Time management techniques of a solopreneur – with big dreams.
I am a solopreneur because I am committed to being there for my family when it’s family time. So – I have to schedule my day and not cheat my family. Otherwise, it defeats the purpose of running my own business.
To do this – I have to choose between must do tasks and it would be nice to do tasks. Yeah – lots of it would be nice to do tasks don’t ever get done. And that’s ok – because the must do tasks do get done. For instance, right now – my focus is on content creation. I MUST get my CA edition of my workplace bullying program done. Can’t sell it if I don’t have it. So – publicity efforts – like dong the tv and radio shows I really enjoy doing, are taking a back seat at the moment. And that’s ok. I will get back to them once the bulk of the bulk of the course content is created.
I organize my week based on tasks to do. Mondays and Fridays I have to do client paperwork for my online courses. Monday is registration day. Friday is certificate of completion day, Wednesday is following up day. Tuesday is a short day because my son has therapy and is out of school early. So that’s a writing day in the morning -or it’s when I schedule client calls. Wednesday is recording day, that’s when I record video lectures, lessons etc. Thursday is client calls and writing and marketing.
My months are also similarly scheduled.
Putting everything in a recurring schedule helps me to keep organized and ensure that the must do tasks do get done. Doing things like blog posts in bulk helps me to not be constantly distracted through the month. I do 2 month’s worth of blog posts in a couple of days and that frees my mind to work on other content for the rest of the next 2 months. It also helps me to not get distracted when I see something I want to write about. I make a note of it and put it in my calendar to show up on my first day of blog writing. When that day comes around – I look through all my notes and decide what I want to write on. I am never at a loss for ideas.
OH – and in a similar vein – having a yearly content calendar – for themes I am going to address - my marketing – specials etc are all tied to that calendar. It is very helpful to me for my organizing. I know what I am promoting when. I can preview it for my affiliates and fans to get them excited. I’m not just making it up as I go along.
I have also automated most of my social media so that I can set them at the beginning of the week and then not have to check on it during the week – it just happens. Same with mailing list autoresponders. Set them up and allow them to happen.
Yes – I still spend way too much time on Facebook – but who doesn’t.
The hardest thing for me is actually calling potential clients when it’s time to do so. I always end up enjoying it and feeling good about it – but I’ve realized, I need help, so I’ve recruited a few commission only sales folks who believe in what I’m trying to build and so – that will get done with some more regularity because I’m at the point where my lead flow has outpaced my ability to follow up and nurture the leads properly.
My advice for the time strapped. Take some time to organize daily, weekly, monthly and annual calenders so that you know what to do when so that things don’t fall through the cracks. This scheduling also helps you to automate what you do or give it to a virtual assistant to do. So – get help when you need it and be creative and generous about how you pay people.
I am a solopreneur because I am committed to being there for my family when it’s family time. So – I have to schedule my day and not cheat my family. Otherwise, it defeats the purpose of running my own business.
To do this – I have to choose between must do tasks and it would be nice to do tasks. Yeah – lots of it would be nice to do tasks don’t ever get done. And that’s ok – because the must do tasks do get done. For instance, right now – my focus is on content creation. I MUST get my CA edition of my workplace bullying program done. Can’t sell it if I don’t have it. So – publicity efforts – like dong the tv and radio shows I really enjoy doing, are taking a back seat at the moment. And that’s ok. I will get back to them once the bulk of the bulk of the course content is created.
I organize my week based on tasks to do. Mondays and Fridays I have to do client paperwork for my online courses. Monday is registration day. Friday is certificate of completion day, Wednesday is following up day. Tuesday is a short day because my son has therapy and is out of school early. So that’s a writing day in the morning -or it’s when I schedule client calls. Wednesday is recording day, that’s when I record video lectures, lessons etc. Thursday is client calls and writing and marketing.
My months are also similarly scheduled.
- Beginning of the month – affiliate nurturing.
- Middle of the month – blog post writing and column writings.
- End of the month – newsletters.
Putting everything in a recurring schedule helps me to keep organized and ensure that the must do tasks do get done. Doing things like blog posts in bulk helps me to not be constantly distracted through the month. I do 2 month’s worth of blog posts in a couple of days and that frees my mind to work on other content for the rest of the next 2 months. It also helps me to not get distracted when I see something I want to write about. I make a note of it and put it in my calendar to show up on my first day of blog writing. When that day comes around – I look through all my notes and decide what I want to write on. I am never at a loss for ideas.
OH – and in a similar vein – having a yearly content calendar – for themes I am going to address - my marketing – specials etc are all tied to that calendar. It is very helpful to me for my organizing. I know what I am promoting when. I can preview it for my affiliates and fans to get them excited. I’m not just making it up as I go along.
I have also automated most of my social media so that I can set them at the beginning of the week and then not have to check on it during the week – it just happens. Same with mailing list autoresponders. Set them up and allow them to happen.
Yes – I still spend way too much time on Facebook – but who doesn’t.
The hardest thing for me is actually calling potential clients when it’s time to do so. I always end up enjoying it and feeling good about it – but I’ve realized, I need help, so I’ve recruited a few commission only sales folks who believe in what I’m trying to build and so – that will get done with some more regularity because I’m at the point where my lead flow has outpaced my ability to follow up and nurture the leads properly.
My advice for the time strapped. Take some time to organize daily, weekly, monthly and annual calenders so that you know what to do when so that things don’t fall through the cracks. This scheduling also helps you to automate what you do or give it to a virtual assistant to do. So – get help when you need it and be creative and generous about how you pay people.
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