No one says "How can I take more time on this project" or "I'd love to spend more time at work instead of at home with my loved ones".
You want to know how to save time right?
Or…do you want to know how to give yourself more time to do the things you are great at? Or maybe you want more time to really push your business forward doing the things you absolutely love doing?
In order to save time, what you really mean is you want to make more time to do the things you love. There are a lot of ways you can make this happen, in my experience these are the ones that will truly help you:
Create CEO time in your week. Every week. Carving out just a couple of hours each week, to focus on things that will move your business forward will keep you motivated and on track. This time is then used to look at metrics, or finances. Plan the social media for the next week or follow up with leads. Giving yourself a set time for these tasks will allow you to stop worrying about these things during the rest of the week as you know you will get things done. You may need more than a couple of hours, each week will look different to the next and that’s ok.
Brain dump. Now…this is something a lot of people talk about, but it really is useful. If you’re anything like me, I look at the detail in everything…sometimes to the detriment of the bigger picture. If I get overwhelmed by all of the things in my life (personal and business) I just write it all down. Get it all out of my head onto paper, or a notes app on my phone. Once I've done that I work out what I need to schedule into my calendar, tasks to do, people I need to call etc. Anything left as tasks for my business then get added to my project management system with a deadline. All personal tasks stay on my phone as a list to work through over time.
Your business needs to be running smoothly, a lack of direction will mean you spend a lot of time trying things out, testing what works. This is a key part of a new business as you don’t know what works or doesn’t. However, what you do need to minimise the length of time you feel this way is clear goals and systems. When I started my business in April 2021 I was winging it for about 10 months. In all honesty I did bloody well to be able to pay myself each month! I didn’t have a strategy, I didn’t have goals, I didn’t really know what my next steps were…I just did my client work and that was about it! I found an amazing coach in Feb 2022 and then did a massive course with someone else…now I have huge plans for the next 3 years, all mapped out and I know exactly what I need to do to get there. My goals now mean anytime spent outside of client work has direction, I’m not procrastinating on what I need to do. Therefore, I am saving time!
GET HELP! Figure out what areas of your business (or life) you are not very good at and therefore just take too long to do. This could be scheduling your social media posts, or creating new funnels for the lead magnet you really want to get out there. It could be cleaning the bathroom and kitchen or making the lunchboxes. People can help with these tasks…whether it be a VA, or your family you don’t have to do it all alone. In business there are many ways you can get support and you’ll find spending a little bit of money on the right help will get you so much further ahead. If you could get a VA to do 2 hours of work each week supporting you with social media, arranging meetings, setting up the email marketing tool you need but never have time for etc you would be able to focus on your clients, bringing in new clients, networking and much more. Once onboarded with you, the right VA can do more in 2 hours, than you can do in twice the time. It really is an investment you can’t afford not to take on.
Ultimately what you need to do is spend time at the beginning of your business journey in order to save time later on. Get those plans in place, work out exactly what you want to achieve and how you can get there. Ask for help.
I’ve created a free guide to help with some of the above called ‘‘Starting with Strategy’. This guide will help you put down your goals for the next 3-6 months, take the first steps to plan these out and start you thinking about what systems you may need. Having a guide for these areas will help you be focussed and work out what you need next.
To get the FREE guide, click here and I’ll get it sent to you straight away.
I’d love to hear how you get on, what you found challenging and what you need to do next to save time! Get in touch either on LinkedIn or Instagram (the main places I hang out). Lets support each other on this amazing business journey.