239: How to Do a Calendar Audit That Actually Frees Up Your Time (The 'Hell Yes or Not Right Now' Method)

How to Do a Calendar Audit That Actually Frees Up Your Time (The 'Hell Yes or Not Right Now' Method)

How to do a calendar audit that actually frees up your time. Cindy Gordon shares the Hell Yes or Not Right Now method to identify time wasters and eliminate tasks that don't move your business forward.

In this episode of The Overwhelmed Entrepreneur, business coach Cindy Gordon introduces the 'Hell Yes or Not Right Now' calendar audit method - a quick way to identify time wasters in your calendar and eliminate what doesn't deserve to be there.

Most calendar audits take hours and leave you overwhelmed. This one takes 15 minutes and gives you clear decisions about what to keep and what to eliminate from your calendar immediately.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• The 'Hell Yes or Not Right Now' decision framework for auditing your calendar
• How to identify the time wasters draining your energy as an entrepreneur
• Three questions to ask about every calendar item to determine if it stays or goes
• What to do when everything on your calendar feels important (spoiler: it's not)
• How to find 5-10 hidden hours in your week without adding more to your plate
• Real examples of what to eliminate from your calendar today
• Why saying no to "Not Right Now" activities means saying yes to "Hell Yes" opportunities

Perfect for: Overwhelmed entrepreneurs and small business owners who feel like they never have enough time, especially those who are busy but not making progress on what really matters in their business.

Episode Highlights: "Most entrepreneurs don't have a time problem. They have a 'Hell Yes' problem."

"When everything on your calendar feels urgent, a calendar audit reveals what's NOT actually urgent."

"The question isn't just what you're spending time on - it's whether each thing deserves to be there."

"Your calendar shouldn't be a to-do list that other people fill up. It should be a strategic tool that reflects your priorities and protects your energy."

Resources mentioned:

• The Overwhelm Cure framework at ExclusivelyCindy.com
• The Reality Check Method
• Hell Yes or Not Right Now Calendar Audit Worksheet
• Weekly productivity tips (link in show notes)
• Instagram: @exclusivelycindy

Take Action: Ready to audit your calendar and find hidden time in your week? Use the 'Hell Yes or Not Right Now' method today. Open your calendar, ask the three questions, and eliminate one "Not Right Now" item immediately.

🎯 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!

💌 Join 1,400+ entrepreneurs getting exclusive overwhelm solutions and productivity strategies straight to their inbox - sign up now! https://cindygordon.myflodesk.com/countmein

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

Most entrepreneurs don't have a time problem. They have a hell yes. Problem. You're not too busy, you just have too many. Not right now. Things taking up space on your calendar, and today I'm going to show you how to do a calendar audit. That actually frees up your time. Hi, I'm Cindy Gordon, a self-made entrepreneur, busy mom and execution coach. I built and sold multiple digital businesses, ranging from five to six figure successes and one of the most powerful things I've learned along the way. Is this, what's on your calendar reveals what you value, and sometimes what's on your calendar doesn't actually deserve to be there. So when it comes to managing your time and priorities in both life and work, I get it. I've been there. Before we dive in today, if you are not getting my weekly productivity tips yet, grab them using the link in the show notes. They're the behind the scenes systems that I use to stay productive while running my business. Today, I'm sharing a mindset tip that help me reclaim over 10 hours per week by getting brutally honest about what deserved space on my calendar. I see this repeatedly with the entrepreneurs in my programs. They tell me that they do not have enough time. Does that sound familiar to you? But when we actually look at their calendars and audit them together, we discover that they. Do have plenty of time. It's just being spent on things that don't move their business forward. You're saying yes to coffee meetings that go nowhere. You're attending networking events out of obligation. You're on calls that could have been emails. You're doing tasks that should have been automated or delegated months ago, and worst of all, you are spending time on things that feel urgent, but aren't actually important. When everything on your calendar feels urgent, you need to do a calendar audit to reveal what's actually not urgent. Most of the things taking up space and time in your day probably don't actually deserve to be there. We are terrible at saying no in the moment. When someone asks for a meeting, three weeks from now, your brain thinks, sure, I'll have time. Then you commit to a recurring appointment, but you don't really calculate the cumulative cost of every hour, every single week for the next six months. We often have a hard time distinguishing between urgent and important. Everything feels like it needs to happen right now. So your calendar fills up with activities that feel productive, but don't actually create results. You're busy, you're exhausted, but your business isn't really growing. Plus there's guilt. You feel like you should attend the event, you should take the call, or you should say yes to that collaboration. So your calendar becomes filled with obligations rather than opportunities, and that's exactly why you need the hell yes or not right now, audit. So let me show you how to do a quick calendar audit using that framework. This is how you identify time wasters in your calendar and eliminate what doesn't belong there. And you can complete this in about 15 minutes. First, you're gonna export or look at your calendar from the past two weeks. Don't plan for the future yet. Just look at what you actually spent time on every meeting, every appointment, every blocked off time. Write it all down or print it out. Next, go through each item and ask yourself three questions. This is where the hell yes or not right Now, part comes into play. Question one. Does this directly move my business forward or deeply matter to me? Question two. Could this be eliminated, automated or delegated to someone else? Question three, if this meeting task or event disappeared from my calendar forever, would it actually impact my business or life? That last question. It's a big one. So here's the decision process. If something isn't a hell yes, meaning it doesn't excite you, it doesn't move your business forward and it wouldn't be missed. If it disappeared, then it is definitely a not right now, and the not right now means it needs to come off your calendar immediately and moved to your not to-do list. I know what you're thinking, but Cindy, everything on my calendar feels important. That's false urgency talking. So here's how to actually implement this calendar audit without feeling guilt or overwhelm. Start by identifying easy deletions. The meetings you dread, the recurring appointments that no longer serve you. The networking groups you attend out of obligation rather than value. Cancel and don't renew these immediately. You'll free up time instantly look at what can be shortened or changed. Does that long hour meeting really need to be an hour? Could it be 30 minutes or maybe a quick check-in? I had a client who cut all her standing meetings from 60 minutes to 30 minutes and freed up almost five hours of work per week without losing any productivity. Kind of mind blowing when you look at the numbers next, tackle the should obligations. These are the hardest because they come with guilt. You should attend that event. You should take that call. But here's what I've learned along the way. Every should you say is a hell yes. Opportunity that you are actually saying no to. So I want you to practice this phrase. I appreciate the invitation, but my calendar is fully committed to priorities right now. Let me say it again. I appreciate the invitation, but my calendar is fully committed to priorities right now. And when your resistance shows up, you'll feel a little guilty or worrying about saying no. But I want you to remember that your calendar is a reflection of what you value if it's filled with not right now. Activities you are telling yourself that other people's priorities matter more than your own business growth. Your calendar shouldn't be a to-do list that other people fill up. It should be a strategic tool that reflects your priorities and protects your energy When everything feels urgent, a calendar audit reveals what's actually not urgent and that hell yes. Not right now. Decision framework gives you the permission to eliminate what doesn't belong. If you wanna learn more tips and tricks just like this, you can visit me@exclusivelycindy.com or follow me on exclusively Cindy at Instagram. Now go look at your calendar right now and find one, not right now, item and delete it. Then go find another start, small start today. You've got this.

Speaker: 6:56

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 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. Send. d.com. Until next time, remember, you've got this.