Working with Pete Wilkinson, author of “Unstoppable” and creator of “The World’s Best One Page Action Plan” (and it is!), at one of our Mastermind Groups last week, I took an idea he offered and expanded it to add to my time and energy management programme.

At the start of every day ask yourself “using the PAFF formula, what kind of day is it going to be?” – PAFF stands for:

• Preparation
• Action
• Future
• Free

Preparation days are those where you’re catching up, returning calls, preparing for future presentations, carrying out essential administration and so on.

Action days are those where you’re earning money now.

Future days are those when you’re working on projects and initiatives for future income generation and include strategy and business planning.

Free days are when you turn everything, and I mean everything, off – there’s no work at all.

Now let me guess which of these you’ll find the hardest to do – Free days I bet! I know they are for me so here’s a few things I’m experimenting with.

A Free day runs from when I get up until I go to bed.

• Out of office message is activated on email.
• The laptop is turned off and put out of sight.
• The mobile is diverted to an answer service (the wonderful people at moneypenny.co.uk are soon offering a new mobile answering service which I’ll be the first to sign up for).
• The mobile is then turned off and put out of sight.
• The second mobile, pay as you go, phone and text only, is activated – only my nearest and dearest have the number.

My belief is that all too easily Free days become polluted – waiting for a meal you check your email, at the traffic lights you check Facebook or Twitter, on the train you have a look at your diary. It’s so easy to fill every second but by doing this you’re not truly Free, your day is being hijacked. I feel this curse has reached a critical point for many people, me included, and therefore radical action is required – but come on, is it really that “radical” to leave your phone at home for the day?