6 Practical Ways to Simplify Your Business TODAY
Being a solopreneur is exhausting because there often aren’t any easy answers.
You want to know if you should hire or outsource a contractor to help you knock off stuff that’s constantly being neglected on your mile(s) long to-do list.
You’re trying to figure out what products or services are going to keep moving the needle forward and bring in more bank so you can pay off your debt AND pay your bills in this crazy economy.
You’d love someone else to decide what to do for dinner and how to handle that client email you just got…
And that’s just barely scratching the surface.
As business owners, our brains are constantly running. We’re thinking about what needs to get done and how to get where we want to go.
And while that’s where many of our strengths lie (being visionaries and getting. it. done), we can’t operate on overdrive forever!
So today, I’m talking about the 6 ways you can start making your business life easier. These tips are things I constantly use in my own business and have even saved me from throwing in the towel a time or two (haha…whoops!).
If you’re looking for something to SIMPLIFY your business and your day-to-day work, keep reading (or watch the video below).
Know Your End Game
If you’re in the thick of it, just trying to get by, it can be hard to stop and think about your end game. But believe me, this is one of the most important things you can do in your business…and do it often.
If you were running a race without a finish line, how motivated would you be to keep going? You probably wouldn’t. But when you can see the finish line, or at least know there is one, it’s a lot easier to pace yourself and keep things moving.
You don’t need to think 15, 10, or even five years out — you can start by just thinking about where you want to be next year and what projects or tasks you need to make that happen.
ACTION STEP: Take about 15 minutes to think about your goals for the next year — and write down. Even if you gotta do it while in the carpool lane or the parking lot at Target!
Unsubscribe
We live in an age of information overload. And it’s hard to think clearly when you have opinions coming at you in every direction about what you “need” to do in your business. What works for one person doesn’t work for everyone — and that’s okay!
But it’s also totally okay to unsubscribe from YouTube channels, email lists, Instagram accounts, or podcasts that are distracting OR have you playing the comparison game.
I did this with podcasts, and in fact, I don’t listen to any business podcasts. Why? Because even though it was great at helping me generate ideas, it was too much. I was chasing a shiny new thing left and right, and it was keeping me from the things I really wanted to accomplish.
ACTION STEP: Go to your email list or your podcast feed and hit unsubscribe. It doesn't have to be goodbye forever, but until you reach a place where you more effectively navigate those distractions, hit pause and unsubscribe.
Batch What You Can
Batching is a time management technique that includes grouping similar tasks together and setting aside time to complete them all at once.
The real benefit is that you’re in a constant state of focus and don’t have to switch your brain on and off between different types of tasks — like going from bookkeeping work to creating Reels.
You end up spending more time switching between them than you think. According to some marketing studies on multitasking, it can cause you to take about 50% longer to complete a task, with a 50% higher likelihood of making a mistake. No, thank you!!
So, that’s where batching comes in, and here’s how we do it at TLHQ:
Filming YouTube videos and Reels
Writing sales pages and sales emails
ACTION STEP: Create a list of ALL the to-dos you currently have. Then, group similar items to see what you can knock out at once.
Templatize Your Workflow
The biggest time sucks in your business are the things you do over and over and over. You CAN outsource help for these tasks, but you may be surprised to find how much work you can cut down on by just making templates for some of your processes or certain tasks.
EXAMPLE: For me, that means when I send out my weekly newsletter, I duplicate the email newsletter template, change the title of the email, enter the text of the email, add the thumbnail image, add the links…you get the idea.
ACTION STEP: This can be done for many different things, so make a list of all the processes you could outsource, then document those processes to see if a template can be made instead.
Plan Time to Reflect
It’s really hard to make time for your business when you own a business (which sounds crazy, right?? But I know you get me).
That’s why if you want to spend time planning and reflecting, you have to schedule it. Block time on your calendar EVERY SINGLE MONTH (and at the very least, once per quarter). I’m serious!! This is important.
If you aren’t reflecting on what worked and what didn’t, and making a game plan to move forward with that information, then how do you expect your business to keep growing?
ACTION STEP: Block time on your calendar right now for planning and reflecting. Treat it like a legit appointment you can’t get out of!
Find a Community
Running a business is hard as hell. You need people who understand what you’re in the middle of to support you.
You need to find a community for people to talk to, get feedback from, and just have some friends who get what it’s like when you’re out to dinner and all you can think about is the new idea that just popped into your head.
Having business friends saved my own several times — not only being able to shoot them a message when I needed to bounce ideas off someone but having a few times a year when we can get together in person and just relax!
This is exactly why I created 10K On Replay!!
Not only do you get the support of people going through the same things you are, but you have the accountability from me to help you achieve your next-level goals in your business. If you are looking for a community and someone to help you hit that next level, head here to apply now!! We are accepting applications and would love to have you.
ACTION STEP: Apply for 10K on Replay…duh😉
