Sometimes owning a business can feel chaotic, but with the proper routine, you can sail through stressful times without hitting the panic button!
One way to reduce stress is to create a routine with stable “book-ends” to start and end each day.
This will also help your team members who are overwhelmed by fast-paced projects feel more confident in their abilities, while your head is above water too.
My friend Joan* is a perfect example of how a routine can keep you productive even when things are changing constantly. Joan was a straight-A student in college before opening her own business. She struggled after opening her marketing agency because she had yet to find her own routine.
Joan reminisced on her college days and although about 20 years had passed, she told me she could clearly remember how a daily routine helped her. To keep her perfect grades, while still juggling the swim team and social life, Joan swore by a morning and evening routine.
The answer was clear. She would apply the same strategy to her life now.
Joan’s start of day routine consisted of:
- Putting on a pot of coffee
- Turning on her laptop
- Sorting her emails for anything that needed to be done right away
- Writing out a to-do list that included the above tasks so she could start off the day with 3 tasks already done (life hack!)
Then Joan got to work.
Although her day-to-day tasks changed frequently, she made time for her end-of-day routine so she could bookend which helped to reduce the overwhelming feeling that comes with a busy day.
After her work was done, Joan:
- Threw out the completed to-do list and left the fresh page open on her desk for tomorrow
- Closed all the tabs open on her browser
- Turned her laptop off
- Rinsed out the coffee pot
It was small tasks like this that created a reliable start and end to her days. Whether she had an easy or hard day, her routine allowed her to stay calm and productive through it all.
The thing about routines is that they are fully unique to you and what you need to do to stay sane. Your daily checklist can be super detailed or it can be simple like Joan’s.
And, setting up a system for your teammates can give them the safety of knowing what to expect when their responsibilities change. Not everyone is going the same speed as you, make sure they have the pieces necessary to pick up the pace when life hits the accelerator.
Speaking of accelerators, if you find yourself feeling like you could use a refuel on delegation, Delegate Like A Pro’s Accelerator workshop has registration open and is limited to 20 business owners who want to press the gas pedal on their delegation technique! Click here to learn more.
Remember when you delegate to others on your team you allow the support you need to help your business flourish. Let us help you add delegation to your routine!
Routines are great but I also know that balancing entrepreneurship with parenting make routines difficult. There is always a sick child to contend with or a surprise mandatory parent meeting that throws a wrench in the most well-laid plans. Since these events are outside of my own control, I would love some tips for managing routines when the routine includes unplanned interruptions from sources outside of your sphere of influence.