Ask Me Anything: How to Manage Your Limited Time As a Busy Entrepreneur

QUESTION:

I’m a small business owner, a wife, a mom of three kiddos 10 and under. I’m juggling all of the things and I have a short window of time each day for work hours. (Technically, I have five hours each day)

When I sit down at my desk to get to work after dropping the kids off at school, I honestly don’t know where to start.

ANSWER:

One of the biggest obstacles to building a thriving, aligned business is finding TIME to do everything we want to do. Especially in the early stages of growing and scaling, it’s common for business owners to feel…

CONFUSED about where to focus their attention.

OVERWHELMED, like they’re constantly drowning in a mile-long to-do list.

EXHAUSTED, sick of struggling, and maybe even edging up against burnout.

First of all, let me just say—you’re not alone in feeling this way. When I first started my business 10 years ago, I was a homeschooling, stay-at-home mom.

I wanted to build a successful business that was joyful and purposeful… But I felt like almost every minute in my day was already spoken for. It took a while, but eventually, I was able to carefully carve out time by delegating, outsourcing, and flat-out eliminating some tasks.

Choosing to hand over some of your day-to-day personal or professional obligations might not feel possible right off the bat. But think of this as an investment in yourself and your growth. If growing your business is truly important to you, it’s important to see outsourcing and delegation as an essential form of investment in yourself and your growth.

How to Find Time For Your Business When Your Schedule Is Maxed Out

So where to start? I like to break down my process of removing tasks from my plate into two core steps.

STEP 1: Ask yourself, what tasks don’t require your personal touch?

Are there tasks in your day that you don’t physically have to be the one doing? Are there items that would be more cost-effective if someone else performed them for you? Some common team members to invest in while building your business include:

Virtual Assistant
Social Media Manager
Accountant
Bookkeeper
Copywriter

Building a team can be scary—but if you want to be a CEO, you have to start thinking like a CEO.

STEP 2: Create a schedule to accomplish everything that’s left.

There will inevitably still be a long list of things that you personally need to attend to. That’s okay! For tasks that remain on your list after delegating, outsourcing, and eliminating, I want you to assign a specific day of the week to accomplish that task. Then, assign a specific time block for that specific task.

In my business, I take this a step further by mapping out each week of the month and dedicating each day to a specific task. For example:

WEEK ONE: I’ve assigned four days of the first week of the month to specifically work on my business. This means tasks related to improving client experience, business development, marketing strategy, etc. In Week One, I also have a designated day to meet with clients inside my Brand & Business Growth Accelerator Program, and this is also assigned on weeks two and three.

WEEK TWO: In Week Two, I have time set aside for content research, writing blogs, and we open the studio for brand photoshoots for clients.

WEEK THREE: Week Three is my content production week. I focus one full day on writing video scripts for YouTube, recording videos, and editing videos.

WEEK FOUR: In Week Four, I have one full day assigned for monthly review, checking in on goals, and planning my content repurposing strategy.

Some tasks will only need to be done once each month—for example, paying bills or checking in with my bookkeeper.

Other tasks need to be accounted for on a weekly basis—for example, consultation with potential clients, networking, and engaging on social media.

I’ve found this system helpful because, like you, I juggle many things in my business and family life. Every week can’t look exactly the same.

However, even when life gets busy, this system allows me to know exactly what I need to be working on in my business—so I can keep taking action and my business can keep growing.

Want a quick way to get started with this system? Here’s a Weekly Schedule Template based on the exact framework I use to plan my business activities every month.

Grab it here—and be sure to let me know if it helps you take back control of your time!

PS – Even with this system, it’s important to give yourself grace. Sometimes as entrepreneurs and parents, we need to be agile. No matter what happens, just keep going. You’ve got this!

Have a Burning Business Question You’d Like My Support With?

Interested in joining a future Office Hours session?

Click here to explore upcoming workshops, events, and current experiences.