Ants labor hard. And they work systematically. They are organized and diligent with their work. They get the job done. I read this verse in Proverbs last week and was really convicted and challenged by God to get more order in my schedule.

“Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. (Proverbs 6:6-8)

The main point of contention with my productivity is my schedule. It’s haphazard at best. So thought, how would I coach a client through this very same thing? What follows is pretty much the conversation I had in my own head {that’s right, I talk to myself}:

CoachMe: “What is holding you back from having order and productivity each day?”

ClientMe: “A plan. Lack of structure. No recurring habits or patterns.”

CoachMe: “So what ideas come to mind as far as adding a structured plan with recurring patterns and habits into your day?”

ClientMe: “Well, I could come up with a schedule for every day of the week…but I’ve tried that and it doesn’t work.”

CoachMe: “Why not?”

ClientMe: “Because I made it impossible to stick to. I added in oddly long periods of work time with no breaks. I scheduled different things for every day. And I didn’t account for other things that get added into the day like friends or coffee dates or household chores. So I quit and felt like a failure.”

CoachMe: “Do you think it would be possible to make a schedule that isn’t impossible?”

ClientMe: “Yeah. I guess.”

CoachMe: “What would you have to do to make it more realistic?”

ClientMe: “Well, probably have some set things that happen every day. Like wake up at the same time every day.”

CoachMe: “What else?”

ClientMe: “I would like to focus on parts of my business at the same time every day. (Getting excited now). Like maybe have a set time every day when I do marketing for an hour. And study for an hour or two in the afternoon. I also want to cut myself off at the same time every day so I don’t go overboard. But it’s hard to have a set schedule every day because I coach different days at different times and have other commitments throughout the week too.”

CoachMe: “Okay, so it sounds like you need to find a way to have your schedule adapt to changing appointments and other responsibilities. Any idea as to how you could do that?”

ClientMe: “I guess I could review my schedule every night before bed. See how the day went. Make some observations on what went well and what didn’t. And then plan out the next day’s schedule including any out of the routine appointments.”

CoachMe: “So it sounds like you’re going to work on creating some routine for yourself every day but also allow flexibility for days that might stray from the normal routine. You think the best way to do that is to review your schedule at night and plan the next day out before bed. Is that correct?”

ClientMe: “Yeah, I think that might actually work.”

CoachMe: “Any potential potholes you need to keep an eye out for?”

ClientMe: “Yeah, either becoming super legalistic about the schedule to the point that I beat myself up if plans change and feel like a failure. That leads to me giving up. OR I also can get really excited and go into overdrive and put in crazy long hours and have my phone/laptop glued to my body. That will make me get burned out quickly.”

CoachMe: “Cool. Well it sounds like you know what to watch out for. I will check in with you at the end of the week to see how it went and to make sure that you’re avoiding those potholes!”

ClientMe: “Sounds good!”

The end.

Simple conversations that can be so powerful.

And holy cow! I have had the most productive week of my business! I’ve gotten a whole bunch done both professionally and personally. The house has been clean, I’ve taken care of personal responsibilities here, I’ve gotten fun time with friends, amazing quiet time with Jesus, and have been super proactive with stuff for the business.

Coaching works. Because the agenda is client driven, you are right at the sweet spot where the client cares and wants to make a change. Who knows better than the client what God is prompting them to work on?

This week for me, it was my schedule. Hooray for God-prompted change that resulted in a super productive week.

How about you? Have you ever considered coaching? Here are 4 great questions to help you identify some ways you could benefit from a coaching relationship {and conversations like the one above}:

1. What are the pressure points in your life? Where is life difficult right now?
2. What do you want more of in your life? What do you want less of?
3. What is your biggest energy drain? Your second biggest?
4. Name five minor annoyances that sap your energy and drag you down.
(Taken from Leadership Coaching by Tony Stoltzfus)

Take some time to think it through and then feel free to visit my website to check out my new look, client testimonials, my vision, and FAQ’s about coaching! Remember, the first session is a free, 30 minute, no-obligation trial run. What do you have to lose?