Did you know that if you slow down you can actually speed up business growth and get better results? You may think you don’t have the time to slow down, but let me tell you… you can’t afford NOT to slow down. Intentionally slowing down will actually allow you to move toward your goals faster and more effectively.

When you’re running a business as a team of one, you wear multiple hats . You also have a never ending list of tasks to complete. You’re constantly moving from a meeting to a phone call. Sometimes never even taking a break to grab something to eat. Not even drinking water.

This is a recipe for overwhelm and burnout. 

So today I want to talk about what you need to do instead to avoid this course of self-sabotage that you’re on. It’s something very simple…just slow things down. 

Alright, so let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room, why you need to slow down. You are never going to find yourself having extra time on your hands. So I have to be honest with you my friend, you will always have something that you need to do. That’s probably why you probably find yourself saying you don’t have time to do this or that and you can’t slow down. Are you shaking your head yes right now?

Well first of all you need to stop saying you can’t slow down in business. That is mind trash, as my friend Jasmin Haley would say. When you say this you are convincing yourself that you don’t have time to plan, to learn, or to take better care of yourself… all of the things you need to do to be productive and to grow your business. If you stop and think about it, you are self-sabotaging! Now let’s dig a little deeper into the impact this has on you and your business. 

Slow Down and Plan

I know you’ve heard the saying if you fail to plan you plan to fail. When you don’t plan out your week you’re in reactive mode. It’s like jumping out of a plane without a parachute. So you will be busy but you will be doing a lot of stuff that won’t help you get closer to reaching your goals. 

So before you say you don’t have time to plan, let me tell you that you can’t afford not to. When you make time to plan your week and then plan out your days, you actually get more done and have more time. Not to mention you know what you spent your time on! You are in control of how you use your time. Personally I time block my schedule and I leave white room for when life throws me a curve ball. Be sure to check out this blog post to learn more about how I plan out my week. 

And if you would like some tips that will help you adjust your schedule when Murphy’s Law kicks in and throws your plan off, click here to check out this blog post or listen online. It’s my chat with Mridu Parik. She shares some amazing tips during our chat! 

My point is when you don’t plan, you aren’t productive and you’re basically spending your time putting out fires. If your goal is to be productive, to show up and do your best work, then you need to plan. When you don’t plan, you can’t leverage time to get the necessary things done. The lesson here is you have to plan so that you control what you spend the time that you have on. Otherwise you miss out on a lot of opportunities to do things that will yield positive results not only for your business. But also for you personally because you make sure you invest in yourself physically, mentally and professionally. That leads to my next point. 

Slow Down and Make Time for Professional Development

How many times have you said these words? “I wish I had more time for professional development.”  At one point I found myself saying that. And it wasn’t until I made the time to make it happen that my business started to grow the way I wanted. When you say I wish I had the time, it shifts the responsibility off of you and onto something else. But you have to own it. It’s not happening because you aren’t making it a priority. Wishing for extra time isn’t going to make it a reality. The reality is you have to plan, as we’ve already talked about. And then you can find a way to make it happen. 

The good thing is that you can learn in a number of ways. It doesn’t require you to always sit behind a laptop taking an online course or even going to a physical location. You can learn from listening as well whether it’s an audiobook or by listening to podcasts like you’re doing right now. 

You chose to hit the play button today! That means you had a plan. 

So be intentional with everything you have to do in your life and in your business. When you plan out your week, incorporate professional development in a way that makes sense for you. And when I say do what makes sense, I mean focus on building skill sets that you need. For example, as a podcaster I use a number of tools to plan and produce each episode. So I try to stay up to date on those tools that I use. I get updates via email and I follow a few people online that are experts at using those tools so I can learn how to use those tools more efficiently.

When I plan out my week, I block at least 15 minutes one to two times a week so that I can focus on building up my skills with my tech tools. It doesn’t sound like a lot but it has made a huge difference in my operations. Even if you have decided to outsource tasks, there are some basic skills that you need to have to make sure your systems are efficient. You can’t outsource that.

Now if you are a DIYer like me, that’s ok. There are some very talented and successful people who are self-taught. But even those people have to get help to shorten the learning curve sometimes so that they can be better. When we teach ourselves we can put blinders on. When you reach out to a business coach or a consultant for help, they have a different perspective which can be very helpful so that you keep moving forward. But if you never start the learning

process you will never identify what you need help with and you will end up spinning your wheels. The long term effect, this stunts your growth and we don’t want that to happen. 

