Who doesn’t need more time or space in their life?
I think we all feel a little pressed for time here and there.
This week’s post has 5 hacks that are gonna save you some time.
In other words, these are things you can start implementing right away -- like right after you read this! -- to create a little more space in your life.
These are perfect for you if you’re a biz owner.
Or you’re planning on becoming one soon.
Time Saving Hack #1 -- Put together a playlist and use it as a timer.
I absolutely love this hack.
This is for all of you who hate timers but need (or just want) a way to stay on track.
Start thinking of playlists as a strategic way to use a timer.
Here’s how it works.
Let’s say you have trouble keeping yourself on a good routine in the morning.
With school coming up, this could potentially be a problem.
Even if your school is virtual this year, you still need a routine!
Create a playlist of songs that’s about 15-20 minutes long.
Designate a few songs as your transition songs.
In action, it looks like this:
You walk downstairs in the morning and hit play on your playlist.
While you make your turmeric latte or drink your lemon ginger water you listen to that first song.
The third song is the one that signals it’s time to prep lunches for the day.
The fourth song is when you start reminding your kid to eat and pack a bag.
And maybe the fifth song is the one that lets you know you need to get your kid in out the door.
And so on, until you’ve hit every point on your routine for the morning.
This can be a great tool to use with kids, by the way.
You can help them understand that when they hear certain songs, it means it’s time to get ready, or head to the car.
Or head to their seat to login for virtual learning. LOL.
Time Saving Hack #2 -- do the most important thing first.
Are you the person who puts off the hard thing?
Or the biggest task?
It’s time to flip that.
Knock out that big one first.
Get the most important (or most overwhelming) thing done at the top of your day.
This is another way of saying: set your priorities and focus on getting those finished before anything else.
Why? Well if you can get the bigger (or priority) things out of the way, there’s less pressure on you the rest of the day.
This may mean blocking a few hours in the morning for focused work.
Or in the afternoon.
However you need to structure your day to accomplish this, trust me. It’s worth it.
Time Saving Hack #3 -- focus on what you’re good at and outsource the rest.
Maybe you’re totally a bomb-ass cook. Great! Keep making those meals.
But if it’s something you hate or just don’t like?
Then stop doing it.
I just stopped doing it because 4 people in my house wanted to eat 4 different things. #hardpass
What about subscribing to a meal delivery plan? Or those dinner-in-a-box kits?
Identify your strengths and leave the rest up to other people.
You don’t have to be the best at everything.
In fact, a true leader is someone who understands her shortcomings and allows others to fill in those gaps.
There’s no shame in delegating.
Outsource what’s a drain.
Or what you have no business doing.
Time Saving Hack #4 -- batch your activities.
This is really great for repetitive tasks. You can save tons of time if you complete those tasks in one block of time.
A great example of this, as a biz owner, is content creation.
If you’re someone who’s writing your content one post, one day a time … guess what?
You’re probably going to drop the ball at some point.
It’s going to get tiring plus, life will happen.
That’s where batching comes in.
Instead of taking 5 minutes here and there and everywhere… give yourself 45 minutes on one day.
Write the copy for as many posts as you can.
Then schedule them.
That’s batching.
And it’s a life and timesaver.
Time Saving Hack #5 -- consolidate your errands.
This is like batching, but for your life.
Batch your errands. And by “errands” I don’t just mean the things you leave the house for, but also the things you don’t leave the house for.
Like, the online bills you pay.
Or for the appointments you handle via phone.
Batch your errands in one day.
Pick one day where you do errands that involve leaving the house.
You’ll save gas, time and money.
And the best part? Once you’ve completed them, you have no more errands until the next week!
For errands that you do online or through your phone, the same concept applies.
Assign one day and block of time that’s your “virtual errand day.”
This is where you pay bills online.
Or schedule appointments.
Or any other house admin task that needs to be done.
To really bring this to life, spend time this week making a list of each errand -- both physical and virtual -- you do.
After you’ve written them down, you’ll know how much time to allot for your “batched” errand days.
Now, if you loved this hack you’re going to love the next resource I have for you.
And you’re looking to grow your customer base → but you haven’t been able to find the time.
But now that you have 5 time saving hacks, you will. LOL!
Because here’s the thing: when you prioritize your time by hacking it…
You create more of it. And bonus, it frees you up to do more of what you love.
Which is growing your biz.
And connecting with people.
And making money.
And we all know that when we make more money, we make more of an impact.
All that good stuff.
You can’t do that if you’re drowning in the day-to-day.
So once you’ve taken control of your time, you can shift your focus to implementing strategies that will grow your biz.
My favorite biz growth strategy --> Focusing on building (and then nurturing) my email list.
An email list in 2020 is kinda like biz currency.
If you’ve got a list, then you’ve got a group of people who are interested in YOU.
And that list can never be too big.
In fact, it should always be growing.
Did you know I spend certain times of my year focused ONLY on building my list?
And other times solely on nurturing it?
So, IMO, coming up with a way to consistently grow your email list should be a #1 priority.
Especially now.
Now. With all that said, that resource I mentioned is a list building powerhouse.
It’s called the Ultimate Course Creation Starter Kit.
Yes, “course creation”.
Creating a digital mini course is an AWESOME way to grow your email list.
This is a strategy I use in my own biz.
I have students who take my courses who come back and join my business later.
Why? A digital mini course, attracts real, qualified leads.
This is the same strategy so many of my friends and fellow entrepreneurs use as well.
Creating just ONE tiny little course can take your list from 0 to 1000 before you know it.
And like I said, these are real leads. Plus they may have even paid you!
What would life be like if you had even just one hundred people interested in what you had to offer?
Amazing to think about, right?
Can’t wait to hear what course you’ll be inspired to create to grow your biz.
XO,
Hayley