How full is your schedule? Your calendar? Your to-do list?

Often, you have A LOT on your plate . . .which limits your ability to spend time doing the activities that will best help you accomplish your goals. You don’t intend for this to happen . . . it just does. Slowly one activity after another after another sneaks its way into your life until you are full . . . then overly full . . . and frustrated!

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One way start to clear room in your schedule and life (so you have the time and energy to do the things you love) is to use the 4 D’s.

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Look at your obligations. What can you…

  • Delete?
  • Delegate?
  • Defer?
  • (re)Define?

Going through these steps one-by-one allows you to make sure you are only taking on the activities that are most valuable to you.

I love the 4 D’s, BUT … this a “reactive” strategy, to be used when you are ALREADY feeling filled up. What about a PROACTIVE strategy? What can you do ahead of time to make sure you keep your calendar, schedule, and to-do list from getting too full?

A few months ago I gave a workshop in which I went through the 4 D’s in detail. (Take control of your calendar here!)  Participants were diligently slashing obligations, moving activities around, and clearing their schedule.  During a break, one of the participants shared, “I have a 5th D for you.”

I was intrigued!

She shared . . . drum roll please . . . DECLINE!

Yep, just say NO!

If you decline activities that are not aligned with your goals ahead of time, your schedule won’t be overly full! (Check out my upcoming webinar about just this topic!)

I’ve taught the 4 D’s for years. I’ve taught setting boundaries / saying NO for years. I’ve never thought to teach them together as flip sides of the same coin until this participant pointed it out! However, they really are connected!

How does this look in real life?

  • Become crystal clear on your vision
  • Decline activities that are not 100% directly aligned with this vision
  • Use the 4 D’s weekly to catch activities that slipped through the cracks

In what ways do you take control of your calendar? Do you have a trick to share as well? We all need boundaries to ensure that our own needs are being met. (Again, check out my free webinar here: Protect Your Big Yes, Learn to Say No!“)

Try these 4 Ds (or 5!) for the next few weeks. If you find that you’re not reaching that “big success,” you may need to upgrade your capacity building strategies so you can feel a sense of accomplishment each day. Take advantage of my complimentary Discovery Conversation.

Important!! These appointments are complimentary, but to be really clear, they are limited in number and reserved for people who meet these criteria:

  • You are willing and ready to improve your current situation
  • You are ready to invest money in your potential so you can experience different results
  • You are willing to push your comfort zone (just a little to start!)

If this is you, click below to find your next steps.

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