As you make the shift in your business from solopreneur to CEO, you’ll find that you need time and space to work on your business rather than in your business.
But, figuring out where to find the time and space in your already overflowing calendar can feel like an impossible task. So here are some of my favorite ways to find the time you need to work on your business!
#1. Call blocking
Sometimes this is as simple as rearranging when you’re available for calls. The tasks you need to complete to grow your business often require focused time with minimal interruptions. But, if your entire calendar is available for clients to book appointments, this can be very hard to find.
So consider limiting the days and times you take calls to allow for entire days (or simply half days when you first start off this feels less daunting) to devote to working on your business. This call blocking will make a world of difference when it comes to finding the time and space you need. For more on how to do this, check out this post on building your ideal work week.
#2. Start with your Priorities
What many of us do is focus first on getting client work done and then diving into our own business. Instead, consider starting with your priority tasks first. You’ll likely be fresher and more able to tackle these things at the start of your day or week. And let’s face it, you’ll get the client work done no matter what so that’s generally easier to do after even if you’re tired.
This also creates momentum because you are putting an emphasis on your own priorities rather than leaving them until the “when I have time pile”.
#3. Consider hiring help
If you’ve already tried the usual scheduling hacks and still need more, consider what you can hire out. Start with business tasks that you could train someone to do with some minimal training so you could better utilize that time in other, more productive ways.
Similarly, ask yourself if there are home or life tasks you could hire out. This doesn’t mean you need to add crazy hours to your schedule even temporarily. But, if hiring a babysitter to pick your kids up one afternoon a week allows you some focused hours on your business, it could be well worth the investment.
#4. Be ruthless. Say no.
The power of no is limitless when it comes to finding the time and space you need to work on your business. As tempting as it can be to say yes to every potential client, it may not always be the best in the long term. This is especially true when the work is less than ideal or perhaps it would take you in a direction you’re trying to pivot away from.
So, even if it’s a short-term loss, saying no to potential clients or letting current clients go can create the time you need to make more progress towards where you’re headed.
This applies to more than just clients – consider everything you’re currently doing in your business and see if i you can stop doing any of it.
#5. Clean house
Letting go of one or two things and saying no isn’t always enough. Sometimes, to move forward you have to clean house and start over as much as possible. Obviously, there are financial realities to consider here before going scorched earth. But, if cleaning house would allow you to make major progress in a very short time frame it’s worth considering.
I’m a huge fan of gradually shifting from point A to point B so as not to risk financial security. But, there are certainly times when a major pivot could be better served by simply getting it done in one fell swoop.
Regardless of what method you employ, you can find the time you need to work on your business and get closer to your goals. With proper planning and consideration, you’ll likely get there even faster!