163. Crafting a Schedule that Works for Your Workstyle and Goals
How do you build a schedule that actually supports the way you work instead of constantly working against you? So many designers try to copy someone else’s routine or force themselves into a structure that looks good on paper but falls apart in real life. The result is frustration, inefficiency, and a constant feeling of being behind before the day even begins.
In this episode, I walk you through how to create a daily and weekly rhythm that reflects your workstyle, capacity, and responsibilities as a design CEO. Rather than prescribing a rigid formula, I share the principles and questions I use with my clients to help you design a schedule that bends with the realities of client work, team leadership, creative demands, and personal life. This is about building a framework that supports focus, momentum, and flexibility without burning you out.
You’ll explore how to structure your time in a way that makes it easier to get into motion, protect CEO level work, and step away from the business without guilt. When you understand what energizes you, what drains you, and how your week naturally flows, you can create a schedule that works for you now and continues to adapt as your business grows.
If you've been thinking about working with me one-on-one, be sure to get on the private coaching waitlist! Click here to learn more about Design to Thrive and secure your spot to be the first to know when availability opens up.
What You’ll Discover from this Episode:
How to set realistic working hours that reflect your real life and capacity.
Why copying someone else’s schedule often creates more friction than clarity.
How to design daily and weekly rhythms that support focus and creativity.
What types of work to group together to reduce decision fatigue.
How to protect proactive, collaborative, and reactive work time.
Why transitions matter and how to plan for them more intentionally.
How to build a schedule that evolves as your business and priorities change.
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Full Episode Transcript:
Hey designer, you're listening to episode 163. In this one, I'm going to address a question or a couple of questions I get asked a lot, such as, how do you plan your week, and what does your schedule look like?
While I'm happy to share some of what works for me, this episode is really all about how to create a daily and weekly rhythm that supports you as the designer CEO in your unique business. This isn't about squeezing yourself into a mold that will never fit you. It's about creating a supportive framework that reflects your work style and what gets you in motion, and bends around the realities of leading your own interior design business.
Welcome to The Interior Design Business CEO, the only show for designers who are ready to confidently run and grow their businesses without the stress and anxiety. If you're ready to develop a bigger vision for your interior design business, free up your time, and streamline your days for productivity and profit, you're in the right place.
I'm Desi Creswell, an award-winning interior designer and certified life and business coach. I help interior designers just like you stop feeling overwhelmed so they can build profitable businesses they love to run. Are you ready to confidently lead your business, clients, and projects? Let's go.
Hello, designer. Welcome back to the podcast. So nice to be here with you. The sun is shining here, and it's also starting to get very, very cold. I was thinking about this as we've been in the thick of winter here in Minnesota, and you sort of have this weather amnesia that happens for any of you who live in climates where there's a greater degree of change.
Maybe you relate to this, but you kind of get to this point in winter where you really cannot remember or fathom that the sun will actually be warm on you and you will feel warm and it will be summer at some point. And then it's also like in the thick of summer, and our family goes to the lake a lot and we're out just enjoying being in all that Minneapolis has to offer, we sometimes forget then that it's ever going to be cold at some point in the future. It's this strange thing that happens.
And, this week, well, tomorrow specifically, it is going to be freezing. My weather app shows -20 as the low, and there's a possibility that school will get canceled tomorrow. And I'm going to record this now because my children are often very loud, and I may need to pivot, so I'm going to go ahead and pivot now.
And that actually is a really great transition to what we're going to talk about today. Me adapting my schedule because of kind of an unknown for me, and creating a schedule that bends with the realities of the business with my life and what it is that I have for goals and what I want to accomplish here. And one of those goals is getting this podcast out as one of the ways that I connect with you.
And what I want this episode to be all about is how do you create a schedule that allows you to be efficient, allows for the ebb and flow of your project needs, be able to manage a team if you have one so that they are really an effective piece of the business, not something that's taking from you or requiring lots and lots of time, having that breathing room throughout the day, so you're not feeling like you're just constantly rushed from one thing to next. And also, we got to make sure that your creativity is supported and that you've got time to actively move the business forward in that CEO time. And lastly, we want to make sure that your schedule supports you stepping away from work and having boundaries around your time and energy.
