240: How to Create a Productivity Power Hour That Actually Gets Results (The Entrepreneur's Focus Method)

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How to Create a Productivity Power Hour That Actually Gets Results (The Entrepreneur's Focus Method)

In this episode of The Overwhelmed Entrepreneur, business coach Cindy Gordon breaks down how to create a productivity power hour that actually gets results - not another productivity hack, but one protected focus hour where you work on what truly matters.

Most entrepreneurs work 10-hour days but never find time for strategic work. Your calendar is full of meetings, your inbox is overflowing, and by the end of the day, you haven't worked ON your business - only IN it. The daily power hour changes that.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• What a productivity power hour is and why every entrepreneur needs one (even if you're already "busy")
• How to identify your most productive hour based on YOUR energy (not generic morning advice)
• The three types of work that belong in your power hour (and what to eliminate)
• How to protect your power hour from meetings, emails, and "urgent" distractions
• What to do when you can't find a full hour (start with 30 minutes that actually work)
• Real example: How one protected hour created more business growth than nine reactive hours
• The mindset shift that makes your power hour non-negotiable

Perfect for: Overwhelmed entrepreneurs and small business owners who work long days but never have time for strategic work, especially those who end every day exhausted but feeling like they didn't accomplish anything that moves the needle.

Episode Highlights: "You don't need more hours in the day. You need one protected power hour."

"When everything on your calendar feels urgent, your power hour protects what's actually important."

"Your power hour isn't about cramming more work into your day. It's about protecting time for the work that actually grows your business."

"The hour you spend building your business is worth more than the hour you spend being reactive."

Take Action: Ready to create your daily productivity power hour? Look at your calendar right now and block one hour tomorrow for strategic work. Turn off notifications, close your email, and work exclusively on what moves your business forward. For the complete Entrepreneur's Focus Method and framework for choosing your power hour activities, visit ExclusivelyCindy.com.

Already did your calendar audit from Episode 239? Perfect! Now protect your best hour with this power hour method

🎯 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

Episode Transcript

Speaker (00:00):
You don't need more hours in the day.
You need one protected powerhour.
Most entrepreneurs work 10 hourdays, but never actually find
the time for strategic work.
You are busy all day long,responding to emails, putting
out fires, handling clientissues, and by the end of the
day, you haven't worked on yourbusiness, you've only worked in

(00:22):
your business, and that'sexactly why you need to learn
how to create a productivitypower hour.
Hi, I'm Cindy Gordon, aself-made entrepreneur, busy mom
and execution coach.
I built and sold multipledigital businesses, ranging from
five to six figure successes andone of the biggest productivity
shifts I've made is protectingone daily power hour for the

(00:45):
work that actually grows mybusiness before we dive in.
If you are not getting my weeklyproductivity tips yet, grab them
using the link in the shownotes.
They are the behind the scenessystems I use to stay productive
while running my businesses.
I'm sharing the mindset shiftthat helped me go from
constantly busy to actuallybeing productive.

(01:07):
And it starts with just oneprotected hour.
I hear it a lot from clients.
They tell me that they don'thave time to work on business
strategy, create new offers, orbuild the systems that they
need.
They know what they should bedoing, but they just can't find
time to actually do it.
I get it.
Your calendar is full ofmeetings.

(01:28):
Your inbox is overflowing.
You are managing clients,contractors, and a family if you
have one.
Juggling that too.
It's a lot.
And by the time you have a freemoment, you're too exhausted to
do strategic work.
You stay stuck working in yourbusiness instead of on it.
You're making money, but you'renot really growing.

(01:49):
You're busy but you're notreally building and the
strategic work that wouldactually transform your business
keeps getting pushed to the,when I have some time pile we
tend to prioritize what's urgentover what's important.
Your brain sees an email come inor a client request, and it
screams handle this now, but thestrategic planning session, that

(02:11):
new offer you want to create,your brain says.
Mm, that can wait.
The problem is important.
Work never feels urgent untilit's too late.
Building systems doesn't feelurgent until you're drowning.
In chaos, creating a new revenuestream doesn't feel urgent until
you're panicking about cashflow.
Working on your marketingdoesn't feel urgent until your

(02:33):
pipeline is drying up.
This is why a Daily Power Hourchanges everything.
It's not about finding moretime, it's about protecting the
time for what's actuallyimportant before everything else
tries to steal your attention.
So let me show you how to createa productivity power hour.
So this is about identifying onehour, just one where you are

(02:56):
protecting your most importantwork.
Very similar to our MIT or mostimportant task episode that we
shared recently.
So here we are dedicating anentire hour.
So you're gonna start with areality check of your energy.
You need to figure out when youare most focused.

