We all have the same number of hours each day. So why is that some people seem to be able to really maximise their time and get everything done, and others never have enough time to do all the things that they want.
As a solopreneur, your to-do list is probably miles long and you wish you had the ability to clone yourself. Until then, here are some strategies for working more efficiently so it feels like you’re more productive and gaining extra time.
Block off time
I cannot function without my calendar. Period. I put everything in there from my coaching appointments to the training I’m delivering or attending to when my bin needs to be taken out (recycling is every 2 weeks and I always forget which week is collection week)
Blocking time means assigning a block of time to one particular activity. I do this in two ways. Using my calendar to block off time and using a timer to help me to keep track of that time. For example, I needed to send some pitches to podcast hosts. So I blocked off the time in my calendar and I set a timer, initially for 2 hours. I knew that during those 2 hours my task was to work on the pitches for the podcast. When the timer was up I could assess how much work I’d completed and how much time additional time I would need to spend.
I also sync my calendars. My Google calendars is connected to Acuity Scheduling (the scheduling tool I use to book coaching appointments with my clients) and my personal calendar (which I keep on my iPhone). When an appointment gets booked into my Acuity calendar, it automatically updates the calendar on my iPhone and vice versa. If you’re a visual learner, use Google Calendar to make colourful time blocks, such as a different colour for each client.
Pro-tip, forget multitasking, you’ll be more efficient when you focus on a single project or task at a time. For me, this is a work in progress but I’m getting better at it every day.
Track your hours and tasks to determine your distractions
Distractions are everywhere. They can come from the TV, the phone ringing or your partner or kids. But even necessary tasks, like social media posts, can become a distraction if you start to scroll through your newsfeed, take quizzes, or watch all of the challenge videos (I think it’s the bust it challenge right now). If you’re not sure where you’re losing time or what your distractions are, try using the timer on your phone. Start the timer at the beginning of each task and at the end to see how long it takes you to complete. You can see at the end of the day what you accomplished and how much time you spent on these tasks. If you know that you get distracted by the TV, unplug it or go in another room where there is no TV. Put your phone on silent or do not disturb if you constantly get interrupted by the phone. Tell your partner and your kids to shut up 😀 (just kidding) not to interrupt you for a few hours, or go to a cafe (when they re-open) or keep them occupied with a game whilst you spend your time working on the tasks you’ve set yourself.
Create a system to prioritise your activities
Prioritising your activities means getting clear on your objective and focusing on the tasks that will help you to achieve that objective.
Go through your to-do list and ask yourself what are the main activities that you need to focus on, and give them a priority. Anything with a 1 is your top priority and is essential to help you to achieve your main goal, so it’s important. A 2 is an activity that although is not essential to helping you to achieve your main goal, it’s important. A 3 is neither important nor urgent and can be something like buying a microphone for an interview you’re doing in 4 weeks.
Now the reality is that only you know what’s important or urgent in your business because you will know what your priorities are. Here’s an example of how that could look like in reality:
Activity
Write a blog
Create a course
Write your bio
Level of importance
3 – it’s part of your normal activity and can be done at any time
1- if you committed to your client’s/students that your course would be available in 7 days and it’s day 6 this will be your priority
2- you need to submit your bio for an event that’s happening in 5 days. The deadline is to submit your bio the day before the event
That’s just how I would prioritise my activities but again, you need to consider what’s important to you. For example, if you didn’t have any students/clients enrolled on your course then it wouldn’t be a priority to upload resources there because no one is expecting it. If you’ve never written a bio before and you know that it’s probably going to take you a long time, then you may want to change the priority to a 1 rather than a 2.
Part of the work that I do with my clients is to help them to get clear on the objective they want to achieve, understand how that will help them in their business and then help them to map out what’s involved in reaching that objective and what actions to prioritise to help them to get there.
Use templates
Until you get your own team, pre-made templates will be your best friend. You can buy templates for workbooks, contracts, posts and emails that you just need to customise. It takes out all of the hard work that’s involved in designing completely out of the equation. Etsy and Creative Market are great places to look for templates.
If you’re not sure what activities you should be prioritising in your business then sign up for my FREE 5-day video series which helps you to understand what to focus your time and energy on in your business, so you can make sure that you’re making the best use of your time and money. You’ll also get some useful action steps to implement. You can sign up here