I have coached so many designers at this point over the years. And often we're talking about time management, planning, goal setting, all of those things. And whether that's been in my Out of Overwhelm group coaching program, in private coaching, and workshops, and talks I'm giving, I am often asked, how do you schedule your week, and how many hours do you work? And while I am happy to share some of those details, I do rarely give a straight answer. And here's why. We're going to talk about all of this today.
But one of the reasons why I kind of sidestep that question is because, yes, getting ideas from someone else can spark ideas of what would work for you. That could be great. I love that. But often this question's coming from a place of, tell me how you do it so that I know how I should do it.
Which again, that's not always bad, but I do think it's important to remember that we can't take a carbon copy of a planning system, a process, a pricing structure, whatever it is, without having context and then using that context to inform our own decisions about what's going to work best for us.
We all are going to have some level of shared experiences, maybe life stages, temperaments that we can find across the board. And as your coach, which in many ways, as a podcast listener, I consider myself your coach, I know that the best way to help you arrive at something that truly works is to start asking you questions about what works for you. And once we understand that, then we can layer in some suggestions and try this approach.
If you've ever listened to episode 138, which was titled, No Right Way to Grow Your Business, or really have listened to any of my episodes, you've probably figured out that is one of my philosophies is that there is no right way. And I find that's true in this instance as well, and there's no right way to manage your time, schedule your day, decide how many hours you're going to work. It is really something that has to be tuned into what you have to give and what you want to accomplish, and where you're at kind of in this business journey.
I do teach and really do believe in some guiding principles and best practices. And you can definitely check out the Interior Designers Get It Done Daily Planner. That's a free resource at desicreswell.com/planner. That's going to give you some amazing tips to get you started if you want some how-to, this is what I find really works. I say that planner will save you at least five hours per week, and it really can be transformational when you start to put those philosophies in practice.
And again, it is not a 'this is when you should do this task, and this is when you should do this task,' but it really can be helpful as a way to get started. So definitely go check that out. But what I really use that planner for or any of these teachings and what we're going to talk about today is taking the concepts that I share and making them your own and structuring your schedule so that the time and the focus and intentionality you bring to your workday is very high quality. Because it's not just how much you work; it is how you work that matters so, so much.
Of course, when you are taking principles and applying them and testing them and seeing what works best for you, that can be a little bit more of an upfront effort than if I were to just say, well, here's your work schedule for the day, go do it. And I also know that second approach is not the sustainable solution. And I also know that if I did that, you'd be spending so much time and energy trying to force yourself into a system that works for someone else, but not for you.
Instead of trying to force yourself into someone else's ideal or what works for them, choose to use that effort to find your round hole to fit your round peg.
The other piece of this is that you're going to learn the skill of building supportive structures so that as your business grows, as it shifts, as your life and your priorities evolve, you are not stuck. You know how to adapt. You can be resilient with whatever needs to change, and that is beautiful and so much a huge part of being a CEO.
As we move further into this episode, I'm going to give you some questions you can use to start to explore how you build a schedule that truly suits you and your goals, your priorities, and the way that you want to run your business. The template that I mentioned, the daily planner, that is a great resource for printing a bunch of those sheets and you can start to experiment and learn what works best for you. It's kind of like taking field notes on yourself. And, of course, you can always come back to this episode or go through the transcript if you want to sit with these questions more, but even if you're just listening now, see what comes up and see what you could just make as a tiny little shift to get you started.
The very first thing I want you to ask yourself and use to set your schedule is, what are the realistic hours I'm going to work? Not when you hope to get to the office, but you never do because your kids take longer to get to school than you would like them to take. Or maybe you know there's a certain amount of dilly-dallying that you do around the house before you sit down. And let's just face it, you're going to dilly-dally. Okay, me included. And let's accept that. Let's build that in instead of pretending that you are going to be at your desk at 8, maybe you say it's 8:30, or maybe it's 10, whatever it is, right?
So this goes for the end of the day, too. We want to be clear on what our reality is with end of day. And this can be taken into account of what the current capacity is in the business, the number of projects running, also life circumstances.
I remember when my kids were little, and the schedule for preschool was very different than what I have right now. So maybe you need to adapt for that. Or maybe it's that you find it works out way better for you to work out during the day, which would technically be work hours, and you decide to swap some time during the day for an evening work sesh. So your work hours are going to look different because of that. But be very clear with yourself when is it that I'm working and when am I not working? Because that gives you a container to build the schedule in.
