People are always asking me how I get so much done in my business.
I don’t work thousands of hours a week, I don’t have millions of people helping me and I don’t exaggerate about what I do.
Instead, I have a plan! A plan that I create each week, month, year and pretty much stick to. And I have tools that I use along the way to help me implement that plan.
How To Get More Stuff Done In Less Time.
#1. Plan Out Your Goals for The Year
We all have goals that we want to achieve. Maybe we want to grow our Daily Dog Walking clients, perhaps we want to make enough money to hire some office help or maybe we just want to take more vacation time.
If you don’t have specific goals, it’s hard to move your business on because you are not working towards anything.
I find it useful to have an overall goal(s) for the year and then try to break those down into quarters to work on through the year.
Creating bite-size mini goals is much more manageable, rather than looking at a huge task and wondering how you are going to work your way towards that.
#2. Decide What Action You Need to Take
Goals need to be very specific. So, if I want to get more Dog Walking clients then I work out how many people I need to attract to my business (leads), how many people I need to convert to customers (sales) and what I need them to spend throughout the year.
Once I know how many people I need to attract to my business I can figure out how much marketing I need to do. How much do I need to spend on ads, how many Facebook posts etc I need to create to attract those people to me?
See how I get really specific about what I need to do in order to get where I want.
#3. Write It Down Where You Can See It
When I brainstorm an idea I like to write it down on paper, post-it notes or on a flip chart. I am a very visual thinker. If I put everything away on a spreadsheet then who’s to say I will open that up every day!
Instead, I like to be able to see what I plan to do, mark off the things I’ve done as part of the plan and then see the goal is completed.
I do have a daily planner where I work out my focus for the days, but generally speaking, I like to have my main goals up on the wall for the current quarter.
#4. Have A Way to Record Ideas You Come Up With
If you ever talk to me or come to my office, you will know that I love notebooks and planners. I have a notebook for every occasion.
One of the best things I have ever done is have one notebook for my ideas.
Every day I come up with ideas to put in it, no matter how silly they are. Then when I am looking for inspiration I visit my ideas book and there are so many content ideas, competition ideas, promotion ideas in there.
Commit to coming up with ideas. It might sound silly, but constantly being creative really helps you make your business stand out from the crowd when it comes to promotion.
#5. Make Yourself Accountable
I have an accountability buddy that I work with. We meet every quarter in person and once a month online. It’s a great way to give yourself a nudge to get things done.
I know I never want to turn up saying I didn’t do anything to work towards my goals.
We both work in different industries, which I think is what works well. Often someone not in the same industry can have the best ideas for your business.
What should you do?
1. Sit down and work on your goal(s) for the year.
2. Break them down into manageable action items.
3. Get a system that works for you.
4. Do something every day that moves you towards your goal.
5. Find someone who will remind you of your goals!!
