Be Your Own Boss in 5 Easy Steps Each Day

People who say they had no choice, especially those I’ve seen in movies, usually end up in jail. No, you don’t want to be there. Not here, at least. 

I do not intend to preach. I am a Coach, not your mom or boss. Unless you are reading this, Patrick. I could only offer an alternative point of view based on my personal experience. 

Your job description pretty much sums up all the things you need to do to meet your job expectations. I’m not saying you do not run the risk of losing your job if you do not meet those expectations. You just have a choice is what I am saying. 

To clarify then, what I mean by being your own boss is being able to decide on what your priorities are and how you want to go about your day at work. At least for those hours where you have some flexibility to prioritize tasks.

5 Steps to Be the Boss

1. Plan for the full week. Ditch the daily To Do list especially if you end up just rewriting them over and over the following days. List down your weekly deliverables. Prioritize the items on the list. Are there things here that you can delegate, defer, or completely take out? Keep only the ones that are non-negotiable. Be ruthless in trimming down that list. Consider it self-care because it is.
   

2. Focus on the big rocks. Out of the ones that remain, which two to three are considered the big rocks? Your big rocks are the ones that make the most impact on your next-level goals. These could usually be broken down into smaller, bite-sized chips. Like that special project assigned to you, developing a skill that takes you to the next level, or connecting with your peers or mentors. Chip the rocks into steps you can do in 5 to 15 minutes. Don’t just put “Special Project” on your calendar. Write down the exact action you will be taking. For example, “2nd Follow-up with Mildred on technical specifications” or “Schedule mentoring session with Professor X”.
   

3. Stick to one sticky note. Your 3 big rock “chips” for each day should fit in one square sticky note. Prepare one sticky note for each work day for that week. These are the things you cannot end the day without doing. Now that your big rocks are taken care of, fill in the week’s calendar with all the small rocks. Your daily, weekly, monthly deliverables. Be mindful of days when most people call for urgent meetings. Do they tend to happen on Wednesdays or Thursdays and set Friday as a deadline? Leave enough buffer on those days. Fill your Mondays and Tuesdays instead.
   

4. Take action. You already have your entire week planned out. You have your daily sticky notes. All that’s left to do is DOING. Make sure that your work space is free from distractions as you focus on your sticky note tasks. Do these when you have the most energy. It’s usually the start of a work day for me.
   

5. Help others. Make sure you leave some time in your calendar to help contribute to a bigger project, help out or celebrate a peer. Help build the culture you want in the organization. It’s your small contribution to making the world a better place. I know it sounds cheesy but hey I promise you it might be the best thing on this list.