From the time I left CNN in 2010 to about three months ago, I dreamed of writing a blog. I had spent 10 years on TV sharing stories, ideas and advice from some of the world’s most exciting people. Then I entered the corporate world. I missed bringing style to people’s lives. Perhaps as you read this you too have a dream – something you’ve always wanted but never had time for in your busy life. Take heart! Yes, the laundry may beckon, the “to do” list menace and your work, kids or both make seemingly endless demands. But there are tools you can use to give yourself a fighting chance. Skeptical? I was too. For nine years. But now, here we are together on my blog! I dearly hope these hacks can help you too.

1. Book a course with a set schedule

Pursuing a dream takes discipline - discipline that can easily dissipate in the face of family needs, the effects of fatigue, or that bottomless basket of laundry. So why not get someone else to impose discipline for you? Of all the tools I tried to stop procrastinating and start writing, the thing that finally cracked the code was a community ed course. It wasn’t fancy – just an eight-week, online introduction to blogging. But having a regular appointment with ‘must complete’ tasks can force you to make progress! “Learning, researching and having deadlines can propel you forward,” agrees executive and career coach Amy Calvin. “If you’re looking to pivot, getting smart on your topic can motivate you and build your confidence.”

2. Hire a coach

amy calvin, coach and communications executive, speaking at the prsa awards

Amy knows all about ‘pivoting’ because she wasn’t always a coach. Once upon a time, Amy was an SVP and Senior Partner at global communications firm Fleishman-Hillard. Then she decided to redesign her career. When I met Amy, she was midway through a coaching certification program at the University of Miami. I helped her complete her student hours and she helped me figure out my purpose. “It is your coach’s job to listen closely to you, work with you, and help you move to new ideas” Amy explains. Plus, coaches build accountability as you set goals and report progress to them. You want to win for them – as well as for yourself.” Some companies will pay for you to hire a coach. If that’s not an option and the out-of-pocket cost is prohibitive, Amy recommends DIY programs like the Best Self 13-Week Roadmap, which breaks big dreams down into smaller, more attainable goals.

3. Get a better to-do list

the productivity planner, intelligent change; tee, ted baker

Oddly, our to-do lists can be our worst enemy when it comes to getting anything meaningful done. When our lives are busy and open time comes in tiny chunks, it can feel much easier to tackle a load of laundry than further your dream. On a typical to-do list, ‘return shoes to Zappos’ and ‘learn how to use Photoshop’ have equal status as one line on the list. It’s obvious which is easier (and therefore more satisfying in the short term) to check off!

Project planners are different. Take Trello, a fab, free option for those who like lists on their phone. Instead of starting with tasks, you start with projects. So ‘learn Photoshop’ is a project within which you create a checklist of tasks like ‘sign up for class’ or ‘buy Adobe Elements.’ You still get to check things off but you’re also advancing your dream - one manageable step at a time.

If you prefer an analogue option (personally, I use both), consider bringing the Productivity Planner into your life. This little black book is bit addictive! It starts you off with an inspiring quote. Then it has you identify your most important task of the day - which you must complete before tackling ‘tasks of secondary importance’. Next you’ll assign each task a target number of ‘Pomodoros,’ 25-minute, focused work periods – which you follow with a 5-minute break. At the end of the day you give yourself a productivity score based on how much progress you made. Voila, you’ve held yourself accountable!

4. Get the 2019 answer to Coles Notes

Some might call this cheating, but I call it not letting perfection be the enemy of good! As you may have discovered, there’s an app called Blinkist that truncates books into 15-or-so-minute ‘Blinks.’ Blinkist contains all sorts of titles from ‘A Short History of Brexit’ to ‘Smart Girls Screw Up Too.’ Within the 3000-odd offerings, you’re sure to find guides that provide ideas, inspiration or instructions for realizing your dreams. Feel like you don’t have time even for 15 minutes? Why not combine listen while driving or working out? I used to listen to books like The Execution Factor while running. This particular book has you visualize your dream day, including your actions, environment and feelings. I found this type of visualization powerful in identifying just what it was about my dream that was motivating – for me the human connection – and then doing something about it.

5. Leave what you can’t do or don’t like to the experts

Let’s say you love knitting. And you’ve decided you want to start an online community of knitters and sell your hats and gloves. There is no reason your love of plain and pearl should translate into marketing or website design - and yet those are necessary next steps. What’s a non-geeky knitter to do? Two options: learn or outsource. When I was taking my community ed course for the blog, the time came to build a template. Agh, I knew nothing about coding, nor did I want to! So, for this step, I decided to buy a nice, pretty template from an expert (Big Cat Creative). Conversely, for branding – which is helpful for my day job and, to me, interesting – I took a Skillshare class. We all want to use our limited time wisely. That’s how we get a good return on our energy investment and hopefully move steadily, purposefully and joyfully towards our dreams.

Hope your dreams come true too! Please let us all know what works for you as you pursue your passion by leaving a comment.