HOW TO UNF*CK YOUR SCHEDULE, BUY BACK YOUR TIME AND SCALE YOUR REVENUE THIS YEAR.

Reclaim Your Time, Boost Your Revenue, And Conquer Chaos

Welcome back to another exciting episode of the Champagne Diaries. In today’s letter, I’ll be pulling back the curtain on how you can tame your schedule, buy back your time, and exponentially increase your revenue this year. But before we dive in, let’s take a moment to appreciate the sheer chaos that can sometimes accompany the life of an entrepreneur.

BEYOND BUSYNESS: UNVEILING THE HIDDEN PATH TO SUSTAINABLE SUCCESS

Before we even touch your schedule, it’s super important to understand what to focus on – and where you should be spending your time – if your goal is to grow a gorgeous sustainable, profitable business that doesn’t eat up all your time like a ravenous cookie monster.

It’s crucial to establish a clear direction for your business. So often, entrepreneurs find themselves operating in reactive mode, constantly reacting to the daily demands and tasks without a clear focus.

To break free from this reactive state, we need to create a solid foundation for our business growth. Through my work with hundreds of entrepreneurs worldwide, I’ve discovered that many individuals fail to meet their revenue goals because they focus their time and energy on non-essential activities. The key is to identify and prioritize what truly matters. So, let’s explore the essential pillars that will drive your business growth and revenue this year.

Think of them as the sturdy columns holding up your entrepreneurial empire. They’re the essential ingredients in your secret sauce for success. Ready? Here they are:

CLIENT DELIVERY

Ah, the satisfaction of delighting your clients with top-notch service. Whether you’re designing websites, crafting persuasive copy, or coaching individuals to reach their full potential, client delivery is where the magic happens. Client delivery activities are all the activities required for you to deliver your end of the deal to your clients. This can include things like time spent connecting with clients, working on projects, or hosting coaching sessions.

Quick Note here:

But here’s the deal – while it’s important to dedicate time to serving your clients, you don’t want to get stuck in a delivery rabbit hole. If you’re spending all your time on client delivery with no time left for marketing and sales you’ll very quickly find yourself stuck in a feast-and-famine cycle regarding your client attraction. You’ll stay stuck in a cycle of ‘booked’ and broke without consistent time dedicated to the pillars below.

MARKETING:

Marketing involves all the activities aimed at attracting new clients to your business. It includes strategies such as content creation, lead generation, and building brand awareness. This pillar is essential if you want clients. Without marketing, you’re like a stand-up comedian telling hilarious jokes to an empty room. Sure, you’re funny, but no one’s there to laugh. Remember, no clients, no business. It really is as simple as that.

SALES

Sales activities revolve around making offers, inviting prospects to take the next step, and enrolling new clients into your services. Effective marketing can generate leads, but without active sales efforts, those leads won’t convert into clients. This is the equivalent of baking a tray of brownies and expecting your guests to know that they can eat them. You must have a strategy in place to make offers. By dedicating time to sales conversations and making offers, you create opportunities to bring clients through your doors. I don’t need to tell you why this is essential.

ADMIN

This area covers all the general admin required to run your business. We’re talking about answering emails. Checking messages. Sending out invoices And all the other random crap that seems to fill up 90% of our schedules.

DEVELOPMENT & LEARNING:

Continuous learning and personal growth are vital for staying ahead in your industry. This pillar includes consuming educational content, working with mentors or coaches, reading books, and attending relevant courses or conferences.

Important sidebar: Learning is great but implementation is essential. I meet far too many entrepreneurs who spend all their time taking course after course as a means of bypassing the uncomfortable stuff in business (like taking the boring action required to market and sell your offer). Leads and sales first, personal development later.

SELF CARE:

This one’s non-negotiable. When you’re not giving from a full cup – you’re buying a one-way ticket to the most exhausting and frustrating entrepreneurial journey of your life. Queue the burnout. Beyond being an entrepreneur, you’re a human. This means you need to eat, sleep and take a moment to pee in between client sessions. Self-care tasks are all the tasks that help you show up as your best, most energized present self. Remember, if you break – your business often does too. You are your most important asset and its essential to treat yourself this way.

