Structuring Daily Activities
Being your own boss isn't always easy. As I mentioned in my previous blog post, there is no one to tell you when to take lunch, when to arrive at work, when to shut down etc. Those are your decisions as the boss. But although you are the boss, you can't be frivolous with your time. It's important that we structure our daily activities and be extremely well-organized. Most small business owners are working for 5 or more clients simultaneously. We must be able to coordinate our workload, our priorities and our day very well. In doing so, be diligent in your time/record keeping, utilizing an app such as Toggle or another free option, to record your hours worked for each client. For my business, that is really important because my clients are being billed hourly. For others, that may just be a huge help in determining what your pricing should be compared to pulling prices out of the air, but that’s another topic for another day.
Another time management issue for the self-employed is that what often ends up on the bottom of the priority list is your personal time. While it's true that you may need to devote more hours to building your business initially, it's also important to make time to take care of your own needs so that you can be effective in helping your clients meet theirs. If our family and personal life are falling apart, we will be no good to anyone else.
Here are a couple of tips and suggestions based on how I schedule my day effectively
I use task management tools in conjunction with a calendar (daily planner) to block slots of time out specifically for each client and block out times for specific tasks including some of my business administration tasks. This makes time tracking for invoicing and reporting to clients so much easier! For example, I may schedule Client A from 10:00 am - 11:00 am on my calendar, but use my task management software to itemize everything I need to do during that time-frame.
Now, don't get over excited and block tasks for every hour of the day (believe me, it won't work J). Allow at least (4) 15 minute slots for miscellaneous phone calls/emails/technology hiccups/projects that lasted longer than anticipated. That way, your whole schedule is not thrown off by that unexpected phone call that came in and lasted for 25 minutes or that 10 minutes of extra time you took scrolling Facebook (LOL). Although, I try to schedule all of my client calls ahead of time so that every client has my undivided attention during their time slot, sometimes there are emergencies that have to be handled right away.
Finally, be sure to schedule at least 30-60 minutes of free time to take care of Y-O-U. You decide what that includes - eating, a power nap, exercising, scrolling social media (although I don’t suggest that) or just catching up on your favorite TV show. If you're tired and overworked, you will definitely lose productivity and creative thinking abilities; you need time to rejuvenate.
I always make sure there are specific days for administrative tasks. For example, invoicing, follow-ups, blog preparation, social media preparation, marketing brainstorming etc. Sometimes we forget to set aside time to do the things that will help us continue forward in business because we are so busy actually doing business. We also have to take note when the time comes for the need to outsource some of those administration tasks because business is booming and there just isn’t enough time in a day. As a VA, I’ve also had to outsource some things here and there in order to keep my head above water, but I’m thankful for the increase in business. Wouldn’t you be? :-)
Also, I always do a monthly check to make sure my current scheduling plan is working. For example, are there days I consistently come up short on time, or consistently feel overwhelmed? If so, maybe I need to move around the tasks on those days and couple them with different tasks. Do whatever works to make things move like a well-oiled machine. It may take some time to find your groove but you will find it for sure!
Well, I hope my tips were helpful! If you plan to try them out, let me know and then let me know how it goes for you! :-)
‘Til Next Time!
~RB
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