(03:16):
So unlike the MIT, that is themost important task done at the
beginning of the day here, we'regonna look at your energy and
figure out when you are the mostfocused.
So not when a productivity gurusays you should be, but when you
actually are.
Are you sharp first thing in themorning?
Or do you hit your stride afterlunch or maybe evenings are your

(03:37):
sweet spot.
Your power hour needs to workwith your natural rhythm and not
against it.
Next, identify three types ofwork that belong in your power
hour.
Type one is strategic planning.
So this is big picture thinking.
Type two, creating revenue,generating assets like content

(03:58):
offers or systems.
Type three high value activitiesthat only you can do and
directly grow your business.
Do you notice what's not on thislist?
Things like emails, meetings,admin work.
Social media, scrolling oranything that doesn't move the
needle forward.
So here's the game changer.

(04:20):
Protect your Power Hour likeit's a client appointment that
pays you$5,000.
Block it on your calendar.
Turn off notifications, closeyour email, put your phone in
another room if you need to.
This hour is non-negotiablebecause this hour is where your
business growth actuallyhappens.
You might be thinking you don'thave a free hour and you are

(04:43):
probably right.
That's why you need to create itand not find it.
If you did the calendar auditfrom the last episode, you've
already identified time wastersto eliminate use that freed up
time for the power hour.
So here's how to actually makeyour power hour stick when that
resistance shows up.

(05:04):
If the resistance shows up, juststart with 30 minutes instead of
a full hour, if it feelsimpossible.
Protecting 30 focused minutes isbetter than zero minutes.
You can build up to an hour.
Once you see the results, thenprepare for your power hour the
night before.
Don't waste your focus timefiguring out what to work on.

(05:25):
Decide tonight what tomorrow'sPower Hour will accomplish.
This removes the decisionfatigue and lets you dive
straight into that deep work andwhen everything feels urgent,
and you're tempted to skip yourpower Hour.
I speak from experience here.
I want you to remember wheneverything on your calendar
feels urgent, your Power Hourprotects what actually is

(05:48):
important.
That client emergency, it canwait 60 minutes.
That email can be answered at2:00 PM instead of 9:00 AM Your
business growth can't waitforever.
Let me tell you what happened.
When I committed to my own dailyPower Hour, I was working full
days, but never making progresson the projects that mattered.

(06:09):
I get to Friday exhausted andwondered what I actually
accomplished, so I blocked offnine to 10 every single day for
my Power Hour.
I turned off Slack.
I put my phone on Do NotDisturb, and I closed my email.
During that hour, I workedexclusively on CEO type
activities.
So strategic things likecreating new programs, building

(06:31):
systems, planning launches,writing content that would
attract clients within the firstmonth, I finished a program that
I had been working on forseveral months, and I used the
term working on with air quotesthere.
I created three months worth ofcontent and I built a client
onboarding system that saved mehours.
Every single week, this approachis woven into how I run my

(06:54):
companies because the protectedhour creates more business
growth than the nine other hourscombined.
And what shocked me was not onesingle client complained about
the slightly delayed emailresponses because nobody cared
that I wasn't instantlyavailable between nine and 10.
In fact, I believe my businessgot stronger because I was

(07:16):
finally building instead of justmaintaining.
So your Power Hour isn't aboutcramming more work into your
day.
It's about protecting the timefor work that actually grows
your business.
You can learn more tips andtricks just like
[e-mail], orfollow me on Instagram at

(07:36):
exclusively, Cindy.
Now go look at your calendar.
Find one hour tomorrow or evenjust 30 minutes if you need to
baby, step into this and blockit off.
Write what you'll work on.
Protect that time like yourbusiness growth depends upon it,
because it does.
And remember, you've got this.

Speaker 2 (07:55):
Thanks for spending these few minutes with me today.
Remember, overwhelm isn'tpermanent.
It's simply your brain's way ofsaying pause and take a little
reality check.
If this was helpful, you'll lovemy weekly email tips where I
share the systems that keep meand hundreds of other
entrepreneurs on Track Link inthe show notes.
If you got value in today'sepisode, please share it with

(08:16):
another entrepreneur who needsthat reminder.
If you're loving the show, I'dbe so grateful if you could
leave me a quick review.
It helps other overwhelmedentrepreneurs find us.
Make sure you hit subscribe soyou never miss your weekly dose
of clarity.
For more resources and toconnect with me, visit
exclusively cindy.com.
Until next time, remember you'vegot this.