One of the top three questions I am asked by fellow busy online entrepreneurs is something along the lines of “how the heck do I manage my time better, because I feel like the end of the week comes and I STILL have so much to do?” Honestly, it pains me to hear this. A few things immediately come to my mind – such as a) you’re overworking yourself, b) you lack organization in the form of systems and processes and c) I can bet a million dollars you’re not taking enough time for yourself. This is why I’m sharing my top 6 time management hacks for the busy online entrepreneur. 

I used to think that if I didn’t work at least 60 hours a week, I wasn’t “successful.” Unfortunately, and perhaps you can relate, this comes from working in an advertising agency where the (very open to even our clients) motto was “24/7, seriously.” It’s no wonder I brought this mentality with me into my first online business! Now, I work 30 hours a week (tops, yes, SERIOUSLY). I’m 9 times out of 10 AHEAD of my to-do list. Here’s how: 

Sis, ya gotta time block.

Let’s talk first about time… BLOCKING! When I hired my virtual assistant, this was something she brought to my attention as she cringed mega-hard at my calendar: there was no color-coordination, no structure, and as a result I was stressed AF because I was booking more meetings in my day than I could handle and falling way behind on client work.

My advice for getting started with this is taking a sec and writing down all of the tasks you do during your week on a daily basis. Then, find the common threads and set times during the week to accomplish them. 

For example, in order to keep myself productive, I only check my email twice per day (morning and afternoon). So, that is something I time block! I also time block my mid-day breaks (because #selfcare), my CEO days, and time I spend on Instagram strictly engaging with other accounts. 

If you’re anything like me, nothing resonates more than a good visual. Here’s an example of mine:

The blank time you see in my calendar is where clients will book meetings, or where I will work strictly on client work. Of course, this isn’t what my calendar looks like at the end of the week as things come up and things get shifted around; however, I have these boundaries set with myself and my clients and thus, I have more control of my time.

 

Have a documented system for the important things you do, such as onboarding clients.

Let’s face it – the more processed you can make your business, the quicker you will scale and be able to take on more business. Having a documented process for everything you do (say, onboarding new clients) will make it easy for you to pass off the work to your very own Virtual Assistant or Intern.

My absolute favorite way to do this is in Google Docs. Some of my more detailed, long term processes are in table format, where the left side is the task and the right side is the person performing the task (between marketing, sales, intern, etc). Other, quicker processes are number-formatted in the order of which they happen to complete a task.

 

Take advantage of project management tools.

Some people are pen and paper people, some people live to type. However, it’s MUCH more efficient to use a digital system for this – especially if you’re on-the-go. While I’m still a big fan of whipping out my notes app (arguably one of the most used apps on my phone right after email and my calendar app) there’s something to be said for programs invented to literally help you visualize and organize where a task is in the process of start to completion.

Some ways to use project management tools:

• Individual client projects with moving pieces
• Your weekly digital marketing content
• Your overall marketing strategy 
• Invoice tracking
• Contractor/team payout tracking
• Time-off boards (if you’re managing a team)
• Tracking/organizing your service suite

Now I know the next question here, naturally, is which app is the best for you? If you’re just getting started in your business and looking to try out affordable software, my favorites are Trello and Asana – both of which have free plans. For those of you with a decently booked business, you’re most likely to need a tool that will perfectly host all aspects of your project management as well as have the ability to collaborate with your team. My absolute favorite is Monday.com (I personally use this one). 

 

Set deadlines for projects and programs

If you take anything away from this blog, let it be this: without deadlines, things WILL slip through your fingers. The two things that really help with this are time blocking and using project management tools. 

My tip for setting deadlines are to 1) be realistic and 2) stick to them. For bigger projects, this might mean breaking down the tasks into their own deadlines. Use your open space on your calendar or even book yourself out of a time slot to work on these tasks as the deadlines approach. Trust me when I say: there is no better feeling than being ahead.

Note: if you find yourself procrastinating a task, ask yourself “realistically, how long is this going to take me?” By realizing you’ve been putting off for something that only takes 5 minutes, you’ll help yourself a) begin to procrastinate LESS and b) get the dang thing done. 

Bonus tip: Have an MIT (most important task) for the day. Sort of like having a main idea for a paper, you’ll easily be able to schedule your way around it once you’ve determined what that task should be.

 

Organize the software you ARE using

Chances are, you might already be using one of the tools above. But is it 100% organized? It’s funny because we invest in this software and that software itself needs to be organized in order to keep us sane! 

Most project management tools come with templates for built-in workflows (10/10 recommend trying them out as well, instead of reinventing the wheel and costing you more time)! The idea here is to take the most advantage of the tools – especially if you’re paying for them.

Tip: Don’t discount the use of Zapier to integrate into other aspects of your business such as your email, forms, calendar, etc. 

 

Give yourself grace, and don’t forget to take care of YOU

Remember, not all days are going to be perfect. Some days, you might feel lazy as heck or be dealing with some personal life thing, and that’s ok. The last thing you should do is stress; not one person is perfect (including yours truly… sometimes my mid-day workout beats me up and leaves me on the couch to watch an episode of the Real Housewives of New York instead of moseying on back to the home office to keep chuggin’ along. It’s the dang truth)!

If you find yourself in a rut, promise me you won’t beat yourself up. That might just mean it’s time for a break, so do something restorative and then redirect your mind back on track. When these times weigh heavy on me, I remind myself that maybe I need a bit more self-care time than I’ve allotted in my calendar. And FYI, self care is not zoning out watching your favorite show on Netflix – self care IS doing something restorative and re-energizing that the future you will thank you for.

 

Start implementing these time management hacks in your life and in your business and I promise you will not only see a transformation in the way you show up and get things done, but you will also experience less stress overall, because you’ll 3000% feel like you’re in control. Best part: embracing solid time management systems will create MORE time in your life to do the things you love – like travel, time with family and friends and if you’re anything like me… more time in the garden 🙂 

As you’re thinking of your own business and some ways you can implement these hacks while reading this blog, I invite you to check out my Brand Strategy Sessions.

These sessions were perfectly designed as a way for you to sit with me and pick my brain as it pertains to YOUR business to identify areas that will help you move forward – and do so with a heck of a lot less overwhelm.

Learn more by clicking here.

– Lauren