Your phone has secrets…
And for once, they’re not in your photos.
The secrets I’m talking about are all the hidden gems inside your phone that you can use to manage your time better and stress less.
I’m sharing three of my favorite productivity phone tricks today, and at the very end, I’ll give you an extra hack to try – one that brings them all together.
So let’s dive right in!
3 Time Management Secrets Hidden In Your Phone
Phone Secret #1: The Calendar app
You’re probably VERY familiar with this app and thinking to yourself, “Hayley, this is NOT a secret…”
But wait!
The secret I’m going to give you is HOW TO USE your Calendar app for more effective time management.
Let’s say you need to go grocery shopping but with your biz and your kids and all your to-dos, it’s a constant source of stress to finally get there and buy real, fresh vegetables.
Now, while there’s lots of ways to outsource this need, like shopping online or Instacart or sending your hubs to go do it (you are a brave soul if you make this choice! Mine tends to come back with M&M’s and cheez whiz)...
I prefer to personally choose the fruits and veggies I eat, as much as possible
Maybe I’m crazy, but it’s a thing for me.
It has to be the RIGHT strawberries, you know?
So, when I’m having one of those crazy weeks, I actually schedule grocery shopping.
It’s weird, but it totally works.
See, I believe in the power of “time blocking.”
That’s where you set aside specific blocks of time in your schedule for knocking out related tasks.
So, I use my calendar to time block grocery shopping.
And, to get even MORE effective with my time, I take a look around the house at what else needs to be done on that side of town.
Return an Amazon package?
Swing by Target?
Pick up the dry cleaning?
Check, check, check.
I can knock all of those things out by adding just 30 minutes to my grocery run.
So, I block the time on my Calendar app, leaving a little bit of space to account for traffic…
Or something cute I HAD to buy at Target.
Which happens... A LOT.
I highly recommend using the Calendar app to time block all sorts of things you need to do!
Try it with small tasks you need to do but just can’t get to most of the time.
Because I’m tellin’ ya, if you don’t plan for them, they probably won’t get done.
So combo the Calendar app and time blocking.
It’s a game changer.
Phone Secret #2: The Notes app
Here’s how I use Notes to use time more wisely…
It’s my catch-all for the tiny random strokes of brilliance that come into my mind at the most inconvenient times.
I also use it to write down the ANNOYING thoughts that plague me…
The ones that won’t let go until they feel heard, usually in the middle of the night.
Here’s a quick list of thoughts that come into my mind over and over again:
Get TP. We’re out. Again.
Put stickers on all my EO bottles.
Clean the baseboards - they are lookin’ gross right now.
Go through Madeline’s closet for clothes she’s grown out of.
Return that dog food we tried but Xander didn’t like.
It goes on and on...
You probably have a list of random thoughts that can keep you up at night, too.
So, one trick I’ve found to silence this inner nag is to use Notes.
You can even schedule a reminder to pop up during proper daytime hours when you can deal with whatever it is better.
How does this save time?
Well, those thoughts can be distracting and they can be LOUD.
So loud it interrupts sleep or throws you off whatever task you’re ACTUALLY working on.
By using the Notes app and jotting down the thought, plus adding a reminder of when you CAN get to it, that little voice starts to feel heard and settle down.
Allowing you to go back to sleep easier or return to your current task.
Here’s an embarrassing thing I use Notes for…
Remembering take out orders.
How many times do you ask the fam what they want to order from a restaurant and you get back “I don’t know” or requests to recite the entire menu?
So what I do is update a Note with our faves from various restaurants and when it’s time to order, I pull out my Note and ask if they want the Vegan Thai Curry with brown rice again…
9 times out of 10 they say SURE.
Boom, just saved myself 20 minutes of haggling and A LOT of unnecessary stress.
Plus I seem like an all-knowing goddess...
Phone Secret #3: The Asana app
A couple weeks ago, I talked about Asana in a Facebook Live and people have been asking me about it ever since, so I thought I’d do a deeper dive here today.
Asana is an app I use in my biz, but it definitely has benefits beyond that.
