Shave 10 Hours Off Your Work Week

Last Friday I mentioned 3 Free PDF’s that I found and said that I’d be reviewing each one in more depth.

My initial observation about this PDF is in typical Michael Hyatt fashion, he produces a beautiful PDF that helps you prioritize your time with practical advice.  Click here to check out his website and plug in your name and e-mail at the top to get this free PDF.

Michael Hyatt is seriously a master communicator.  I think I started following his blog in 2009.

The subtitle of this PDF is: 4 proven strategies to create more margin for the things that matter most.

At first glance the PDF is beautifully designed.  I’m not sure how involved Michael is in the design process, I assume he hires and works with a designer, but this PDF looks top notch.

I did Michael Hyatt’s life plan back in 2010 when my wife and I had just moved back into my parents house and were trying to figure out what I was doing with my life.  Clearly articulating and putting on paper my VALUES and PRIORITIES was huge.

We use this tool on the missions trips we lead.

Just like the subtitle for this PDF says his goal is to create more margin for the things that matter most.

I don’t know if busyness has been a problem since the beginning of time, but when I look around I see people running at paces that are unsustainable.  There are a million things vying for our attention and our resources and for some reason we can’t seem to say no.

Here’s a summary of highlights that jumped out to me.

• Michael builds a case for healthy living.  He encourages GOOD sleep, taking naps, not neglecting diet and exercise and maintaining a positive attitude.
• He suggests guarding your time by living intentionally.  To have a daily plan, to use the quadrant chart, to plan your week, plan alone time, and have a “waiting on list” so you know what actions you’re waiting for from someone else.  He also suggests triaging your calendar and eliminating non-essentials.
• He then goes on to talk about sharpening your focus, encouraging you to disconnect, and talks about how multitasking is not a real thing.  This is something I’m trying this morning.  I woke up, had my quiet time, responded to a bunch of e-mails and then closed all of my social media and e-mail windows and am just going to focus on writing for the morning.
• He talks about using e-mail signatures as responses to e-mails, something I’ve started implementing.  I’ve heard it said once that if you do something more than once you should automate it.
• He continues with encouraging you to flex your NO muscle.  He builds a case saying that saying no allows you to give a good yes.
• He tells us to practice the art of quitting.  Something I needed to hear.  He reminds us that you don’t have to finish every book you start, you don’t need to complete every project you begin, and you don’t need to continue habits that no longer serve you.  Right after reading this I told a friend I wasn’t going to continue reading a book with him, it had been months since we started and we could never actually connect to discuss it and I didn’t find the book enjoyable.  I gained emotional freedom because I no longer had something hanging over my head that I didn’t want to do.
• He went on to say that we need to fix or quit terrible meetings.  All I can say to that is AMEN.

All in all, this PDF is FREE and full of beautifully designed, quality content.  It’s worth your download.  Spend some time reading it, take notes and then create actionable steps to take!

Did you download it?  Do you have other free resources you would suggest?  Let us know in the comments.