It's time to Establish a Clear Business Routine

I saw a quote recently that really stood out to me that I thought I’d share. 

Success doesn’t come from what you do occasionally; it comes from you do consistently – Marie Forleo

What we do consistently pays off. It may not be the most exciting things, but it is the needful things that we have to do as entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, and business owners. 

And probably one of the biggest struggles as a small business owner is finding that work-life balance in order to put those consistent routines in place. 

Creating a schedule that allows you to get everything done can be challenging. 

A recent article in Entrepreneur magazine said that entrepreneurs are having to micromanage themselves and schedule their days down to the minute in order to be successful. 

I don’t know about you but micromanaging myself (or anyone else for that matter) is not why I went into business for myself! 

Yes, you have to structure your time and be intentional in your work but you absolutely do not have to micromanage your day!

So, I thought I’d give you some steps to help you create a business routine:

Schedule your time wisely You don’t have to schedule down to the minute, but make sure you schedule blocks of time to focus on certain tasks. Set aside blocks for networking/growing your business, responding to emails, administrative tasks, etc. You may find you like doing certain tasks on certain days --- whatever works best for you is what you should do. (Don’t forget to schedule self-care in there, too!) Just make sure you schedule out enough time to address each aspect of your business. 

Depending on your business, you may want to start your day early to handle certain tasks, or it may be better for you to start later in the morning. Whatever you decide, be consistent with it!

Set boundaries with your time When you are an entrepreneur, you may have family and friends that think that means you have freedom to do things you wouldn’t do at a regular 9-5 job. Some may think they can call, drop by, etc. because “you’re the boss.” You are the boss, but there is still a lot of things that have to get done! Let them know what hours you will be working on the days you work and make them respect your boundaries. 

Also set boundaries with messages and returning calls. It can be easy to get into your emails or DMs and look up an hour (at least) later. Building off the first tip, make sure you schedule time to respond to your messages and stick to it. You can even have a message below your signature letting clients know it may be 24 hours before they have a response and that is okay!

Plan to succeed Have a to-do list and check off those tasks you complete. Whether it is a physical planner or online, if you write down what steps you need to take daily or on projects, you won’t leave anything out! 

Hire a VA Just looking over this list, there are tons of tasks that you can delegate to a virtual assistant! Having a VA handle those tasks can ensure consistency and free your time to focus on your vision for the company. If you aren’t sure how we can help, feel free to reach out for a consultation so we can find out more about your business and tell you the benefits of working with TPO!
Sources: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/329377