Take Control of Your Calendar, Take Control of Your Life

Business

I’ve figured out the key to success.

It ISN’T in the big flashy revenue numbers.

It ISN’T in the followers, views, or likes.

It’s in your calendar.

I heard the quote “Take control of your calendar, and you take control of your life” (from a book called Think Like a Breadwinner by Jennifer Barrett) and it CLICKED for me.

Success is in the doing. It’s also in the NOT doing.

What you choose to give your time and attention to matters. Every “yes” is a “no” to something else.

A yes to a low-ball negotiation is a no to your own expertise.

A yes to an after-school activity commitment you (and your kids) don’t really want to attend is a no to precious family downtime.

A yes to a rushed client timeline is a no to SLEEP (and nothing can take my sleep from me—besides my kids, haha ✌🏼)

If you let other people control what ends up on your calendar—whether through people-pleasing, fear of rejection, or simply not understanding your actual capacity—you give up control over what your life looks like.

I hear it time and time again: my students in The Design Minimind (my 1:1 and small-group program for design business owners) define success as TIME and FINANCIAL freedom. You can’t have just one—only time freedom may not support your finances, and only financial freedom may not support the way you want to spend your time.

Both have to be there… and both start in your calendar.

So how do you start to regain calendar control?

Audit your calendar. Where are you spending time on things that aren’t aligned to your version of time and/or financial freedom? What things need to stay (even if they’re not fun) and what things need to be let go?

This is what this looked like for me.

  • I cut screen time before bed (love my Brick!!), and replaced it with needlepoint and a podcast
  • I scheduled in time for a pre-week inbox sweep and team task prep to make sure the Hello June team starts off on an organized note.
  • I have a HARD stop of work M-Th (2:30pm) and keep Slack OFF my phone.
  • I try to have one weekend day per week (usually Saturdays) where we have no plans and a completely open day (we’ll sometimes make plans, but they’re usually spur of the moment!)

This is ever-evolving, but I hope it inspires you to audit your own time and calendar to see if where you’re spending your time actually aligns with the type of success you want to see.

Remember: if it’s not a HELL YES, it’s a no.

Have you ever had to make a tough decision about a commitment? Ever had to say no to something for the sake of a clear schedule? I want to hear about it!

Sent me a DM’s over on instagram (@hellojunecreative). I would love to chat with you! 💌

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” — Proverbs 16:3