Slow Down and Take Better Care of Yourself

Whether you’re new to this podcast or not, let me tell you I am big on self-care. And I’m not talking about big ticket things like getting a massage or a day at the spa. When I say self-care I’m talking about little things you can do every day that fill your cup as a busy woman. These are things that can be done in 5 minutes or more like having a cup of coffee or tea, looking out the window, stepping outside for fresh air or taking a break to eat. I’ve talked about different things you can do to take better care of yourself in several episodes so I’m not going to deep dive into it this time. But I will put a few episodes below for you so that you can check them out.

Now let’s talk about why this is important. Think about it, what happens to your business or your family if you are down for the count? I admire you because you’re putting them first but you also need to carve out time to put you first. This reminds me of the scene from My Best Friend’s Wedding when Jules calls her friend George and she’s chasing Michael in the catering truck. Michael is chasing Kimmy who ran away because she saw Jules and Michael kissing after she confessed her love to him. So Jules is explaining everything to George and he asks her an eye opening question so that she could see the truth. George asked Jules who was chasing her? No one was!

My point…don’t be like Jules. Pull back some of the time you spend taking care of everyone else and everything else and take better care of yourself. This also goes for your business. You need to be your number one client. Invest in yourself to show up at your best. 

So let’s recap how you can slow down to speed up your business growth. 

• Start by planning out your week and your day so that you can maximize use of the time that you have
• Prioritize professional development and enhance your skills which benefits your business
• Make time to take care of yourself because there is no business without you

Before I wrap up, I just want to remind you that nothing will change for you or your business if you don’t make any changes which starts with your viewpoint.  I hope this episode was the reminder you needed and has motivated you to make a mindset shift because you need to slow down. 

And let me tell you, I practice what I preach. That’s why I am excited to let you know that starting with April 2022, I will only plan to release two episodes each month. I will only be publishing episodes on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of every month. I’ve been consistent every week for two years now. And I have decided to slow down the podcast publishing schedule to open up time in my schedule so that I can focus on some other things that will help my business grow, podcast support services. 

If you have any questions about those services, something I said in this episode or you just enjoyed this episode, feel free to DM on Instagram @the_shannonbaker. If you want to leave a rating for the podcast you can do so at ratethispodcast.com/morethanenough or you can leave one on the podcast’s Facebook page.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Episode 4: How to Time Block Your Schedule to Boost Productivity

Episode 5: 4 Simple Self-Care Hacks for the Tired and Burnt Out Mompreneur

Episode 23: Do you want to boost your productivity? Use These 3 Steps to Create A Flexible Morning Routine!

Episode 49: Simple Self-Care Habits Busy Women Can Cultivate with Rachel Letham

Episode 87: How to Create Sustainable Healthy Habits as a Busy Mom with Lisa Klein

Episode 90: How to Create a Flexible Plan That Still Works When Life Throws You a Curve Ball with Mridu Parikh

Episode 92: An Easy Way to Show Yourself More Love Every Day

Episode 99: A Forgotten Form of Self-care You Need to Be More Productive

The post How to Slow Down to Speed Up Business Growth appeared first on .

Are you ready to conquer your fear of reels whether it’s of the tech or just being the face of your brand? Expert advice is you have to show your face on video and you need to start using reels to increase your reach. That is only partially true. But here’s the thing, you can actually use reels without showing your face! 

Today’s guest is Allison Scholes and she is going to share some tips that will help you push through the fear that has been holding you back! She also shares some time saving tips to help with content creation that you don’t want to miss.

Shannon Baker  

So I want to thank everyone for joining me for this week’s podcast, which is a chat. It’s actually the first chat on the podcast this year. And I’m excited because I’m chatting with my biz bestie, coffee buddy, podcast bestie. We’re like sisters, like soul sisters – like deeply. It’s Allison Scholes. And she’s actually been on the podcast before. So if you want to check out that episode, it’s episode number 39. And Allison shared tips to help us learn how to use Instagram effectively to grow our business as busy mompreneurs.  So she gives tips that are going to save you some time. And we’re going to even expand on that a little bit more. But specifically, talking about reels today and getting over the fear of using reels on Instagram. So, Allison, since you were on the podcast, before, your business has gone through a little bit of change, because we were talking about before I started recording. So this kind of came to mind because both of us are entering like new phases of our journey as mompreneurs. Spring is coming, so this new season this like renewed energy, the ways we show up taking action, which this fits right in. So what’s on the horizon for you? Because I know we talked about it a little bit.