MULTITASKING MAYHEM: THE DEADLY COCKTAIL OF DISTRACTION AND DIMINISHED RESULTS AND HOW TO SAVE YOUR SANITY BY UNSTUFFING YOUR SCHEDULE

Now that we know exactly where to focus to build a sustainable, thriving business, how the heck do we use this information to tame our unruly over-stuffed schedules?

The first step towards taming our schedules is to break free from the chains of reactivity. Often, we find ourselves bouncing from one task to another, putting out fires, and responding to external demands without a moment’s respite. It’s like being caught in a never-ending game of whack-a-mole, where the more tasks we tackle, the more they seem to multiply. But fear not, because there’s a powerful antidote to this chaotic cycle: batch scheduling.

So, why is batch scheduling such a game-changer? Well, let’s take a moment to consider the negative cognitive impact of multitasking and constantly jumping from task to task. Research and studies have shown that multitasking not only reduces productivity but also impairs cognitive function. One notable study conducted at Stanford University revealed that heavy multitaskers performed poorly in tasks requiring focus and memory, compared to those who focused on one task at a time. The constant switching between tasks drains our mental resources, increases stress levels, and diminishes our ability to produce high-quality work. It’s like trying to juggle too many balls at once – sooner or later, one of them will drop.

Enter batch scheduling, the superhero of productivity. Implementing theme days or batch days eliminates the need for constant task switching. Instead of flitting between various activities, you allocate specific time blocks for similar tasks, allowing your mind to stay focused and immersed in one type of activity at a time. This approach is like a soothing balm for your brain, enabling it to dive deep into the task at hand and tap into its full potential.

BATTLE-TESTED STRATEGIES: WEAPONS OF MASS EFFICIENCY

But how does this look practically? Well, there are a couple of approaches you can take. One option is to batch-schedule tasks within your day. For example, you can set aside a dedicated block of time in the morning for creative work, whether it’s brainstorming ideas, writing content, designing marketing campaigns, or working on client delivery. Then, in the afternoon, you can allocate a separate block for client lower focus admin activities, where you focus solely on admin, client communication, or providing stellar customer service. This clear separation allows you to enter a state of flow and produce your best work.

Another approach is to schedule theme days for certain activities. For instance, you might designate Mondays as your “Marketing and Business Development Day,” where you focus on growing your brand, strategizing marketing campaigns, and networking. Tuesdays could be your “Client Delivery Days,” dedicated to working on building out your client’s websites or hosting coaching sessions. Wednesdays could be all about “Administration and Finances,” where you tackle paperwork, handle invoicing, and manage financial tasks. By assigning specific themes to each day, you create a rhythm and structure that keeps you aligned with your goals and prevents distractions from derailing your progress.

There’s no one right way to skin this cat and the best method for you is going to depend on your self-awareness, energy levels, and business.

Battle testing is required.

VISUALIZE, CONQUER, REPEAT: COLOR-CODING YOUR WAY TO SCHEDULE SUPREMACY

To enhance the effectiveness of your batch scheduling, consider utilizing tools like Google Calendar. This versatile platform allows you to color code your time blocks, making it easy to visually distinguish between different focus areas or theme days. You can assign vibrant colors to each type of activity, such as blue for creative work, green for client-related tasks, and yellow for administrative duties. With a quick glance at your calendar, you’ll be able to see how your time is allocated and avoid booking conflicting appointments during your dedicated focus blocks.

Not a digital maverick? No stress. A colour-coded paper planner works just fine too.

BALANCING STRUCTURE AND SERENDIPITY: FLEXIBILITY TO THRIVE AMIDST CHAOS

In the quest to tame our schedules and embrace the power of batch scheduling, it’s important to remember the value of flexibility. While allocating dedicated time blocks for specific tasks and activities is key, it’s equally essential to leave room for the unexpected. Life has a way of throwing curveballs at us, whether it’s an urgent client request, an unforeseen technical glitch, or a sudden burst of inspiration that demands immediate attention. That’s where buffer time comes into play.