If this is something that you struggle with committing to, I highly recommend you check out episode 26. It's titled What Office Hours and that'll give you some mindset shifts and get you thinking about how this really can be a supportive change for you, versus confining or constricting.
The second question I have for you is, do you prefer to have more of a one mode during the day or more variety? And this could shift day to day, week to week. It could be very much played with. But some of the things you can think about with this question would be, maybe it's when are you in the office or out of the office.
So maybe you have days when you are very forward-focused, in terms of you are out meeting with clients, you're on job sites, you're at the showrooms. And other days are more internal; they're in the office. Or maybe it's you're in the office certain days, some days you're working from home, or some days you're working from a co-working space. Start to think about what feels energetically aligned to both what energizes you, but also what helps you focus. That can be a big one as well.
For me, I like to structure my days with when I'm going to have what I call 'live time' versus more internal time or creative time to do things like this podcast or write Monday Mindset, my weekly newsletter. So I have certain days that I see clients, and then I have days where I am doing other things in the business. For me, that delineation works really well to have it be all in one mode.
And maybe that works for you, maybe it doesn't. You could very much have there's certain half days, or there's maybe certain hours of the day that are more live or off. You could even have a theme day or a half theme day. Some of my clients really love that, where it's like, I'm working on client projects this day, and the other day I'm doing this, and the other day I'm that. Or maybe it's broken up by half days. Whatever you want to do could work for you.
The next question I want you to consider is, what creates momentum? Another way you could think about this is, what primes you to get to work? I'm not talking about a five-hour morning routine. Although if you have one, good for you. I certainly like to do a few things in the morning for myself before I'm going to be even seeing anyone. That's why I get up so early, because I just need a little bit of time to gather myself. That's great. Other people are like, absolutely not, I am not getting up at that time.
But start to think about what would be helpful for you to get you in motion. What helps get you going? Whether that's in the lead-up to actually being in your work day, or what helps get you moving when it is time to work.
A huge part of this for me is decisions ahead of time, and I know that this works. It works for so many clients. And the way you make those decisions can be tweaked. But decide what you are going to do ahead of time. A lot of times, we sit down, and the entire day is a free-for-all. This is not an effective way to get things done. And it's not just because of the context switching, the reactivity, all the things that can kind of send you in squirrely directions, it's also because decision fatigue, as a CEO, is real.
There are so many things that you are carrying. And so this is one of the ways that you can set all of that mental load aside through decisions and use those decisions to help you get in motion. That can be planning how the day is going to be structured very specifically in terms of time blocking or just how you're going to chunk it or what your priorities are, but make some decisions ahead of time.
Other things you can think about is, how are you getting dressed? Are you getting dressed? Maybe you're working in your pajamas. Maybe you are totally ready for the day. You have hair done, you've got a cute outfit on. And maybe that's influenced by the type of work you're doing.
I know personally, if I have certain types of fabrics or certain types of like cuts of pants, that can be mentally distracting for me while I'm working. So I know that I'm not going to dress a certain way or I try not to buy those types of clothes to begin with, but even then, like within some of the things that I really do like to wear, there's that variation. So I'm thinking about what is going to help me get into focus mode or feel like I'm ready to go engage with my clients or be out in the world in some way, right?
So, maybe another way to build momentum is you want to have a client meeting or a team meeting right away. You know that's going to help get you into the office and get you in motion.
Another thing you could think about, too, is, do you find it's most supportive to do the easy thing first when you get started? That can be really helpful, and getting some interest going. Your brain has some time to wake up, you're starting to feel engaged and energized by the work. Or maybe you're the type where doing the hard thing first, that classic 'eat the frog' approach, maybe that's true for you. So think about that in how you decide when you're going to do things throughout the day.
Piggybacking off that last question, you can also consider what are the things where maybe they are more mentally taxing or they tend to take a little bit more out of you in whatever way that is. So you can think about, do I want to get those mentally taxing things done early, or do I want to save them for later? Sometimes it is helpful to balance that out in terms of the rhythm of your week and how you're getting tasks accomplished.
