10 Ways to Get More Done in Less Time
If you started a business in the 2010-2015 years, I’m sure you had things saved that said ‘We all have the same hours in a day as Beyonce’ or ‘Hustle & Grind’, and a BossBabe mug to match your ambition. I know I did!
There was so much on social media that glorified working eight hours after your babies went to bed, having two or more different part-time gigs, and retiring your partner (this one makes my head hurt - did all our partners want to be retired? Did we want to be providing two incomes and still be the primary parent? What was happening??)
So many of us fell into this trap of feeling like if we ever stopped hustling, we would fail. We would lose our entrepreneur card. And it wasn’t sustainable.
After a decade of owning a business, making it to the ever-desirable 6-figure mark (yearly, repeatedly), and coming to the brink of full burnout, I can confidently tell you that working more was not the fairytale I was promised. I was stressed, couldn’t sleep, overeating, and working around the clock to reach a target that I was always kicking down the road.
What’s worse, I saw all of my friends living that same way. We all loved our businesses, and naturally are ambitious overachievers (I think all entrepreneurs are!), but none of us were really enjoying the journey. Was this what we were working so hard to build? No. It wasn’t. Something had to change.
I’m guessing if you follow my writing you also believe in work-life alignment, and in enjoying your life at the same time you’re building your business. I love that the conversation online has shifted to an anti-hustle culture, to creating businesses that support our lives and thinking of our work as just a part of us, not our whole identity.
That being said, there are real ways to get more done in less time. Today I wanted to share 10 that work for all industries, and all businesses, regardless of your niche and regardless of how long you’ve been in business. Let’s dive in.
Time Block. You waste time mentally shifting gears from task to task, and working on 3 things at once likely means everything is going smoothly, or everything is taking 3 times as long.
Do it once. Create templates or shortcuts for anything you’re repeatedly typing. I use email responder templates, text shortcuts on my phone for different hashtag groups, and templated forms to collect info from clients.
Batch create. We all know the inspiration fountain isn’t always on, so create multiple pieces of content or product when it is. Don’t create one helpful tip for social media, create 5 and schedule them out several weeks. Don’t create one email for your campaign, create 3 and save them in drafts. Anytime I’m creating something, I’m looking for ways to multiply the output while I’m doing the input.
Know What You’re Working On. Have a big-picture strategy, and a running project to-do list. I use notion.co right now, I’ve used Trello and Asana as well. The point is that when you sit down for your precious work time, you should know what the big picture goal is, AND what actions you need to take to move the needle forward. So many times I’ve sat down to work before and just didn’t know what I was even supposed to be doing. This solves that.
Anticipate Client Needs. Create FAQs, Pricing Guides, and Welcome Guides. I have a What To Wear Guide that I send to photography clients, a Welcome Packet for new CoHo members that includes instructions on where to get lunch, and a Speaker Bio One Sheet that I can include in any pitch emails. Think about what your clients will need later, create it now, and have it ready to go.
Use an email responder. I include in mine: how long it will take me to respond to their email, and links to common things they might be looking for. I do not work in a field where much of anything is truly ‘urgent’, so I focus on better customer service, in a slower more deliberate way.
Let your website do the talking. The more clear and concise you are on the web about what you do, who you do it for, and HOW they can work with you, the fewer questions and clarity you’ll need to spend time answering later. Get super clear in your messaging, and skip the back and forth.
Set up a scheduler! I love Calendly because instead of going back and forth with emails, to let someone book time with me, it shows them my availability and lets’ them check. I can set parameters for when certain blocks are available, and sync it to my google calendar for real-time updates. If you’re booking for a group, I love doodle.com to find mutually agreeable times in 3 minutes flat. Let technology do the work for you!
Know your focus times. Scheduling your big thinking and creating time for 3-5pm when your brain is exhausted and your kids need you is not a good use of 2 hours. Choose a time in the morning when you are fresh and energetic, or in the quiet evening hours, if you’re a night owl.
Determine what you can delegate. I can’t tell you what in your business needs your specific brand of genius, but I can confidently tell you it’s not ‘everything’. It’s hard to give up control over something in your business because truthfully, no one will care as much as the owner of the business. However, there are some things in your business that someone else doing slightly different than you do will not cause harm, will free you up to act like the CEO you are, and give you back a bit of time. Figure out what it is that you can give up, and find someone to hand that off to.
Lastly, I want to remind you that with business, motherhood, and life in general, there will be seasons. Seasons where it’s easier, and seasons where it’s harder. These are all real changes I’ve made in my businesses over the past 3 years, and they’ve made it so that I can now take a walk after my lunch, volunteer to be team mom for my daughter, and still consistently hit sales goals in my business.
Hopefully, this is helpful to you, and please, share with a friend who is also raising babies and a business at the same time!
Let it be easy,
Kristin