Allison Scholes  

Oh, gosh, I feel like there’s so much on the horizon, right? You know, it’s funny, because we were just talking about, like our journey, or evolution of our businesses, and how the two of us have changed so much. And, you know, to really like get through the change is just to get clarity on like, what you want in life and what you want for your business. And that’s how I kind of had this recent evolution because I was feeling that I was getting pulled in all the directions and feeling very stretched. And as a creative entrepreneur, I think being creative can be a double edged sword. Because yes, it’s great to be creative. But then you also feel that you’re going to do all the things. And that’s kind of where I was for a while I was doing all the things.  I recently just told you that I actually had to pull back on my podcast a little bit. I asked God for clarity on that. And you know, I just got the answer that I needed. But right now I am just diving deep into helping my busy Christian mompreneurs create the content that they want. But they’re going to do it in a way that’s faster, and it’s easier. And it’s just going to help them be more consistent, where they want to show up and just do what feels good to them. And not feel that these social media platforms, especially Instagram is sucking their soul. I’m all about making, creating content and showing up online and a fun way and not let it be overwhelming and daunting. So I feel like it’s always this roller coaster ride. But I have to enjoy it and I have to embrace it. And I know you have embraced your roller coaster ride as well.

Shannon Baker  

I mean, even to the point where as you mentioned, social media can suck the life out of you. So I mean, that’s why I took like a four and a half, almost five month break from it. Because I just needed the space. And as you mentioned, we’re constantly creating content, social media, your podcast, like everything, and it’s like you’re always in creation. Well, even if you’re recreating using what you already have, it still requires some effort and for all the things we have going on outside, you’re a homeschool mom, you know, when you put mommy into the the everyday things that we do. And then I’m also mom, my daughter is older, but I have a day job. So it’s like we have all these different things that pull out us. Time is always of the essence.  And I appreciate your approach to content creation because it has definitely saved me a lot of time. Helped me simplify my thinking. And my approach. And the great thing with it is you can use the content even outside of Instagram, even though that’s you know what we’re gonna talk about specifically. But your approach to content creation works across the board. Yes. So now when it comes to using Instagram, how do you suggest we approach getting that into like our system especially to help market and grow our business?

Allison Scholes  

So I think when it comes to Instagram, a lot of people will initially think of all the features and they’ll immediately start thinking about Instagram Stories, Instagram reels, the DMs, and video. So you can think of Instagram is just a bunch of different little cities or communities right? And you’re constantly running to one or the other. And that’s why it gets so overwhelming, in my opinion. So I think it’s a really great idea before you tell yourself, like, I’m going to get on Instagram, and I’m going to build my presence, and I’m going to get the leads. And I’m going to get the sales. We’ve all said that. I know I have said that in the past. I’m sure you thought that too in the past. But I think we need to take a step back. And we need to look at the big picture of Instagram, because it is a massive community, you’re not going to get on and have that overnight success, which I don’t think overnight success even exists for anybody in the world, unless you buy a lottery ticket, and you happen to win, but most likely, you’re going to blow it within the first year because you really don’t know what to do with it.  

But when it comes to Instagram, what the big picture is, is I’d like to call it my three C’s and Shannon, I know you have heard my three C’s to how to approach Instagram. And what they are is clarity, content, and consistency. And in the beginning, most people roll their eyes and go, I’ve heard that before. But you might have heard it from experts or gurus when they’re talking about a specific feature. They’re not talking about the big picture. So when it comes to clarity, you have to really decide for yourself, who you are, and what you’re meant to do. But also when it comes to clarity, what do you want to be known for? Because we really show up on Instagram, and what do we do, we start consuming everyone else’s content, and we’re watching what everyone else is doing. And you’re gonna fall into the hamster wheel of mimicking what they’re doing. And I’ve done it too. I’ve seen other amazing Instagram coaches like Jasmine star, two years ago, I was probably copying her exact strategy because she seemed so successful to me. But I didn’t have clarity on myself. I didn’t understand who I wanted to be, and what I wanted to be known for.  So I think you have to work through that first, before you can even begin to create your content. 

And once you know what you stand for, and what you want to be known for, that’s how you can really start to create your own authentic content. And I know that’s another buzzword. A lot of people are so sick and tired of hearing about authentic content. But to me, all it means is it, you just take what you’ve learned. Because I’ve learned so much from other coaches, I’ve taken so many courses and listening to other podcasters. take what you’ve learned. And all you have to do is infuse your personality with it. And infuse your experience and your overall life experience with it. That is authentic content. And that’s all it needs to be it doesn’t need to be something that is completely brand new. Because really is there anything really brand new, it’s all been done before. It’s just you’re doing it in your own way. 

And then the last part of that is creating consistency.  And the good news is you get to define what that is for you do not listen to any coaches or gurus or mentors saying, Well, if you want growth, or you want the 10,000 followers, you need to post two times a day, seven days a week for three months. I’m sorry, being a mompreneur. And I think she would agree with me that is not sustainable. No way and you will not repeat that. So your consistency is really your consistency pattern. What can you do over and over and over to show up for your audience. Serve your audience make an impact online. That’s all consistency is it’s creating that pattern that’s sustainable, so you can have that long term growth.