This next question speaks to how you can build in time blocks for yourself throughout the week. And it's not to say that you don't ever shift these around or say, that's not going to work this week. I have to make these adjustments. But it's another way of making decisions ahead of time. It's looking at, what are the recurring tasks or similar types of activities that I do, week in and week out, that I know I need to have protected times for?
So that way, it is dedicated to that activity or that type of activity. And then we know, all right, so if I always love to do this thing, and Monday morning, I probably shouldn't schedule something else there. Or you are constantly worried about when you're going to get this thing done, decide when it's going to get done, so you can let that rest in your brain and know that you have time set aside.
So you can go day by day and think, what are those recurring things that I have to do or types of activities that I have in my business, and when does it make the most sense to set aside time to do those things? You can consider mornings versus afternoons, right?
So like, typically, I like to create content in the morning, or maybe it's that, you know, you have the most energy at the beginning of the day or most energy at the end of the day. Or maybe it's that certain things make sense to be done in the middle of the week or at the start of the week or the end of the week. You can look at when is your focus high, when is your energy high? When does it make sense to do some of those more boring repetitive tasks when you have already kind of expended yourself? Start to play around with that flow and it can get really interesting and a lot more efficient with how you move through things.
The next thing I want you to start thinking about is what transitions throw you off or need to be built into your day. Quite a while ago, episode 71, I did an episode on this, how transitions are really a secret time thief. The way that we transition between tasks or meetings, all the different things that we do in a day, really do add up, and they require something of us often from an energetic standpoint. So that could be that you are having to switch the mode of your brain from a very creative task to maybe a very data-driven task or a detailed task. And that takes some adjustment and time and energy, and so we want to plan for that and be aware of it and how it fits into our week.
Sometimes we need actual transition time that we aren't accounting for, like when you are done with a meeting, you should set aside some time to make action items in Asana, assign tasks to delegate, maybe you have to send a meeting recap, or start to send out some emails. Set aside time for that. That is a transition. Or even just drive time. Right, we don't want to plan for the least amount of time it will possibly take us to get somewhere. We want to give some buffer so that way the day doesn't start to feel out of control.
Transitions also can be just time to reset throughout the day. For me, I always am building in a time to go walk the dog around the middle of the day. It can be just stepping outside. But decide what would really refresh you because checking emails is not really a break. So you can build that into your day and it's going to be very supportive.
And also, what does the end of the day look like, too? That is a major transition, especially if you are shifting from very different roles in your life. Maybe you're going from business CEO to being a mom. That's my huge transition. So I have to think about what does that look like? And usually it includes closing loops or creating an entry point or plan for how I'm going to transition then into the next day. That is really helpful for me to essentially shut down my brain and know that I've got a plan and a jumping off point for the following day.
I've got two more things I want you to consider in building out your schedule before we wrap up. This next question is another way to think about how you are going to build in those recurring tasks and similar types of activities throughout the week, but I want you to think about it a little bit differently. And that is, where are you going to protect time and space for: number one, proactive work; number two, collaborative work; and number three, reactive work.
So this could be proactive work, like you are updating some financial information, you are working on marketing, you are working on the creative parts of a project. Maybe the collaborative work is you're at the job site, you are meeting with your team, you are having a client meeting. And then three, the reactive work, that is the inevitable stuff that comes up. We don't want to pretend that is not going to be a part of our day. We need to leave margin, we need to leave buffer to absorb those pieces that come up and are very time sensitive.
So here's where you can really start to think about when does it make sense in my day and in my week to plot those things out.
And lastly, I just want you to always remember that your schedule is part of your support system. It is something that is there to guide you as you move towards your goals in your business. So you want to first check, does this schedule that I'm crafting reflect my real life and my business goals? Are the choices I'm making and the way that I'm setting up my day reflective of what I say is important? If it is, amazing. And if not, then you have the invitation to ask what needs to shift.
I really hope you try these questions on, re-listen to this episode, see what comes up, and put your answers to the test. This is all an experiment. And I want you to just focus on what feels approachable right now. I know I gave you quite a few things to consider, and that's why this podcast episode, the transcript, is going to be here for you to come back to because you do not need to start with a complete overhaul. This inch-by-inch approach really can be one of those things that helps you build momentum.
