238: How to Maximize Small Pockets of Time (Work Windows Method)

How to Maximize Small Pockets of Time (Work Windows Method)

Never have long time blocks to work? This episode reveals productivity for busy moms who need to maximize small pockets of time. In this episode of The Overwhelmed Entrepreneur, execution coach Cindy Gordon shares the Work Windows Method that helps entrepreneur moms get real work done in short bursts between life responsibilities.

Discover how to maximize small pockets of time using strategic Work Windows, why short burst productivity works better than waiting for perfect time blocks, and the Reality Check Method for making progress even when you only have 15 minutes.

Perfect for overwhelmed entrepreneur moms and busy small business owners who never have hours of uninterrupted time but still need to move their business forward.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why productivity for busy moms requires a different approach than traditional time management
• How to maximize small pockets of time with the Work Windows framework
• Short burst productivity which tasks work in 15 to 30 minute windows
• Time blocking for moms who don't have predictable schedules
• Real examples of entrepreneur moms using Work Windows for revenue generating tasks
• How to get everything done as a busy mom without guilt or burnout

If you're a mom building a business and tired of waiting for the perfect time block that never comes, this episode will show you how to use the time windows you actually have.

Resources mentioned:

• The Reality Check Method at ExclusivelyCindy.com
• The Growth Collective, dollar a day business support membership
• Weekly productivity tips, link in show notes

Keywords: productivity for busy moms, maximize small pockets of time, short burst productivity, time blocking for moms, entrepreneur mom productivity, work in short bursts

🎯 You don't have to figure this out alone! The Growth Collective is your $1/day business support community with weekly office hours, strategic frameworks, and entrepreneurs who get it. Less than your coffee, more than a mastermind. Details at https://exclusivelycindy.thrivecart.com/the-growth-collective/

💡 Don't forget to subscribe for more quick productivity tips for overwhelmed business owners and female entrepreneurs!

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Connect with Cindy Gordon - Reality Check Method Coach for Overwhelmed Entrepreneurs:

• Website: ExclusivelyCindy.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exclusivelycindy/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@cindygordon

