You DO need a routine! Here's how to create one that works for you...
It’s time to create a workflow for your day that is going to help you stay on track; ensuring you AND your business are thriving…
As with everything, this is a balancing act between boundaries and acknowledging the curve balls that life throws at us. It’s great to be flexible but you need boundaries to be flexible within or you’re just operating in anarchy, which no business can sustain.
When you first set up a business it’s so tempting to think… ‘fantastic, I’m free! I can do whatever I want, whenever I want.’ I definitely had that thought. No more annoying line managers. No more processes that slow you down. No more doing things in an illogical way ‘because that’s how they’ve always been done.’ You’re the boss now! You make the rules.
But so many of us don’t make any rules…
We work when the mood takes us and agree to every social plan ‘because we can.’ This often seems fun at first (at least did for me!)… but it’s not all that sustainable in the long run. Without a proper plan in place, you end up never fully switching off. Work can end up bleeding into the evenings and weekends because you saw friends for a three hour lunch in the middle of the day and the deadline still exists.
The next few sections are going to guide you through how to create a more balanced routine that enables you to make the most of self-employed life whilst still having some structure to your day. PLEASE DON’T SKIP OVER THIS! I know that sometimes taking the time to plan something like this can feel like a form of procrastination, but it really isn’t. If you can invest the time in nailing a routine that works for you, it makes everything SO much easier going forward.
As a small business owner, you’re in charge and responsible for so much. Free up some headspace by eliminating as many choices from your day as possible. If you have a timeline for your day / week / month etc then it’s much easier to crack straight on because you know what the plan is. This may well need to be adjusted over time as you figure out what works for you, but it’s time well worth investing…
When I first set up my business, I definitely went down the ‘anarchy’ route of doing what I wanted when I wanted to because it was exciting to have that freedom. Realising that didn’t work, I then swung too hard the other way and tried to have a strict timeline for the day… 10am) clear emails 11am) exercise 12pm) admin 1pm) lunch… you get the idea. What works best for me is a balance of the two.
I like to break the day into zones. The broadest of these is into times for work and times for me. I do try to be fairly strict on those, as it’s amazing how much your body learns to relax when it has a schedule (a bit like settling into a proper sleep pattern!) Those zones can then be broken down into tasks. For example, you might break up your work day with rest periods but in each of these periods you could either: 1) exercise 2) read / relax 3) get some life admin done.
These are just examples, of course, but by breaking down your days this way, you can see more clearly when everything will get done. Knowing that you’ve allocated time for all the essential tasks relieved a massive burden of worry because you can be confident that everything will get done in good time.