When you start to plan your day in a way that works for you, you are going to have more energy, more creativity, more productivity, and of course, all of this is going to positively impact your profitability and business growth. So this is such a worthwhile thing to give some time and energy and attention to, especially this time of year where we're still kind of in that New Year momentum, and you've got big goals on your mind. This is the time to set the stage for the rest of the year.
That's what I have for you today. If you have not downloaded the Get It Done Daily Planner, definitely check that out with that free printable template and some mindset prompts that are going to help you get you in the mode to be the most effective you can be. That's at desicreswell.com/planner. And I will be back on February 18th with a brand new episode. Until then, I'm wishing you a beautiful week.
Thanks for joining me for this week's episode of The Interior Design Business CEO. If you want more tips, tools and strategies visit DesiCreswell.com, where you’ll get immediate access to a variety of free resources to help you take what you learn on the podcast and put it into action. And if you love what you’re hearing, be sure to rate, review, and follow the show wherever you listen to podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. I’ll talk to you next week.
While I'm happy to share some of what works for me, this episode is really all about how to create a daily and weekly rhythm that supports you as the designer CEO in your unique business. This isn't about squeezing yourself into a mold that will never fit you. It's about creating a supportive framework that reflects your work style and what gets you in motion, and bends around the realities of leading your own interior design business.
Welcome to The Interior Design Business CEO, the only show for designers who are ready to confidently run and grow their businesses without the stress and anxiety. If you're ready to develop a bigger vision for your interior design business, free up your time, and streamline your days for productivity and profit, you're in the right place.
I'm Desi Creswell, an award-winning interior designer and certified life and business coach. I help interior designers just like you stop feeling overwhelmed so they can build profitable businesses they love to run. Are you ready to confidently lead your business, clients, and projects? Let's go.
Hello, designer. Welcome back to the podcast. So nice to be here with you. The sun is shining here, and it's also starting to get very, very cold. I was thinking about this as we've been in the thick of winter here in Minnesota, and you sort of have this weather amnesia that happens for any of you who live in climates where there's a greater degree of change.
Maybe you relate to this, but you kind of get to this point in winter where you really cannot remember or fathom that the sun will actually be warm on you and you will feel warm and it will be summer at some point. And then it's also like in the thick of summer, and our family goes to the lake a lot and we're out just enjoying being in all that Minneapolis has to offer, we sometimes forget then that it's ever going to be cold at some point in the future. It's this strange thing that happens.
And, this week, well, tomorrow specifically, it is going to be freezing. My weather app shows -20 as the low, and there's a possibility that school will get canceled tomorrow. And I'm going to record this now because my children are often very loud, and I may need to pivot, so I'm going to go ahead and pivot now.
And that actually is a really great transition to what we're going to talk about today. Me adapting my schedule because of kind of an unknown for me, and creating a schedule that bends with the realities of the business with my life and what it is that I have for goals and what I want to accomplish here. And one of those goals is getting this podcast out as one of the ways that I connect with you.
And what I want this episode to be all about is how do you create a schedule that allows you to be efficient, allows for the ebb and flow of your project needs, be able to manage a team if you have one so that they are really an effective piece of the business, not something that's taking from you or requiring lots and lots of time, having that breathing room throughout the day, so you're not feeling like you're just constantly rushed from one thing to next. And also, we got to make sure that your creativity is supported and that you've got time to actively move the business forward in that CEO time. And lastly, we want to make sure that your schedule supports you stepping away from work and having boundaries around your time and energy.
I have coached so many designers at this point over the years. And often we're talking about time management, planning, goal setting, all of those things. And whether that's been in my Out of Overwhelm group coaching program, in private coaching, and workshops, and talks I'm giving, I am often asked, how do you schedule your week, and how many hours do you work? And while I am happy to share some of those details, I do rarely give a straight answer. And here's why. We're going to talk about all of this today.
But one of the reasons why I kind of sidestep that question is because, yes, getting ideas from someone else can spark ideas of what would work for you. That could be great. I love that. But often this question's coming from a place of, tell me how you do it so that I know how I should do it.
Which again, that's not always bad, but I do think it's important to remember that we can't take a carbon copy of a planning system, a process, a pricing structure, whatever it is, without having context and then using that context to inform our own decisions about what's going to work best for us.