Shannon Baker  

And to piggyback off of what Allison said about authenticity, if you follow her online and you’re a Marvel fan, she is a Loki fanatic and always reminds us don’t be Loki when it comes to your content because that is frustrating because it’s not really you. So I also love your approach because it’s like okay, here’s an idea for you that you can use in your content. But do it your way, even down to using reels, which Allison knows I’ve only dabbled into reels because of her help in her urging me because I am not a reels fan. But keep that in mind. For me. It wasn’t really fear. It was just um, I was over it before it even got started. Because to me, it mimicked Tik Tok. So reels to me was like Loki. Right. So, reels is the popular trendy feature right now on Instagram. How can we start using reels and get over that initial fear that many people have?

Allison Scholes  

First of all, I would identify what is the fear? Is it getting your face in front of the camera? Is it the tech? Is it a fear of what other people will think about your reels? Is it a fear of time? Do you feel that you’re going to spend so much time creating the reels, and you’re not going to get anything out of it? So I think first identifying getting specific of what really that fear is about reels, identifying what that is, is actually going to help you take responsible responsibility for that reel. And then tell yourself okay, now that I’ve identified it, I’m not going to let it take control. And now I can move on. So I think number one, identify what that fear is.  Secondly, it’s super easy to fall into the scroll of reels. There’s nothing wrong with getting ideas and watching what other people are doing. But I think and like you said, it’s like watching, you know, Tik Tok’s, twin sister, or you know twin brother, and they’re everyone’s pointing to text bubbles and doing these crazy dances. I’m going to tell you right now, you do not have to do that to be successful with reels or so called go viral. I don’t like that term go viral. Just get that out of your head. Don’t worry about that.  You have to identify what is your goal with reels? Why do you even want to do them in the first place? Think about your audience. Are they going to consume reels? Think about the time that you have? Think about your niche, all of that stuff. What is your overall goal with reels? Are you trying to get a target audience? Or are you just trying to get more visibility and more eyeballs on your account. So you have to think about that first. 

But my best advice when it comes to starting with reels is stay within your niche. Don’t get too caught up in all of the trendy fun reels. There’s nothing wrong with doing that once in a while. But you want to make sure that the reels that you’re going to do, you want it to relate to you;what you stand for; like who you are and your business. Because you’re going to get the reach. But you want to make sure that you reach the right type of people.  A lot of times all the I see a lot of mentors or gurus out there saying if you do this trend, this trend, trend alert, trend alert, use this audio and point to these words, and you’re gonna get like 6,000 views. But if you do that, you’re getting all like these crazy usernames, and they’re not going to follow you with you and they’re not going to engage with you. So what was the purpose of getting all those views? Is it just so you can feel good about yourself, just to get metrics that really don’t mean anything. 

So don’t get caught up into the whole views, I would rather have less views. But it’s to my targeted audience. And I’m getting more comments and more saves and shares. Because that tells me in my Instagram insights that my audience likes the kind of content I’m putting into these reels. And they’re saving it for two reasons. Either they’ve learned something from it, and they want to refer back to it or it gave them a content idea. And they would like to do it for themselves in their business.  So when you’re first starting out with reels is just do two things, speak to your audience and show your face. All you have to do is share one to two tips or hacks that your audience can get a quick win, or they can implement immediately. And yes, you can use trendy music as background if you want to try to get the reach and the views. 

But think of your target audience every time you’re going to create a reel and instead of opening reels and dealing with all the tech and being nervous when the record button hits, I’m sure most of the audience has been in Instagram stories.  So just open up Instagram stories because now it allows you to record up to 60 seconds which is amazing. Speak into the camera and give your one to two tips right there, download it to your phone, right, and save it for later. And then you can upload it to your Instagram reels, you can add some text trending background. But there you go, start your Instagram stories where you’re already familiar with that neighborhood of Instagram, you already know how the buttons work, create your video right there, put on the fancy filter if you want, so you can look good, right? We all have our favorite filters. And that’s how I would get started is just teaching your audience something within your niche. And you really just need to start out with maybe one reel a week. And do that for a couple of months and see how it works for you.