Buffer time is like a safety net woven into your schedule. It acts as a cushion, allowing you to handle random tasks and unexpected admin that inevitably crop up throughout the day. By setting aside blocks of time for these miscellaneous activities, you create space to address urgent matters without derailing your entire workflow. It’s a proactive approach to managing the unpredictable nature of business and life.

Consider incorporating buffer time into your schedule by allocating short intervals throughout the day or setting aside a dedicated block for miscellaneous tasks. For example, you could designate 30-60 minutes mid-morning as buffer time to check and respond to urgent emails, handle quick administrative tasks, or address any unexpected issues that require immediate attention.

Sidebar: Do not check your email first thing in the morning. This is a surefire way to start running on the treadmill without making meaningful progress on your needle movers.

Similarly, you might reserve the last 30 minutes of each day to review your to-do list, tie up loose ends, and prepare for the following day. By proactively accounting for these unpredictable moments, you’ll maintain a sense of control and avoid feeling overwhelmed when surprises arise.

Remember, batch scheduling is a powerful tool, but it’s not meant to confine you rigidly. It’s about finding the right balance between structure and flexibility. By embracing the concept of buffer time, you can navigate the ebb and flow of your day with grace and efficiency, allowing you to adapt to unforeseen circumstances without sacrificing productivity or becoming overwhelmed.

So, as you embark on your batch scheduling journey, don’t forget to make room for the unexpected. Embrace the power of buffer time and watch as your schedule becomes more resilient, adaptive, and manageable. With the right blend of structure, flexibility, and strategic time allocation, you’ll tame the unruliest of schedules and set yourself up for success. Get ready to take charge, embrace the unexpected, and conquer your day with confidence. The power is in your hands, and with batch scheduling, buffer time, and a rock-solid focus on the essentials on your side, there’s no limit to what you can achieve.

DON’T EAT YOUR MONEY

At this stage, you may have a beautifully colour-coded calendar – but you still may be facing the temptation to book that client meeting during your marketing time block.

I mean, how much could it hurt in the moment? Surely you’ll make up the marketing time some other time? 

There are a few reasons why this is a bad idea. 

When we don’t respect our own designated time blocks we’re literally eating our own money.

Let me explain…

As we’ve covered in today’s letter, there are certain activities (like marketing and sales) that are essential for you to keep cash flow coming into your business. I like to mark these in green on my calendar. 

I used to playfully refer to these activities as money seed activities. 

Because working on marketing and sales is the equivalent of planting money seeds for my business.

And I made sure to map out these blocks in bright green on my calendar every day.

When I was tempted to book another activity over my money seed activities I asked myself:

Are you prepared to eat this money?

(Or set it on fire if you prefer that analogy.)

Because putting other tasks at a higher priority than cash creation means you’re setting Pacman up to eat into your future revenue.

You might not feel this right away, because cash creation activities compound over time – but you’ll definitely feel it later.

If you’re not prepared to set fire to a dollar bill right now, I highly recommend that you steer clear of booking lower-value activities over your cash creation time blocks.

IN SUMMARY

If you want to build a thriving business – you need to prioritize the pillars of successful business building through daily action. Batch scheduling, theme days, buffer time, flexibility, and Google Calendar are your new best friends.

JOURNALING & REFLECTION

Here are some of my favorite reflection questions from today’s topic:

* How often do you find yourself operating in reactive mode, constantly responding to daily demands and tasks without a clear focus? What steps can you take to break free from this cycle?

* Have you identified and prioritized the essential pillars of your business? How can you allocate your time and energy more effectively among client delivery, marketing, sales, admin, development, and self-care?

* Reflect on your current scheduling habits. Are you multitasking and constantly switching between tasks? How does this impact your productivity and cognitive function? What benefits do you think batch scheduling can bring to your work?

* Consider the two approaches to batch-scheduling mentioned in the article: task batching within a day and theme days for specific activities. Which approach aligns better with your work style and goals? How can you implement this approach in your schedule?

* Do you currently incorporate buffer time into your schedule? How can you create space for unexpected tasks and situations? Reflect on the benefits of buffer time and how it can contribute to a more manageable and productive schedule.