I feel in control when I have a routine in place, but sometimes new things slip onto my list, my family’s routine changes, or I get bored and nothing gets done.
When this happens, I rejig my schedule so I know when I have to do everything that I need to, and more importantly, I do it!
Write it down
I love this bit! So easy to do a brain dump of all the daily, weekly and monthly things that need to get done. If you can, also note roughly how long each task takes.
Recognise rhythms
Another easy one! Think about what times of day you are best at doing certain things. For me, I find it hard to launch straight into work work, and I prefer to start with phone calls, filing or online research. Fridays you may not have the motivation to start a new project, so that might be a good day for invoicing or running errands.
It’s also important to find your customer’s rhythms. There might be a flurry of sales mid month when monthly salaries are paid; or you might be super busy in July and August once the new tax year starts. Take this into account, and plan for these periods as best you can.
Write a plan
Look online and get a daily, weekly and/or monthly planner. I like the one found at IHeart Organizing.
Write out a daily plan for those things that need to get done daily, weekly for those that happen once a week, and monthly… you get where this is going.
Take into account your best days and times of day for certain tasks.
It ain’t all fun… or paid
Not all of what we do is fun, nor do we get paid for it. But some of it needs to happen, like building supplier relationships and paying bills on time. Having these tasks scheduled can reduce procrastination and worry if you know when you will tackle these jobs.
I also like to mix pleasure and pain – a Netflix series with filing, a cafe lunch with invoicing.
Outsourcing isn’t just an expense
There are some things which are best suited to outsourcing. If you are spending 3 hours a week invoicing and chasing payments, and you could use that time with clients instead, it is time to look at outsourcing. If the time and cost of hiring a professional is less than your time and fees, then it is an investment, not an expense.
Remember Mary Poppins
Once begun is half done. Once you start on a task, I’ll bet it’s hard to stop the momentum going. So just start!
How about you? How do you plan your days?