We all are going to have some level of shared experiences, maybe life stages, temperaments that we can find across the board. And as your coach, which in many ways, as a podcast listener, I consider myself your coach, I know that the best way to help you arrive at something that truly works is to start asking you questions about what works for you. And once we understand that, then we can layer in some suggestions and try this approach.
If you've ever listened to episode 138, which was titled, No Right Way to Grow Your Business, or really have listened to any of my episodes, you've probably figured out that is one of my philosophies is that there is no right way. And I find that's true in this instance as well, and there's no right way to manage your time, schedule your day, decide how many hours you're going to work. It is really something that has to be tuned into what you have to give and what you want to accomplish, and where you're at kind of in this business journey.
I do teach and really do believe in some guiding principles and best practices. And you can definitely check out the Interior Designers Get It Done Daily Planner. That's a free resource at desicreswell.com/planner. That's going to give you some amazing tips to get you started if you want some how-to, this is what I find really works. I say that planner will save you at least five hours per week, and it really can be transformational when you start to put those philosophies in practice.
And again, it is not a 'this is when you should do this task, and this is when you should do this task,' but it really can be helpful as a way to get started. So definitely go check that out. But what I really use that planner for or any of these teachings and what we're going to talk about today is taking the concepts that I share and making them your own and structuring your schedule so that the time and the focus and intentionality you bring to your workday is very high quality. Because it's not just how much you work; it is how you work that matters so, so much.
Of course, when you are taking principles and applying them and testing them and seeing what works best for you, that can be a little bit more of an upfront effort than if I were to just say, well, here's your work schedule for the day, go do it. And I also know that second approach is not the sustainable solution. And I also know that if I did that, you'd be spending so much time and energy trying to force yourself into a system that works for someone else, but not for you.
Instead of trying to force yourself into someone else's ideal or what works for them, choose to use that effort to find your round hole to fit your round peg.
The other piece of this is that you're going to learn the skill of building supportive structures so that as your business grows, as it shifts, as your life and your priorities evolve, you are not stuck. You know how to adapt. You can be resilient with whatever needs to change, and that is beautiful and so much a huge part of being a CEO.
As we move further into this episode, I'm going to give you some questions you can use to start to explore how you build a schedule that truly suits you and your goals, your priorities, and the way that you want to run your business. The template that I mentioned, the daily planner, that is a great resource for printing a bunch of those sheets and you can start to experiment and learn what works best for you. It's kind of like taking field notes on yourself. And, of course, you can always come back to this episode or go through the transcript if you want to sit with these questions more, but even if you're just listening now, see what comes up and see what you could just make as a tiny little shift to get you started.
The very first thing I want you to ask yourself and use to set your schedule is, what are the realistic hours I'm going to work? Not when you hope to get to the office, but you never do because your kids take longer to get to school than you would like them to take. Or maybe you know there's a certain amount of dilly-dallying that you do around the house before you sit down. And let's just face it, you're going to dilly-dally. Okay, me included. And let's accept that. Let's build that in instead of pretending that you are going to be at your desk at 8, maybe you say it's 8:30, or maybe it's 10, whatever it is, right?
So this goes for the end of the day, too. We want to be clear on what our reality is with end of day. And this can be taken into account of what the current capacity is in the business, the number of projects running, also life circumstances.
I remember when my kids were little, and the schedule for preschool was very different than what I have right now. So maybe you need to adapt for that. Or maybe it's that you find it works out way better for you to work out during the day, which would technically be work hours, and you decide to swap some time during the day for an evening work sesh. So your work hours are going to look different because of that. But be very clear with yourself when is it that I'm working and when am I not working? Because that gives you a container to build the schedule in.
If this is something that you struggle with committing to, I highly recommend you check out episode 26. It's titled What Office Hours and that'll give you some mindset shifts and get you thinking about how this really can be a supportive change for you, versus confining or constricting.
The second question I have for you is, do you prefer to have more of a one mode during the day or more variety? And this could shift day to day, week to week. It could be very much played with. But some of the things you can think about with this question would be, maybe it's when are you in the office or out of the office.
So maybe you have days when you are very forward-focused, in terms of you are out meeting with clients, you're on job sites, you're at the showrooms. And other days are more internal; they're in the office. Or maybe it's you're in the office certain days, some days you're working from home, or some days you're working from a co-working space. Start to think about what feels energetically aligned to both what energizes you, but also what helps you focus. That can be a big one as well.