Shannon Baker  

And then if the fear which you taught me because it was It wasn’t necessarily a fear for me. But once you’ve been working at home, you kind of get into a rhythm of, you know how you show up every day, which is not with the perfectly styled hair and the full makeup in the style clothes and all of that. So that may hold many of the listeners back from actually showing their face. But one thing I quickly learned from you was, I don’t have to show my face. But I’ve learned to do a combination of the two. So I may do a quick clip where I’m talking about what the reel is about. And then the rest of the reel is not my face, it’s me showing something else that like works really great. And then sometimes I don’t show my face at all, except for the cover image of the reel is a still shot of me that I’ve uploaded from my camera. So like with little tips like that any other tips that you can share to help those who buy might be like, Okay, I can do this, but I’m still not quite ready to show my face.

Allison Scholes  

So if nobody wants to show your face, there’s a couple of different content type ideas that you can do. You can do a screen recording tutorial, and you can do a voiceover you can record your voice and Instagram reels. Or you can also record your voice in one of my favorite apps that I talk about all the time it’s in shot, I find it so easy to use, you can do all your videos in there if you wanted to. You can even do like a photo collage with voiceover or trending music. You can even do a time lapse of a process. So if you are, I don’t know, maybe a fitness person, do a time lapse of your morning workout. Or if you are in to nutrition. And you’re always sharing recipes, do a time lapse of you putting together like maybe you bake gluten free bread, or you have the best smoothie recipe with all your greens and all your collagen and all of that packed in one little shake, you can do a time lapse.  

Let’s say you have physical products, maybe you can show the packaging of your product from how it starts on the line to how it’s being shipped out to your customer, do an office tour. That that would be a fun one, do your office tour and show on a daily basis like your three or four must haves that you can’t live without. And I guarantee the number one thing for Shannon I will be our big cup of coffee, that would definitely be in there. Or even take a tour through your your workday. Just take little video snips of how you start where you’re at mid morning. And then how you end your day. Maybe it’s always me putting my feet up in my basement with my kids and getting ready to binge Netflix like that’s how we end our day. 

You can even do testimonials, it would be awesome just to go in Canva and do the 9 to 16 ratio, which is the Instagram reels ratio. And you can do a nice animated slide of your testimonials. Or you can even create presentations right in Canva. So there’s a lot of ideas of not showing your face but trying to do voiceovers would actually be great practice. So the audience is like hearing your voice as you’re kind of giving a tour to whatever you’re going to teach that day.

Shannon Baker  

And one thing I’ve done to kind of test things out as well instead of uploading some reels to my actual feed, I just share them into stories because it’s just it’s a fun way to put little clips together. That still gives you the practice of using reels but you can kind of test run it by sharing it in stories. Now of course I have to record it and download it which I do automatically anyway because I’ve been the one to do all the stuff in reelsand then go to share it and it’s gone.  Number one, and when you start using reels, make sure you download your reel before you get out of Instagram, or you will lose it, you could lose it. So we’re gonna save you from that happening. But you’ve shared some great ideas to help everyone get started with reels, because like I said, it’s been a game changer of you helping me kind of reframe my mindset around using reels. And it’s a great way to convey information quickly. And it can be entertaining, without you having to do the bubble pointing, dancing, or the fancy transitions that most of us don’t have the time to practice and you know, get down. I love to see it. But no, I don’t know how to do the jumping out of your clothes thing. It’s a little too complicated for me.

Allison Scholes  

I do have one more tip because I think some people get stuck on Well, what kind of content do I put out? You know, they’re like, Okay, I’m gonna do a tip, or I’m gonna record my face or my voice, but they don’t know what to do. So if you’ve been on Instagram for a while, the first place that I would point you is your Instagram insights. Look at the posts for like the last year, or like the last three months, and see the top six to nine posts, which posts gave you the best reach the most saves and the most shares. Just repurpose that as a real so if you had a carousel that gave like three tips, and it was it was the top performing posts for you will take the content and then just repurpose it as a real so then now you can just speak those three tips because I’ll tell you something. I think a lot of people are really afraid to repurpose or reshare their content. But I’ll tell you right now, nobody remembers. Nobody remembers to be honest. Shannon is my online biz bestie I couldn’t tell you what she posted yesterday. I don’t remember I don’t even remember what I had for dinner yesterday. Um, when nobody remembers your content. So reshare, repurpose, reshare. Repurpose, like crazy. People probably think that I create endless content all the time. No, I don’t. That’s all I do is I use my insights. And I go grab the best performing content, and I tweak it and repurpose it. That’s all I do.

Shannon Baker  

And I started doing that. And even for things that were great tips, but maybe just the format wasn’t that great. I’ve taken carousel posts that kind of fell flat and taken the content and put it into a video moving animation through Canva.  It skyrocketed and it did well. Took the same content and just did like you said either still clips with the words, transcribing across the screen. Haven’t done voiceovers yet. So that’s next on my list. But it’s the same content. It’s just in a different format. So people are like, Oh, this is great. This is new. I’m like I share these tips like three times. 

