In any given business day – one hour slips by, then two, then three. “Oh goodness, I am tired now. And, you know, tomorrow is a new day. Who is going to know that I didn’t spend any time on my business today?”
I can honestly say that I have been there. It is very easy to not stay committed when I am only answering to myself. But, am I answering to just myself? No.
I have customers that want great soap. I have followers on Twitter that are not going to be interested if I only post tweets one day a week. I also have products to market. None of it is going to happen if I, or my help, do not implement plans.
So, what keeps me on the ball? I facilitated the #HandmadeChat this week, Organizing Your Day For Small Business Productivity. I shared some of my tactics, and many others shared their terrific productivity tips too. Here are a few of them:
Q1 WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT TASK YOU DO DAILY TO ENSURE YOUR BUSINESS RUNS SMOOTHLY?
@anniesgoathill Planning. Plan ahead! Do not operate without a game-plan. Time is money.
@INDIEbusiness Each night, I write down what specific things I will get done the next day. Keeps me on track, helps me avoid distractions.
@SkinCaringSoaps Set up my priorities for the day… Goals ahead of time.
@anniesgoathill Remember the keys to time management: planning,organization, and action.
Q2 HOW DO YOU DETERMINE WHICH TASKS TO PRIORITIZE
WHEN THE LIST IS SO LONG?
@anniesgoathill Determine which tasks are vital to the successful operation of your business.
@INDIEbusiness For business, I generally prioritize the tasks that lead most directly to money.
@AstridaNaturals I try to tackle anything that directly leads to customer satisfactionearly in the day. Answering questions… etc.
Q3 HOW DO YOU FOLLOW A TASK TO COMPLETION, EVEN THOUGH YOU WEAR SO MANY HATS AS A#SMALLBIZ OWNER?
@anniesgoathill Once a task is scheduled, make it your appointment. Stick to it.Stay focused. Your time is valuable.
@donnarosa Break larger projects down into smaller tasks. Or pick one large project and focus only on that.
@highwireinheels I have to use self talk because the multi-task demon tries to make me start on something else.
Q4 HOW DO YOU SCHEDULE TIME FOR SOCIAL MEDIA?
@anniesgoathill Social media is an important way for your business to publish content and interact with others
@SoapCoach Every day while I check my emails or once I am done with everything else.
@INDIEbusiness I don’t think about scheduling time for “social media.” I think about scheduling time to market my biz.
@anniesgoathill Schedule your Twitter, Facebook, and other social media time in blocks. 10 mins morning, 10 mins afternoon.
@anniesgoathill If you want personal social time, limit it to lunch breaks and after working hours.
Q7 WHAT THINGS HAVE WE NOT DISCUSSED THAT YOU DO TO KEEP YOUR FOCUS AND ACCOMPLISH YOUR GOALS?
@anniesgoathill Difficult as it might be, when you leave the office, say goodnight. Tomorrow is a new day. Enjoy life!
@bubsandscrubs Protect my health and energy levels. Need the strength to keep things moving.
The entire #HandmadeChat transcript can be downloaded here.
I hope you enjoyed this chat, and if you did, I hope you join us join us on Thursdays at 8pm ET and follow @HandmadeChat on Twitter.
The next #HandmadeChat will be held on 7/26, 8pm, ET. Melissa Rivera will facilitate Attracting Companies To Sponsor Your Website. Hope to see you there!
Annies Goat Hill Handcrafted Soaps 
This was a great chat! The energy in the chat was so electric with information about organizing your business into productivity that the hour went by super fast! Again great chat!
Thank you La Shonda! I truly enjoy #HandmadeChat. Sharing and interaction is really “electric,” they definitely add to momentum!
Super summary, Mary! This was one of the best #HandmadeChats ever because of the probing questions asked and the great comments and tips people shared. I especially love your comment about the importance of determining what is and is not of vital importance to your business. This cannot be done in a vacume, and requires great thought and the ability to turn around on a dime — that\’s how fast business can change these days. Staying on top of it is a daily task and those who do it usually generate a profit. I want to encourage people who are not profitable in business to review our transcript and implement some of the things discussed there.
Donna Maria
Thank you for your insightful comments, Donna Maria.
Your comment about prioritizing based on what makes money resonated with me. It is easy for a home-based small business owner to do what they love, enjoy creativity, and ultimately stray away from what is most important.
We will continue to share these posts and transcripts, in the hope that (as you said), “I want to encourage people who are not profitable in business to review our transcript and implement some of the things discussed there.”
Fabulous job leading the chat, Mary! Great tips that I think everyone, no matter where they are in their business can implement and see results. Way to go!
Thank you, Alyssa!
I am glad you found the chat helpful to small business owners!
I loved this chat too Mary. It is incredible how the energy in the #handmadechat was electric. I think we can all relate to how to make our days more productive but sometimes we don’t necessarily follow all the rules! I appreciated @DonnaRosa when she stated to break down the big task into smaller ones.
Ah, I found myself breaking the rule just a few days later. I got a good little giggle out of it.
I think the main thing to remember is, stick to a routine, stick to what we know is productive. Be as consistent as possible. If we don’t always do it, we are allowed to have fun too. What would life be like otherwise, without living?
[…] I learned to schedule time (as I commented on in the Indie Business discussion that I led here). I learned to prioritize. I learned to not make excuses. I also learned what happened when I […]