Power Hour For the WINNN!!!!!

Do you know what a power hour is? Oh boy, hold on your hats my friends! I’m about to change your lives. For the better. 😊

First, I must give credit where credit is due. I’d heard about power hours before. But it wasn’t until I heard my mentor (she’s a mentor to thousands but I like to think we’re besties…haha) Alison J Prince explain power hours and her spin on them that it clicked! Then it changed my life.

I’m really trying to not be dramatic, but seriously!! This ADHD, anxious, A+ procrastinator, and mom of 5 has had a world of difference since starting to do power hours.

Let’s get back to the basics. A lot of these ideas have come from what I learned from Alison. Some are my own, and some are ways that I have adapted the concept to fit me better.

What is a Power Hour?

A power hour is a set amount of time that you focus on one thing. I have only used power hours for work so far. But it could work for many areas in your life.

Before you start your power hour make a short list of what you want to do during that time. Then get to your list. That’s it. Keep reading to get the best tips and tricks.

Schedule

It is best to schedule a week out at a time. On either Sunday evening or Monday morning I take a few minutes to sit down and look at my week.

First, write down anything that is set in stone (doc appointments, work, meetings, etc.).

Next, schedule in a few power hours. I try to do at least one a day, 5-6 days a week. I hardly do anything on Sunday. That’s our day to be together as a family, go to church, and be more relaxed.

Then, you can schedule in family time. You can do this before or after you schedule in your power hour times.

Last, keep time open for your everyday life.

I had a power hour scheduled for this morning from 7:30-9:40 when our babysitter was going to be here while Eddy was at work, and I went downstairs to my office to work. She was sick. No biggie, I just crossed out my morning power hour.

In the afternoon as my kids were napping, playing, or watching a show I got a short power hour in.

Just keep in mind to be flexible and go with the flow.

Do’s and Don’ts of Power Hour

Do’s:

• Stop as many distractions as you can
• Focus on one thing at a time
• Teach your family that when you’re doing your power hour you are “off duty”
• Similar tasks during one power hour (unless you have a short list of easy random tasks)
• Cheer yourself on and celebrate the awesome things you accomplish during your power hours!

Don’ts:

• Plan so much that you get overwhelmed and stop before you start
• Go from one thing to another to another
• Go on to other things when you have finished your list, if you have time and energy
• Push forward on something if your brain is not into it (ex: stop writing if you are having a hard time and switch to something that uses less brain power)

The only notifications I have on my phone is Facebook messenger (for when I’m selling things, I can get back to interested people quickly) and my shopify app for when people make a purchase (that’s just outright fun to hear the ding. And I like to be able to get my packages ready as soon as possible to get the products to my customers quickly.)

Everything is turned off. I do not play on my phone or scroll social media. I have mostly stopped sending text messages or picking up my phone when it rings. This is my time to do XYZ, so dang it I’m going to FOCUS and do XYZ.

As a blogger and an e-commerce shop owner there are thousands of things I can and should do daily for work. I used to be ALL over the place.

Then when I was done working for a period, I felt like I got nothing done. That all changed when I really started to focus on one thing!

For example: my power hour goal today is to simply write two blog posts. I’m on number 2, woohoo! I know I have a very limited time before my kids will need me. Then after the kids are in bed and Eddy is on his way home, I have another power hour.

My goal during that power hour is to work on getting pictures taken and edited, Pinterest pins already to be made once the blog posts go live and scheduling 4 blog posts to be published on the days I need them to be.

So, in a matter of three power hours, I will have gotten four blog posts started and finished! That’s amazing!!

Before I started these power hours after learning how to do them better, I would have the longest to do list. This goes for my life in general. The list is so long that no human can get it done in one short power hour.

I strongly urge you to have 2-3 things to do during one power hour. For example: my list for my current power hour is to write blog post #3 and blog post #4 for August. Just two things on my list.

Where to Learn More

If you want more info or want to get the info from the amazing Alison J Prince herself then I suggest you check her out. I’ve purchased two courses from her about e-commerce.

She is a master at e-commerce. Alison knows what she is talking about. She is experienced and shares all her wisdom. And she makes you feel like you are besties. 😊 Alison has started many multimillion-dollar e-commerce companies. She is self-taught and is truly amazing!

This is an affiliate link to her course. If you purchase her course through this link, you are charged nothing extra, but I make a percentage of the purchase.

Have you tried power hours before? What did you like or dislike about them? Do you think you will try a power hour after reading this???

Let me know in the comments below. Thanks!

Xxx, Steph