The truth is, as humans we all want more time in our day. As business owners, we realize how big of a unicorn that concept really is.
We wear a hundred different hats in one day:
Creator
Production specialist
Marketer
Bookkeeper
Strategist
Salesman
Human resources
... the list is endless. And while we may love the idea of those hats (because we started this business for a reason, right? And those hats allow us to continue down that pathway we chose) the weight of them all can be overwhelming.
I absolutely get it. I am right there with you.
It's September of 2023 and we're currently going into our second year of homeschooling. That alone has been the best decision I've ever made in my life. We chose to homeschool for so many reasons but my biggest reason was to spend more quality time with my children.
And honestly, you couldn't pay me to go back to the public school system life - it's just not for me/us (and I hope my children continue to feel the same way for ... well for forever).
BUT, with that came a whole new ballgame of time management and life balance.
And trust me, it was quite the adjustment on my part.
Thankfully, I've become quite the planner (I was always the last minute, panicked and scrambling type of human with a heaping side of stress and constant anxiety) and I knew ahead of time that I would need to switch up my schedule a bit.
I went from going to the gym at 5:30am, getting the kids off to school, doing my household chores, working, getting the kids off the bus and off to their extracurriculars before late dinners and battling over-exhausted children.
To waking up in quiet mornings, sipping my matcha (I also ditched coffee last year) and reading my bible, prepping for my day ahead, dinner prep (that's been planned ahead of time), switching out the laundry, putting dishes away, and updating our school to-do's on our whiteboard, all before heading into my office to get a few hours of quiet work done.
By the time I'm done with work, the kids have gotten themselves up, fed, and ready for the day so that we can start school. After school - which is only about 2 hours - we crank out our daily chores and we have the rest of the day to do whatever we want!
But I didn't get to this more peaceful style of life without some strategic planning, time management, and action.
And quite frankly, all of those things are pertinent in successfully running a business as well. Learning how to manage your time and be strategic with it has been my biggest / best life lesson.
Being strategic doesn't always mean that you need to be the one executing the actions, delegating tasks can be just as effective and ultimately easier on you.
In regards to my transition of homeschooling, breakfast is now self-serve. I make sure we have lots of bagels, muffins, fruit, yogurt, hard boiled eggs, pancakes, and waffles on hand so things are easy for everyone to grab and make on their own.
Our chores are the same way. I created a weekly schedule that includes daily tasks for my kids to help us get the household chores done faster so we can enjoy more of the fun stuff (teamwork makes the dreamwork is my favorite saying!). Their daily10 minutes of dusting or switching out bathroom towels literally saves so much of my time and sanity.
Businesses work the same way. If you don't have enough time in your [work] day to complete tasks and too many things are getting thrown to the back burner, then it's time to sit down and make a plan of action - set up some time blocks in your schedule, or delegate certain tasks by outsourcing things like your marketing or bookkeeping.
Trust me, it will make a 🌎 WORLD 🌎 of difference in keeping your sanity and being able to run a business without constantly feeling overwhelmed.
And if marketing is the thing you want to outsource, you know who to call 😉
Take this as your sign to take just one hour to sit down and map out a plan of action to make running your business a little easier and more strategic.
Until next time,
Amye