For me, I like to structure my days with when I'm going to have what I call 'live time' versus more internal time or creative time to do things like this podcast or write Monday Mindset, my weekly newsletter. So I have certain days that I see clients, and then I have days where I am doing other things in the business. For me, that delineation works really well to have it be all in one mode.
And maybe that works for you, maybe it doesn't. You could very much have there's certain half days, or there's maybe certain hours of the day that are more live or off. You could even have a theme day or a half theme day. Some of my clients really love that, where it's like, I'm working on client projects this day, and the other day I'm doing this, and the other day I'm that. Or maybe it's broken up by half days. Whatever you want to do could work for you.
The next question I want you to consider is, what creates momentum? Another way you could think about this is, what primes you to get to work? I'm not talking about a five-hour morning routine. Although if you have one, good for you. I certainly like to do a few things in the morning for myself before I'm going to be even seeing anyone. That's why I get up so early, because I just need a little bit of time to gather myself. That's great. Other people are like, absolutely not, I am not getting up at that time.
But start to think about what would be helpful for you to get you in motion. What helps get you going? Whether that's in the lead-up to actually being in your work day, or what helps get you moving when it is time to work.
A huge part of this for me is decisions ahead of time, and I know that this works. It works for so many clients. And the way you make those decisions can be tweaked. But decide what you are going to do ahead of time. A lot of times, we sit down, and the entire day is a free-for-all. This is not an effective way to get things done. And it's not just because of the context switching, the reactivity, all the things that can kind of send you in squirrely directions, it's also because decision fatigue, as a CEO, is real.
There are so many things that you are carrying. And so this is one of the ways that you can set all of that mental load aside through decisions and use those decisions to help you get in motion. That can be planning how the day is going to be structured very specifically in terms of time blocking or just how you're going to chunk it or what your priorities are, but make some decisions ahead of time.
Other things you can think about is, how are you getting dressed? Are you getting dressed? Maybe you're working in your pajamas. Maybe you are totally ready for the day. You have hair done, you've got a cute outfit on. And maybe that's influenced by the type of work you're doing.
I know personally, if I have certain types of fabrics or certain types of like cuts of pants, that can be mentally distracting for me while I'm working. So I know that I'm not going to dress a certain way or I try not to buy those types of clothes to begin with, but even then, like within some of the things that I really do like to wear, there's that variation. So I'm thinking about what is going to help me get into focus mode or feel like I'm ready to go engage with my clients or be out in the world in some way, right?
So, maybe another way to build momentum is you want to have a client meeting or a team meeting right away. You know that's going to help get you into the office and get you in motion.
Another thing you could think about, too, is, do you find it's most supportive to do the easy thing first when you get started? That can be really helpful, and getting some interest going. Your brain has some time to wake up, you're starting to feel engaged and energized by the work. Or maybe you're the type where doing the hard thing first, that classic 'eat the frog' approach, maybe that's true for you. So think about that in how you decide when you're going to do things throughout the day.
Piggybacking off that last question, you can also consider what are the things where maybe they are more mentally taxing or they tend to take a little bit more out of you in whatever way that is. So you can think about, do I want to get those mentally taxing things done early, or do I want to save them for later? Sometimes it is helpful to balance that out in terms of the rhythm of your week and how you're getting tasks accomplished.
This next question speaks to how you can build in time blocks for yourself throughout the week. And it's not to say that you don't ever shift these around or say, that's not going to work this week. I have to make these adjustments. But it's another way of making decisions ahead of time. It's looking at, what are the recurring tasks or similar types of activities that I do, week in and week out, that I know I need to have protected times for?
So that way, it is dedicated to that activity or that type of activity. And then we know, all right, so if I always love to do this thing, and Monday morning, I probably shouldn't schedule something else there. Or you are constantly worried about when you're going to get this thing done, decide when it's going to get done, so you can let that rest in your brain and know that you have time set aside.
So you can go day by day and think, what are those recurring things that I have to do or types of activities that I have in my business, and when does it make the most sense to set aside time to do those things? You can consider mornings versus afternoons, right?