Allison Scholes  

Yeah, uh huh. I know, I get that all the time. They’re like, Oh, wow, this is awesome. And I’m like, Yeah, I shared that like four times already. But all right, great job!

Shannon Baker  

No, that’s great. So just shows you don’t always have to be recreating content. Just use what you already have. And reels is a great way that we can repurpose our content. get over that fear showing our face because we don’t always have to be seen. There are a lot of, some of my reels is just my hand on my desktop. But people recognize my face so they know it’s me.

Allison Scholes  

Exactly! And think of the two because a lot of people use the word fear. But if you think of the word fear, and excitement – is the same feeling in your body. So change the word fear to excitement, like, Okay, I’m excited to try reels. Like, if you just have that mindset shift, and just changing the definition and changing that one word, then you’re going to be able to do it. And it’s okay, if it’s your first couple of reels stink. Mine stunk they were terrible. If I scroll back over a year ago, and look at like the first six reels, I’m like, Oh, my goodness, I actually put that out there. But that’s how you evolve. That’s how you learn. That’s just how you grow. I mean, no one is perfect, perfect. Perfection does not exist. And the only way that you’re going to get good at reels is if you actually take action and do it.

Shannon Baker  

Exactly! So now these have been some great tips. And you also have something that you’re going to give away to those who wanted to help them with kind of sprucing up Instagram going back to that spring thing. What is that gift for the listeners?

Allison Scholes  

I do have a download. It’s a three part Instagram makeover. And this goes back to what I was saying in the beginning that you really have to fine tune your foundations. If you have a rocky foundation, it’s going to be really hard to have that long term success. So it goes back to the clarity, the content, the consistency that that will really help you. Fine tune your brand on Instagram, that way, you’re going to be able to put out the content that you want. Yeah, so yep, that’s what I have.

Shannon Baker  

Okay, great. So one, I’m gonna put a link in the show notes to that freebie, you can grab that from Allison. And if you want to connect with Allison, you can find her on Instagram. Allison, what is your Instagram handle?

Allison Scholes

It’s @allisonscholes.

Shannon Baker  

Great. And one bonus if you want more one on one, stock images, like you name it when it comes to Instagram and social media. And I can attest that this membership that Allison recently created is the bomb.com. It’s Insta-Accelerator Academy, you need to be in it. If you really want to change your approach to content creation and make social media easier. Plus, you get a call with Allison each month where she gives us so many ideas and coaching that it really is going to be game changing. Did I miss anything?

Allison Scholes

No, I mean, that’s why I created it. Because last year, I was all about the one on one coaching or the boot camps. And what I found is, after the coach call, or after the boot camp, after a few weeks, I saw the implementation in the action just decrease and they were going back to their old ways, their old habits and they were losing what they learned. So what I like about this membership, it is the kind of the culmination of it is a self paced course, put together with group coaching. So every single month, not only is there Instagram content, but I bring in a guest expert, because obviously I don’t know everything, I’m not going to pretend to know everything. And of course, Shannon was one of our guests, experts as well in there. But there’s so many things in there of how to learn how to create a great lead magnet, how to get more clients, learning airtable, learning Canva…all the different facets of your business rolled into learning Instagram as well. You’re part of an amazing group. And then we have our our monthly coffee chats, which I just love. That’s my favorite part.

Shannon Baker  

Yes, and it is great. And it really is a great springboard to get us in the routine of creating content because Allison, if you do not know also has a second life as a photographer. So she provides some amazing photos for the members, as well as some done for you captions that you can customize and tweak to help you get into the practice of creating content. All of this is included in more inside that membership. So definitely consider that if you want to simplify your social media content creation process. So I knew this was gonna be a wonderful conversation. And it’s a great time for as we are rounding out Q1 of the year, where most people are kinda like getting their footing and know where the direction they’re going in the rest of the year. So now’s the time to really embrace your social media plan. And this I think will be a great way for them to learn how to do that. So thank you, Allison, again, for coming on and sharing these great tips. And hopefully everyone will at least give reels a try before they kind of put it on the backburner like I’ve done. But I’ve taken it off and I’m working with it.

Allison Scholes  

Thank you so much, Shannon! It’s always so much fun to talk to you.

Shannon Baker 

Always even offline-online. We thought they get almost every day for them. Yes. Be sure to connect with Allison online. She’s very responsive. Her reels are educational, and sometimes entertaining as well. And definitely in her stories. Will you get a combination of both. 

The post Conquer Your Fear and Start Using Reels to Increase Your Reach with Allison Scholes appeared first on .

