is a high-impact strategy. This practice involves dedicating around 20-30 minutes on Fridays to plan the upcoming week, identifying important professional & personal tasks, and allocating time for them in your diary.

This approach minimizes chaos and guarantees you’ll make progress on your dreams. Find the tools here that Kristina uses in her Weekly Planning and explore Kristina's approach to Quarterly Planning here - which includes pre-week planning.

(3) Your Mindset Shapes Your Productivity:

Cultivating a positive mindset is key to productivity – and getting time to spend on what matters - and it takes focus.

Starting the day intentionally will foster a productive mindset, setting you up you to tackle tasks and interactions with enthusiasm and joy. Your mindset influences how efficiently you approach tasks and strongly impacts overall daily satisfaction and productivity.

The good news? It’s in your control. Start your days with a simple morning ritual you love. Learn how here – even if you feel you have no time.

(4) Embrace Your Passions and Prioritize Them:

Finding and pursuing your passion enhances time management. Integrating activities that bring joy and align with personal interests into daily routines creates a sense of purpose and fulfillment.

Prioritizing these activities, even within a busy schedule, contributes to a more balanced and rewarding life. It all starts with discovering and choosing dreams you want to chase. Take time to discover your dreams with this bonus dreaming audio exercise guided by Kristina.

(5) Outsourcing and Delegation for Efficiency:

Delegating tasks that don't align with your strengths or passions is crucial for time optimization (and your own joy!).

Recognizing areas where external help can be sought, whether for administrative tasks or specialized skills, frees up time and mental energy for more meaningful activities.

Outsourcing tasks that others can handle allows you to focus on what truly matters. And it can be as simple as glancing through your To Do List regularly and asking yourself 'what can I delegate to someone else'? See personalisable Notepads here.

 

You’ll going to love the insights in this episode - and when you finish listening, I want you to ask yourself, what is one action that you can take today to improve how you use time so you can move closer to creating your dream life?

As always, I’d LOVE to hear what resonates with you – and what you plan to implement after listening in. So please share below and let’s keep the conversation going in the Dream Life Podcast Facebook group here.    

Have a wonderful week …and Dream Big!

Love,

 

Dream Life Founder

SHOW NOTES:

• For in-depth guidance on how to plan quarterly effectively access our video workshop here..
• Use this journal to plan your Quarter…
• Learn more about our Fiji Retreat here…
• Join my virtual book club GROW where we’ll be reading and squeezing the learnings from Laura’s book in September. Learn more here…
• Want to transform your life with help from me? Join our Platinum Coaching Program. Learn more here…
• Take your first step to getting clarity on what you want from life with this free bonus dreaming exercise here 101 Dreams Audio Guide 

 

RESOURCES:

• Take the Quiz here… "Discover How on Track You Are to Living Your Dream Life" and uncover valuable insights into where you're at and how your own path forward can look.
• BONUS free 150 Dreams to Inspire You: The Top Dreams of Real People - 30 Page Downloadable pdf. Download here…
• Buy my book Your Dream Life Starts Here.
• Join our Dream Life Podcast Facebook Group here - and jump into discussions & learning with like-minded people. 
• Learn about my Habit Club here...
• Help up spread this inspiring message to even more people by sharing our podcast on social media with the hashtag #101milliondreamers 
• Download a review of My Top 10 Favourite Books of all time
• Shop inspiring & meaningful products at The Dream Life Store here.
• Follow Kristina on Instagram 
• Follow Kristina on Facebook