So like, typically, I like to create content in the morning, or maybe it's that, you know, you have the most energy at the beginning of the day or most energy at the end of the day. Or maybe it's that certain things make sense to be done in the middle of the week or at the start of the week or the end of the week. You can look at when is your focus high, when is your energy high? When does it make sense to do some of those more boring repetitive tasks when you have already kind of expended yourself? Start to play around with that flow and it can get really interesting and a lot more efficient with how you move through things.
The next thing I want you to start thinking about is what transitions throw you off or need to be built into your day. Quite a while ago, episode 71, I did an episode on this, how transitions are really a secret time thief. The way that we transition between tasks or meetings, all the different things that we do in a day, really do add up, and they require something of us often from an energetic standpoint. So that could be that you are having to switch the mode of your brain from a very creative task to maybe a very data-driven task or a detailed task. And that takes some adjustment and time and energy, and so we want to plan for that and be aware of it and how it fits into our week.
Sometimes we need actual transition time that we aren't accounting for, like when you are done with a meeting, you should set aside some time to make action items in Asana, assign tasks to delegate, maybe you have to send a meeting recap, or start to send out some emails. Set aside time for that. That is a transition. Or even just drive time. Right, we don't want to plan for the least amount of time it will possibly take us to get somewhere. We want to give some buffer so that way the day doesn't start to feel out of control.
Transitions also can be just time to reset throughout the day. For me, I always am building in a time to go walk the dog around the middle of the day. It can be just stepping outside. But decide what would really refresh you because checking emails is not really a break. So you can build that into your day and it's going to be very supportive.
And also, what does the end of the day look like, too? That is a major transition, especially if you are shifting from very different roles in your life. Maybe you're going from business CEO to being a mom. That's my huge transition. So I have to think about what does that look like? And usually it includes closing loops or creating an entry point or plan for how I'm going to transition then into the next day. That is really helpful for me to essentially shut down my brain and know that I've got a plan and a jumping off point for the following day.
I've got two more things I want you to consider in building out your schedule before we wrap up. This next question is another way to think about how you are going to build in those recurring tasks and similar types of activities throughout the week, but I want you to think about it a little bit differently. And that is, where are you going to protect time and space for: number one, proactive work; number two, collaborative work; and number three, reactive work.
So this could be proactive work, like you are updating some financial information, you are working on marketing, you are working on the creative parts of a project. Maybe the collaborative work is you're at the job site, you are meeting with your team, you are having a client meeting. And then three, the reactive work, that is the inevitable stuff that comes up. We don't want to pretend that is not going to be a part of our day. We need to leave margin, we need to leave buffer to absorb those pieces that come up and are very time sensitive.
So here's where you can really start to think about when does it make sense in my day and in my week to plot those things out.
And lastly, I just want you to always remember that your schedule is part of your support system. It is something that is there to guide you as you move towards your goals in your business. So you want to first check, does this schedule that I'm crafting reflect my real life and my business goals? Are the choices I'm making and the way that I'm setting up my day reflective of what I say is important? If it is, amazing. And if not, then you have the invitation to ask what needs to shift.
I really hope you try these questions on, re-listen to this episode, see what comes up, and put your answers to the test. This is all an experiment. And I want you to just focus on what feels approachable right now. I know I gave you quite a few things to consider, and that's why this podcast episode, the transcript, is going to be here for you to come back to because you do not need to start with a complete overhaul. This inch-by-inch approach really can be one of those things that helps you build momentum.
When you start to plan your day in a way that works for you, you are going to have more energy, more creativity, more productivity, and of course, all of this is going to positively impact your profitability and business growth. So this is such a worthwhile thing to give some time and energy and attention to, especially this time of year where we're still kind of in that New Year momentum, and you've got big goals on your mind. This is the time to set the stage for the rest of the year.
That's what I have for you today. If you have not downloaded the Get It Done Daily Planner, definitely check that out with that free printable template and some mindset prompts that are going to help you get you in the mode to be the most effective you can be. That's at desicreswell.com/planner. And I will be back on February 18th with a brand new episode. Until then, I'm wishing you a beautiful week.
Thanks for joining me for this week's episode of The Interior Design Business CEO. If you want more tips, tools and strategies visit DesiCreswell.com, where you’ll get immediate access to a variety of free resources to help you take what you learn on the podcast and put it into action. And if you love what you’re hearing, be sure to rate, review, and follow the show wherever you listen to podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. I’ll talk to you next week.
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