Are you finding it hard to prioritize your business growth? You’re not alone! Social media plays a huge part in this because we’re bombarded with ads in addition to all the offers we either see online or that come straight to our inbox. So how do you determine what you should move forward with and what you need to pass on totally or delay pursuing until later?

Today I’m sharing three tips that are going to help you make that decision so that you can prioritize your business growth. This topic came to me as I sat down and did some reflecting on where my business is now and where I want it to be by the end of my year which is August 31st not December 31st. Yes you heard right. Last year I decided that September 1st was my January. So in Shannon’s world, I’m closing out Q2 at the end of this month which is why I’m doing some mid-year reflecting.

There have been some external factors in relation to my day job that have ignited some new fires within me. I won’t go into them but let me just say, I’m really motivated to make some things happen that I’ve had on the back burner on my business. So I myself am now very focused on prioritizing my business growth as well. 

So I started this process by deciding to take on a bit of a brand refresh because my messaging wasn’t feeling aligned with my values. So I’ve been doing some professional development behind the scenes to get myself together and now I’m taking action. So if you have been feeling some kind of way about where your business is, then I encourage you to pay attention to the tips I’m going to share today, And you don’t need to take notes unless you want to because there will be a transcribed blog post of this episode on my website.

There are going to be an infinite number of opportunities that will come up in your business journey. And many of them are going to look like great opportunities at first glance. But you already have a tight schedule so you need to evaluate those so-called opportunities and determine if it’s something that you REALLY need to grow your business. In order for it to be beneficial, it has to be introduced at the right time and you have to have the resources available in order for it to work to your benefit. So how can you make that decision? That’s where these tips will come in handy.

1. Review Your Mission and Vision

Now if you just started your business you may not have a mission and vision statement. But you need to carve out time to write yours out. And if you’ve been in business for a while, you probably haven’t reviewed your mission and vision statements in some time. So now is the time to change that. 

I’m in the process of a brand refresh so I’m revising my mission and vision statements because they have changed over the almost 10 years I’ve been in business. The biggest shift has occurred since I started this podcast two years ago. Now I will be honest and tell you this is going to require you to carve out at least 30 minutes to an hour each to effectively update your statements. But it is worth it to keep your business moving forward. 

So let’s talk about your mission statement first. This defines your values, fundamental goals and reveals what your business does, who you do it for, how you do it, and the results you help others achieve. It also shapes the decisions you make in your business every day. It boils down to whether the choice you’re making helps you achieve your mission. Is it aligned? If it isn’t, then you need to pass. So I’ll share a few examples. 

Starbucks’ mission statement is, “To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.” 

If you don’t know, Starbucks is one of my favorite spots. And personally, I feel they achieve their mission and the best part is that they offer seasonal ways to make it happen. Think about it, one of the biggest ways we connect for networking in person or online is on coffee chats. And let me tell you, I have had my share of conversations at a number of Starbucks. What about you?

I also have my seasonal favorites that I look forward to. I really love the seasonal cups and I have a cabinet full of Starbucks coffee mugs from different states. My goal is to collect as many of them as I can and my girlfriends help me with that mission. My best friend loves to “shop” for a mug when we have coffee together. So I am living proff that Starbucks has accomplished their mission where I am concerned.

Another mission statement that I love is Convertkit, which is the email marketing platform I use and love. Their mission statement is, “We exist to help creators earn a living online.”

And again, they live up to their mission! I switched to Convertkit years ago and it has been a game changer as far as my email marketing is concerned. My favorite features are the tagging option and link triggers. Both of these features help me target my subscribers with additional email funnels based on the things they are interested in. My chat with Bev Feldman who specializes in helping solopreneurs build out their automations in ConvertKit. will give you an idea of some of the features. Click here to check that out. If you want to try Convertkit for free, click here.*

My point is you need a clear mission statement to understand and communicate what you stand for. Then you need a clear vision statement because it helps you prepare for tomorrow. That’s why you need to be specific. But specific doesn’t mean complicated. Here’s an example…

Apple, “To make the best products on earth, and to leave the world better than we found it.”

That short statement captures their values and aligns with their mission. I think you would agree that they have done just that. So don’t make it complicated. Identify what you will accomplish in the future and incorporate your values. 

How does having a clear mission and vision help you with prioritizing your business growth? If you know where you are supposed to be going, when opportunities arise you will be able to determine if it fits into the plan to move you forward and you will decide if you should say yes, no or put it off until a later time. 

This is vital information to create a strategic plan for your business. If everything went according to your strategic plan over the next 3, 5, or 10 years, what does your business look like? What kind of successes do you have? Spend the time to define your mission and vision statements and chart out a plan that gets you there.

