Free, Buffer & Focus Days Revisited

It’s Thursday, April 28th at 5:25pm MT and I’m in a taxi on my way to the airport after being the closing speaker at the Advocis Calgary Sales Congress. Thank you Advocis Calgary.

Some say that Dan Sullivan from Strategic Coach invented Free, Buffer & Focus Days, some say that Wayne Cotton from Cotton Systems invented Free, Buffer & Focus Days and some say that Free, Buffer & Focus Days are from the Bible.

I’ve been using Free, Buffer & Focus Days for years.

• Free Days – time off/not working
• Buffer Days – working on the business, no client appointments
• Focus Days – working in the business, client appointments

In the past;

• My weeks #1 and #3 have Monday as a Buffer Day working on business leadership and management and Tuesday – Friday as Focus Days for client appointments. Please see the image below, click to enlarge it.

• My weeks #2 and #4 have Monday as a Buffer Day working on business leadership and management, Tuesday – Wednesday as Buffer Days working on creation of articles & speaking presentations and Thursday – Friday as Focus Days for client appointments.

• My Focus Days for client appointments time slots have been 7am, 8:15am, 9:30am, 10:45am, 1:15pm, 2:30pm and 3:45pm.

• Over the last couple of years, I’ve dropped the 7am slot.

I recently read The One Thing by Gary W. Keller and Jay Papasan. http://www.the1thing.com/

Here is what I learned / what I’m going to implement from The One Thing;

• Schedule 10 consecutive Free Days in a row two – three times a year
• Commit to The One Thing by asking; What’s the ONE Thing you can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?
• My One Thing is create sustainable systems to fill our 2017 – 2020 speaking calendar
• Remember that my strongest energy for The One Thing is in the morning
• Maintain Mondays as Buffer Days working on business leadership and management
• Eliminate Buffer Days working on creation of articles & speaking presentations
• Schedule my Focus Days for client appointments time slots starting with 3:45pm and so on; 2:30pm, 1:15pm, 10:45am.
• Devote 7am, 8:15am and 9:30am time slots to The One Thing