Transcript

0:00

You don't need three uninterrupted hours to be productive. You need a system for the 15 minute windows that you actually have. You know, the ones between school drop off and your first call. After lunch, but before pickup that hour when dinner's in the oven, these aren't interruptions to your real work. These are your work windows. Hi, I'm Cindy Gordon, a self-made entrepreneur, busy ma and execution coach. I built and sold multiple digital businesses while raising kids, and I can tell you that learning to use those short time windows strategically completely changed how much I accomplished without the guilt. Today I am sharing the mindset shift that helped me stop waiting for perfect time, locks that never came, and to start using the windows that I actually had. If you want frameworks just like this, plus weekly tips that over 1400 entrepreneurs use to stay motivated and on track. Get on my email list link in the show notes. I only send these tips to my email subscribers and I don't share them anywhere else. Here's what's probably happening. You plan to work on that client proposal, create content, or tackle strategic planning. But then you look at your calendar and you realize you only have 20 minutes before pickup. So you think, well, that's not enough time to do real work. I'll wait for a better time block. So you spend that 20 minutes scrolling Instagram or doing busy work instead. This is a recurring theme with the incredible women in my community. The women in my Dollar a Day business support membership, the Growth Collective describe this perfectly. They keep waiting for those mythical three hours of uninterrupted time. Meanwhile, their businesses sit untouched week after week. The guilt builds, the tasks pile up, and they feel like they're failing at both business and motherhood. The truth is that you are not gonna get a three hour block of uninterrupted time during this season of your life. Stop planning like you will. Research shows what's really going on here. Basically, your brain has been trained by traditional productivity advice that says you need long interrupted time blocks to do meaningful work. So when you only have 15 to 30 minutes, your brain tells you it's not worth starting because you can't finish. But here's what actually happens. Short focus work often beats long distracted time. That 30 minutes of concentrated effort on a client proposal gets more done than three hours of scattered attention. When you're checking emails, answering texts, and letting your mind wander, the mental shift you need isn't from scattered to focus. It's the shift from I need hours to, I can use the windows of time that I have the most productive business owners I know aren't the ones with more time. They're the ones who are using their time strategically. They're the ones who know which tasks to fit in which windows. That's the game changer. So let me show you how to maximize small pockets of time with this framework idea. This is about the strategic use of time that you actually have and not the wishful thinking about the time that you don't. So first, you're gonna map your week's predictable windows. So we're using an example if you have young children at home. So these windows, you already know them. These are things like between drop off and your first meeting, nap time. If you have young kids, that window before pickup, the hour after the bedtime routine. These 15 to 30 minute pockets aren't random. They're your work windows, and they actually show up consistently every week. Next, you're gonna categorize the tasks by the window size. So think about 30 minute windows can handle things like client proposal, drafts, content creation, strategic planning. 20 minute windows can work for client calls, team check-ins, financial reviews, those 15 minute windows, that's perfect for email responses, starting your social media scheduling or invoice sending. Next, you need to reality check your list. What actually needs to get done this week versus what you are telling yourself needs to get done. Because when you only have limited time windows, you have to get ruthless about what truly matters. Then you're gonna match your tasks to your windows, put your revenue generating work in your best windows. Client work gets the 30 minute block between drop off and your meeting admin tasks. Get the 15 minutes before pickup strategic work gets that focused hour after bedtime. And finally, and most important, stop waiting for perfect. Use the windows that you have instead of wishing you had more. This shift changes everything. Resistance can show up with you thinking, but I can't do real work in 15 minutes. But I'm here to tell you yes you can. You just need to match the right work with the right time window. A 15 minute window isn't for deep strategic planning, but it's perfect for knocking out a few client emails or scheduling a week's worth of social media posts. Build this into your Sunday planning routine. When you're mapping your week, don't just look at meetings and appointments. Circle your work. Windows, those pockets between responsibilities. That's when you can help your business move forward. This approach is woven into how I currently run my business. Here's what's changed for me. I used to look at my calendar and see a bunch of 20 to 30 minute gaps and think I cannot get anything meaningful done today. I'd fill those gaps with busy work or just waste them completely. Usually scrolling on Instagram. Meanwhile, important business tasks sat untouched. Then I started using this work, windows Theory and everything shifted that 20 minutes during lunch. I use it for a team check-in, call the 30 minutes before pickup content creation. None of these tasks get finished in one window, but they get started and we know that starting creates momentum. One of my clients, who's an entrepreneur mom, with two kids under five, had a similar breakthrough. She kept saying that she couldn't grow her business because she never had the time. When we mapped out her work windows, she had 10 to 12 windows per week on average, with each being between 15 and 30 minutes. So that's three to four hours of usable time that she's been dismissing is not enough. Once she started treating those windows as her business building time and matching tasks strategically, her business grew the same amount of time. She just used it strategically instead of wasting time, waiting for perfect. Here's what I want you to remember about today. The work windows that you have between your life responsibilities, those are enough. When you stop waiting for perfect time and start using the available time you have strategically, your business can move forward. Study progress in short bursts, beats, waiting for long blocks every single time. This approach to working with your reality instead of against it is exactly what I help entrepreneurs develop through my reality check method. At exclusively cindy.com. If you want ongoing support with strategies just like this, plus a community of entrepreneurs who get it, check out the Growth Collective. It's my Dollar a day business support membership where we tackle real challenges like making progress without perfect conditions. When you stop waiting and start using your work windows strategically, everything changes. So map out your work windows this week. See where those 15 to 30 minute pockets consistently show up? Follow me on Instagram at exclusively Cindy, for more strategies that can help you work with your reality and not against it. And remember, you've got this.

Speaker: 8:12

Thanks for spending these few minutes with me today. Remember, overwhelm isn't permanent. It's simply your brain's way of saying pause and take a little reality check. If this was helpful, you'll love my weekly email tips where I share the systems that keep me and hundreds of other entrepreneurs on Track Link in the show notes. If you got value in today's episode, please share it with another entrepreneur who needs that reminder. If you're loving the show, I'd be so grateful if you could leave me a quick review. It helps other overwhelmed entrepreneurs find us. Make sure you hit subscribe so you never miss your weekly dose of clarity. For more resources and to connect with me, visit exclusively cindy.com. Until next time, remember you've got this.