It’s project management software that’s super robust – even the free version. You can download it on any app store.
It’s really intuitive to use too, so if you’re not really techy, you’ll be able to figure it out pretty quick, I promise.
Here’s an example of how I use Asana with my team to keep everything moving smoothly, creating easy FLOW in my day.
When we have team meetings, we brainstorm a bunch of amazing ideas.
Then we take all those amaze ideas and spend a few minutes plotting out who needs to do what and when....
And it all goes into Asana.
Tasks are added and then they’re assigned out to the respective owner.
Every detail is included.
For example, when I have a podcast to record, alllll the details I need are in the task.
The Zencastr recording link...
The show notes...
The script I’ve written, plus anything else I need is right there in the task...
Then when I'm finished, I task it to my Project Manager, who takes over routing it to the rest of the team involved in taking it from a concept… to what you’re listening to RIGHT NOW.
The editing, uploading the file, adding it to my website and the podcast networks…
We do this the same way, every single week, to make sure nothing falls through the cracks.
I can’t tell you how much time and stress this has saved me.
Because I combine Asana with time blocking, I can knock out a ton of my writing WAY faster and WAY easier than I did before I applied this system to my biz.
So there you go! Your three phone secrets to better time management.
Wait, I did promise you a bonus phone secret, didn’t I...
Well, what if I told you that this secret would bring all the first three tricks together in such a way that you would actually have enough time left over for you?
I’m not lyin’ – yes, actual time for yourself!
Imagine that.
The bonus hack… or the fourth secret time-saver your phone’s hiding is… the internet.
Surprise!
Well, by the internet I mean a web address I want you to keep in mind that will help you bring ALLLLLLL these time-saving tips together into one simple system that will not only…
Help you FEEL ON TOP OF YOUR SCHEDULE and tasks
Get MORE DONE IN LESS TIME and with way less stress
Spend MORE time on the things you love and LESS on the things that drain your energy
But, it will help you be SO EFFECTIVE with your time that you’ll even have TIME FOR YOURSELF.
To get that manicure you’ve been putting off.
Or crack open that book you started back in 2012 and been too busy to dig into again.
Or go outside for a 2-hour hike and enjoy the fall weather.
Whatever your thing is, you can finally have the time to actually DO it… without feeling guilty or stressed out about it.
So that web address I promised…
I put this together for women with amazing lives who need a little help managing their schedules and to-do lists so they can do all the things and even have time for themselves.
It starts October 15th!
I’m personally inviting you to the challenge, where we’ll spend 8 days together doing mini training on epic, time-saving hacks that will help you…
Approach your calendar in a new way.
Make small, simple tweaks to your existing routine that will have a MASSIVE impact on reducing your stress and anxiety.
Regain a sense of ease and calm in your day.
Getting everything done on your to-do list… and done WELL – with time to spare for yourself.
You CAN create better flow and structure in your day.
Honestly, it’s quite easy… if you just know the right way HOW.
There are literally hundreds of books about productivity... and I can’t tell you how many I’ve read. But it’s a lot.
I’ve tried just about every trick they suggest and you know what…
This challenge is the best of the best.
It’s the time and task management hacks that I PERSONALLY use in my life and my biz so that I actually have time to…
Workout.
Enjoy a nice cacao latte on the patio.
Spend quality time with friends and my fam.
Read a magazine!
AND run a thriving, growing business.
It can be done, my friend.
So, if you’re ready to learn the RIGHT way to run your schedule… instead of it running you…
AND you want to have FUN doing it with a group of super cool women who are all working on the EXACT same thing as you.
Then the Reclaim Your Time Challenge is right up your alley.
Don’t forget it’s totally free and completely online.
And it starts TOMORROW!
Alright! I hope these phone secrets were interesting to you.
Here they are one more time:
Use the Calendar app in combination with time blocking.
Try the Notes app as the catch-all for recurring thoughts or to-dos that keep you up at night or to make mini time wasters a thing of the past – like takeout orders!
Download the free Asana app for a biz-boosting project management tool.
I hope to see you in the Challenge… and as always, I’ll see ya online.