Have you ever wished the days were longer? As a mom and business owner, I completely understand. Sometimes it seems like the days are on fast forward: wake up, get the kid ready for school, work, pick kid up from school, homework insanity, dinner, repeat.
Running a business while juggling life can feel overwhelming, but the key to making it all work is getting strategic with your time. The good news? There are plenty of business productivity tips, tools, and strategies that can help lighten the load. Here’s what I recommend (based on experience):
1. Get Yourself Organized
Once those prospective emails start coming in, the last thing you want is to miss them or wait too long to reply. And if you're the type who often finds emails getting lost in the dark abyss otherwise known as your inbox, perhaps you should think about "auto-organizing" your inbox.
Auto-organizing can be as easy as color-coding messages received from certain senders or setting up your inbox so that emails from those senders are automatically filtered into designated folders as soon as they come in.
That way, you can quickly locate and devote your attention to the most important emails first and never have to worry about losing them among the hundreds of "not-so-important" ones! And while you’re at it, unsubscribe from those old newsletters and promo emails that are just cluttering up your inbox. Less digital noise = more focus!
2. Outsource and Delegate the "Small Stuff"
Okay, maybe some of these things aren't so small...but when you have clients to serve, some tasks are certainly NOT at the top of your priority list. What I mean by "small stuff" is the work that doesn’t directly bring in profit, i.e., the backend things you don’t love doing (and frankly don’t have time for) but that still needs to be done to keep your business running. Marketing, finances, administrative tasks—these are all areas where outsourcing and delegating can be a total lifesaver.
It’s been said that “for everything we don’t like to do, there’s someone out there who’s really good at it, wants to do it, and will enjoy it.” I get it—it’s difficult to delegate. It’s hard to put your “baby” (a/k/a your business) in someone else’s hands and trust them to do as good of a job as you would (or, let's be real, think you are doing). But if you find yourself constantly stressed out and looking for time to complete a task you don’t enjoy or simply aren’t that great at, it might be time to let go and let someone else do the dirty work.
The most successful business owners have an incredible team behind them, taking care of all the “small stuff” so they can go out and focus on scaling their business. Why not you?
3. Time Block Your Day!
If you find yourself scrambling to answer emails, conduct calls, schedule social media posts, or respond to that voicemail that’s been sitting in your inbox for days, you need to time-block your day! Set aside a dedicated hour or two each day (ideally at the beginning or end of the day) to focus all of your energy on knocking out the small tasks that keep getting pushed to the back burner.
Time blocking keeps you focused on the task at hand within designated hours while still allowing you to complete your everyday tasks during the main chunk of the day. It also helps you set firm boundaries with yourself and dedicate certain hours for work and certain hours for family time. My handy-dandy planner is my best friend when it comes to time-blocking and planning out my day.
If even finding the time to time block is a struggle, perhaps it's time to bring in an outside consultant to discuss how to optimize your time and resources.
4. Start Your Mornings Earlier
Okay, okay...so if you're NOT a morning person (totally relatable), this probably sounds much easier said than done. However, once you start getting into the habit of doing so, it gets much easier, I promise! And waking up earlier doesn’t mean you have to jump straight into work. Instead, ease into the day with activities that wake up your mind and body. Some examples include a short morning workout to get the blood flowing, meditation or journaling to clear your mind, or a light breakfast and a quiet moment with coffee or tea.
I personally start every day with 20-30 minutes of exercise—it wakes up my mind and body and gives me the energy to get things going. It also makes me feel better physically and mentally, setting the tone for a productive day ahead.
5. Automate Your Marketing
Say it with me: "Automation is my friend!" Listen, there are so many tools out there to make content planning quick and easy. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, embrace these tools and let them work for you.
AI & ChatGPT are all the craze right now, and if you use them correctly, you'll be doing yourself a HUGE favor. Need content ideas? ChatGPT can help brainstorm and outline social media posts, email campaigns, and blog content. Think of it as your brainstorming buddy, not your replacement.
Set aside time at the beginning of the week to schedule posts in advance using content scheduling platforms like Later, Buffer, or Meta Business Suite. You can also use marketing and e-mail platforms such as Mailchimp to automate sending newsletters and follow-ups so you’re consistently engaging with your audience without extra effort. And if you don’t want everything to be automated, hiring a marketing consultant (hi there!) to help handle these tasks while still keeping a human touch can work wonders!
The Bottom Line: You Don’t Have to Do It All
Running your business solo doesn’t necessarily mean you have to do everything solo. There are tools, strategies, and support systems out there that can help lighten the load so you can focus on what truly matters—growing your business and enjoying the journey. So, take a deep breath, get organized, automate what you can, and outsource the rest. Your future self (and your future clients) will thank you for it!
Still looking for practical tips or a strategy that fits your lifestyle and allows you to balance business and family? Reach out today, and let’s chat about how to make your days work for you—not the other way around!
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