Productivity Tips For Service-Based Business Owners
Sustainable strategies to leverage your timeRunning a service based business is unique because the product you are selling… is you!
If you run your business from home, then you know there are a lot of distractions to overcome. Productivity tips are a dime a dozen, but it really comes down to the balancing act of getting all the little operational tasks done – plus the CEO tasks. If you’re stuck doing #allthethings, with little time left for planning, strategy, or life, your business will not grow sustainably.
When you have a never ending list of things to do, there are some key strategies that you can action straight away to get things done without feeling so overwhelmed or ending up spending too much time on the small tasks.
A new way of working
If you’re spending your days answering emails and posting social media posts before you work on strategic tasks, then this trap will hinder your ability to scale your business. The mindset shift required to prioritise and make the time for scaling and building strong foundations in your business is a tricky one.
There’s the ‘busy-ness’ of having a big to do list, and then there’s being productive on the tasks that will grow your business. I work with my clients to set up an ‘ideal’ week so that you can structure your time strategically. This also ensures that you are working creatively when you are fresh, and limiting your social media time during your most productive periods.
The tipping point is all around systems. When you have operational processes set up, you can hand them over to a VA, allowing you time to be the CEO aka. Making big picture strategic decisions around how to grow your business.
It’s not about doing MORE!
It’s easy to get caught up in the day to day ‘operations’ of your business, posting on social media and taking care of your clients and leads, but if you find your days are full of putting out fires and following up, then there’s no time or space to create, to analyse, to be the CEO.
It’s so important that you balance out the operations in your business with strategy, planning and improvement.
Honing your productivity skills is not just about doing MORE. It’s about doing the right things so that you have that balance. That’s where the power of growth lies.
Ready To See How Your Business Can Be Simplified?
Sometimes it’s hard to see the roses from the weeds. Life gets hectic and we find ourselves buried in processes and repetition.
I know how you feel, I was there too.
Let me help you dig your way out of wearing all the hats in your business and move you up the ladder to CEO management and simplify business processes.
3 Productivity Tips for Entrepreneurs
- Get really clear on the operational tasks in your business, and the strategic ones. Set up those processes so they’re consistent and procedural, and schedule those tasks for afternoon (or handover to your VA)
- Set aside time each week for strategy and marketing – and make them distraction free. Guard these times – don’t give them away to client sessions. They are the key to moving your business forward.
- Design your week strategically. Block out time for your strategic planning at the start of the week, when your brain is in ‘planning mode’, and not end of day when you have decision fatigue and get more easily distracted.
Additionally, leave the social media, operations, posting tasks to afternoon (or your VA) when you don’t need to concentrate or create.