Mistake #1: You have never taken the time to create a flexible schedule template of what your normal work week looks like.
A flexible schedule template can give you a sense of how you spend your days and help you organize your work according to the types of projects, activities, and tasks you need to do. It can also include things such as lunch breaks, time for exercise, regular events before and after your work day, networking activities, etc. Creating a flexible schedule template can help you establish a rhythm to your day and week.
It should include hours of the day when you’re working on your business (e.g, marketing, content creation, goal setting and planning) and working in your business (revenue generating activities, administrative work, etc).
Mistake #2: You don’t consider how your energy level and attention fluctuates throughout the day, and plan accordingly.
In his book, Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, Cal Newport argues that we only have a certain amount of time each day (3-5 hours) that we can engage in deep work, the kind of work that requires us to focus without distraction on a demanding cognitive task.
The ability to focus in deep work mode requires more than just turning off distractions such as text notifications and people around you. It’s a skill you have to develop with practice.
Solution: Do your most challenging cognitive work when you are still alert during the day. Plan your less demanding activities for times when you know you’re going to have less energy and focus. Block out at least 90 minutes to engage in deep work.
Mistake #3: You don’t respect your own time or boundaries.
You schedule clients or sales calls at any time you have an opening, will see them at the last minute, but you leave no time to eat lunch or to create content for your business or to catch up on recurring administrative work that will get you paid. You are running to pick up kids, do personal errands, and blow off your workout because you’re too tired or it’s easier just to keep working in front of the computer.
Solution: Put a premium on your own well-being and general needs. Give yourself breathing room and schedule clients respecting your own needs as much as theirs. This will ultimately make both your personal and professional lives flourish and will hold off burnout and job resentment.
Mistake #4: You don’t BATCH projects. Instead of grouping similar types of activities into a chunk of time, you do things on a one-off basis, so it can be hard to get into a flow or focused state and accomplish more.
Instead of blocking off time to batch 4 graphics at once that you’ll need for the entire month, you spend your day creating one graphic, writing a blog post, seeing a client, creating another graphic, checking email, hopping on a sales call, etc.
Jumping from thing to thing can you leave you feeling scattered and exhausted, and is far less effective than blocking out time for batching.
Solution: Think about what you need to do in a day or a week, and batch tasks together in a certain time slot for activities that are similar. Perhaps writing marketing emails and blogs could be batched, flexing your creative writing muscles at one allotted time. Client calls or other phone work could be batched into a reasonable time slot. Administrative tasks might get batched, bill paying, invoicing, logging payments or working on taxes.
Even personal errands can get batched into a part of your day, perhaps, when you don’t feel as energized for more focused work or might need a break. Think about the types of activities you do and how you could batch them together.
The downside about batching is that it requires advanced planning. For example, you can’t write 3 blog posts at a time if you don’t know beforehand what your topics are. But, you can write an outline and/or jotted down your ideas beforehand, or even use that batched time to write one blog and brainstorm on the next.
Batching can be overwhelming at first. Start out by planning out and batching just one activity that would be easy for you to set up.
Mistake #5: You are so caught up in making money that you don’t set aside time to further your knowledge and skills.
Entrepreneurs need to grow and evolve. This takes experience, practice, time, and investment. You have to be willing to invest time in yourself, in your learning.
Solution: Set aside time to read or listen to books, articles and podcasts in your industry. Take an online course or go to a workshop, retreat, or conference. Don’t underestimate the importance of increasing your knowledge and skills.
Set aside regular time in your schedule to educate yourself and consider fresh ideas and perspectives that will energize you and positively impact your business.
Mistake #6: You neglect your self-care and you fail to plan vacations.
Even when we’re perfectly healthy, we still require regular movement, meals, enough sleep and some downtime to relax and rejuvenate. Connecting with others and spending time with friends and families is also critical to our well-being. Dental visits can be necessary even though they take us away from our work day.
Solution: Take time to plan get-togethers with others and put them on the schedule so you commit in advance. Make the dentist appointment and don’t cancel because of work.
And, take a vacation! They won’t happen unless we schedule them. If you’re like me and live in a place that is freezing cold in the winter (Minnesota), planning a getaway somewhere warm typically involves advanced planning and research to get the best deals.
Look at your calendar for the year and plan vacations and time off into your schedule. Buy the plane ticket early. Allow yourself to dream about being there. Make it real so it happens.
Don’t neglect self-care. Don’t undervalue the importance of time off to rest, of spending time with loved ones, of taking care of you. You are your business’s most vital asset. Treat yourself kindly and your business will benefit greatly.
