As I write this, the house is quiet while everyone is asleep. I am listening to Laura Marling and I have a warm cup of coffee. Honestly, it’s kind of blissful, because the truth is, it’s the quiet before the storm.
In an hour, my people will start waking up and I never know what I am in for. Tweens and toddlers are known for bouncing between adorable and pleasant to emotional and cranky in a matter of seconds, and mine definitely do.
Working at home with a little one is a juggling act in itself, before adding the day to day stuff we all do. Some days, I am desperately struggling to stay on top of work, be a mom, and just keep it together. I look around at the Cheerios on the floor, cranky kids, and the fact that I never got dressed and think “what a shit show!”
Some days are hard, but they are just days, and I have to remind myself that none of it is life or death and move on. As Scarlett O’Hara always says, “tomorrow is another day.” Whenever something in our schedule like school starting or ending or my husband changing jobs, there is a period of adjustment which means something has to go until we shift. It used to throw me for a loop, but now I see that it grounds me to what’s important and gives me a chance to perfect my systems, even though it still feels difficult for a time.
Now is one of those challenging adjustment times for me, and I know it is for some of you too. Being Boss is hard and we are constantly learning and growing, even if the path is not always easy. Just know you are not alone!
These are some of the routines, systems, and tools I use to keep my business running and maintain my sanity, at least most of the time!
Self Care – Going to the gym, meditation, yoga, and prayer are the ways I take care of myself. It makes me feel strong inside and out and give me the quiet that I need to recharge every day. When life is really busy, these are the easiest things to skip, and I do sometimes. But, if it’s more than just a day here and there, I sure feel the difference and regret it later. My husband will put his hands on my arms, lovingly look me in the eyes, and say, “you need to go to the gym and get your head on straight.”
Quarterly Planning– I absolutely cannot run my business and reach my goals without a plan. I make big goals happen by assigning one goal per quarter. Then, I make a smaller goal for each month with action steps to help me achieve my quarterly goal. This breaks everything down into something that feels doable, instead of overwhelming, which is the first step in actually doing the thing! This is what it looked like for my quarterly goal to launch my course.
July : Goal was developing the course.
My action steps were to create an outline, make slides, add audio, and edit.
August : Goal was to promote the course.
My action steps were to create blog post around the course content, boost these post on Facebook, create a sales page, and pre-sale to my newsletter list.
September: The final month’s goal was to release the course.
My action steps were to share social media, create a Facebook campaign for a webinar about the course, and offer it to my newsletter list.
Planning content and using automation – Somedays I don’t even have time to wash my hair so thinking about what to post on Instagram is definitely not happening. Planning your content will not only make sure you are consistent but creating content that supports your quarterly goal will help build your business. I use HootSuite to automate my post so I spend an hour a month instead of 20 minutes a day.
Tools – I use my Google calendar to coordinate with my husband and keep on track with work and life responsibilities. I use Acuity to schedule appointments with clients. This goes into my Google calendar automatically and sends both me and the client a reminder. To keep track of my client work I use Asana. I like being able to see what I need to do every day and have my client’s responsibilities, like delivering content, all scheduled out so I don’t have to send reminder emails.
Systems – I have created processes for everything I do. I have a system for onboarding that includes a welcome pack so clients know what to expect. I have Google docs, like intake forms, that I can copy and send to clients. I contact my clients every Friday so communication is always scheduled. This keeps us both on track and never lets people fill like they are forgotten. I even have my client thank you gifts made up and ready to go.
None of these systems, tools or routines came into place without practice, tears, and trial and error. I hope these give you some ideas on how to make your workflow easier so you can forget about the Cheerios, whether that laundry is folded, dishes are clean, or emails are answered, and do the work that you love!