At the end of every week I take the time to track my progress and my happiness levels for the previous seven days. It sounds a little over-the-top, but it really helps me reflect on the hours, days and weeks that I am most happy and most productive.
Productivity is very important to me because my time is a limited resource. I run my Coaching business, I run my Photography business, and most importantly I have a family. I want to spend precious time with them every day (and not be clouded by my to-do list or what I should post next on instagram!) This week I’ve been talking to a lot of my coaching clients about systems and processes. I know, it’s a boring part of your business. I suspect it’s probably something you sideline or maybe even ignore. As creatives we’re not always the best at ‘business’. BUT, it’s super important that as business owners we are getting this right. Grab a pen and paper and jot down all the aspects of your business that overwhelm you. I suspect your list may include some (or all!) of the following: – Social Media – Blogging – Book keeping – Replying to enquiries – Sending reminders – Diary management – Implementing changes that you’ve ‘been meaning to do’ A few years ago I made the decision to automate everything that I possibly could in an effort to free up time (and head space!) in my business. I now have: – Daily schedule reminders – Auto alerts for tasks that need to be completed – A rolling 2 week schedule of instagram and facebook posts – An integrated finance system with no manual input required – Canned responses ready to reply to any sort of enquiry – Scheduled exercise (healthy body, healthy mind!) – A rolling 3/6/12 month to-do list – A team of ‘experts’ I can outsource jobs to The impact has been phenomenal. A complete game changer. Since making these changes I now spend more time than ever with my children, I spend less time than ever writing and re-writing to-do lists, I spend less time looking at my to-do list and wondering where to start. Plus I started a whole new business! Try the above exercise, look for the gaps and see how implementing a system could help you make real changes to the way you work.
If you do manage to start automating your business I’d love to hear how you achieved it and the impact so please drop me a line! With Love Faye x P.S Are you a Wedding Photographer, a Wedding Florist, a Wedding Planner, a Wedding Stationer (or indeed any Wedding Business) and are you looking for a Wedding Business Coach? Perhaps you’re looking specifically for Wedding Photography Training? If you are please get in touch by clicking on ‘Book A Call’ above.