If you want some help with this, DM me on Instagram and I can direct you to someone who has a resource that will help you identify both your mission and vision statements.

Now once you know where you want to go you need to identify your priorities. How can you do that? Tip number 2…

2. Set A Goal to Focus on For the Next 90 Days

Your goal is the outcome you want to achieve and you need the deadline so that you can create an action plan. Now when this episode goes live it’s the end of February and you may have already set big goals for the year or for Q1. That’s great! 

But I only want you to pick one goal to focus on for 90 days. You may be wondering how you can do that. Simply put, you pick a big scary goal for the year. Then you break it down into smaller steps you can take every 90 days or every quarter to get there. That’s why the first step is to identify your mission and vision which drives the goals you set. Let me illustrate that.   

Let’s say your big goal for this year is to make $25,000 in your business. You start by looking at what you made last year. Then you have to look at the services you offer and any digital products that you have or can offer to reach that goal. You would need to generate $6,250 every quarter to reach that goal. The next step is to determine what you need to market to bring in that amount. That would drive your marketing message. So maybe Q1 would be to increase your email subscribers by 20%. Great…now what?

Think about what resources this will require. How many hours do you have to focus on marketing your business online? Look at the return of investment, meaning how long will it take you to recoup the cost, time, and energy that you will have to put into achieving that goal. 

By gathering this data you will have the data you need to create a step by step plan to reach your goal. So it would identify what platforms you need to be active on, what you are going to post and when. Do you need a new lead magnet or can you refresh one you already have? Is your nurture sequence set-up that would lead from that freebie to a paid service or product? Those are some of the things you would need to consider for that goal. And then you can create an action plan to achieve that. Then rinse and repeat the process for each quarter. 

And once you have it all written out, imagine what your life would be like when you achieve them. Notice I said when, not if. And this can be your reality if you have the right systems in place in your back office which leads to tip number 3.

3. Assess Your Business Operations

No matter what your goals are and no matter how good your plan is, if you do not have systems in place in your business you will not be able to achieve sustainable growth, if you ever have any at all. 

So you REALLY need to audit your back office and get some processes documented and incorporate some automation. There are six core systems every business needs to be able to achieve sustainable growth and I have talked about all six in other episodes. But you can check out this blog post and this blog post for detailed information on those systems.

Now I know many of you are solopreneurs and are DIY-ing your systems. And that is great but can also be frustrating! I’m just like you. But I also know the importance of making an investment to spend time with someone who has expertise in areas that I don’t. So I am a huge fan of paid consultations also known as pick your brain sessions. 

So if you want to pick my brain and shorten the learning process when it comes to your back office systems, I can help you with a mini systems audit. This can be done during a 30 minute System Strategy Session with me. We get on a Zoom call and together we will identify which of your systems you need to focus on immediately so that you have the resources in place that you need to reach your goal. When you get off that call, you will know exactly what you need to work on. I know you have a process in a place already and we will start with what you have and identify what you still need. We can also talk about some automation options to save you time and make things work more efficiently and consistently.

Remember, there’s no straight path to success. There will be obstacles that will arise and have you rethinking yourself and your strategic plan. Ignore the things that don’t fit into your plan. So let’s do a quick recap of the tips so you can stay focused and prioritize your business growth in 2022.

Create or refresh your mission and vision statements

These are vital parts you need for your strategic plan and will help you determine if that opportunity fits into the plan to move you forward or not. You also need to sit down and write out your goal for the year and break that down into quarters so you can create an action plan in 90 day increments. That will help you identify the things you need to stay focused on.

And once you have those plans and goals written out, you need to look at where your business systems are right now and determine what gaps you need to fill in so that you can achieve your goals. Business systems are the foundation of a strong and successful business. They are also the doorway to the time and mental freedom you need to focus on your zone of genius. So don’t be afraid to ask me for help getting yours in place. 

So I want to thank you for tuning in this week. I am excited that I have real action takers like you in my community. Women who are invested in achieving sustainable growth in their business by creating systems so they can work smarter not harder. Don’t forget you can find a link to the episodes I mentioned and to schedule that strategy session with me in the show notes. 

If you would like to hear my revised mission and vision statements, DM me on Instagram @the_shannonbaker.  I would love to share it with you! 

*This is an affiliate link. I may receive a small commission if you sign up for an account – at no extra cost for you.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Episode 62:  3 Sexy Systems You Need for Startup Success

Episode 72: 3 Systems You Need in Your Sustainable Growth Strategy

Episode 86: How to Use ConvertKit Automation to Nurture Relationships and Grow Your Business with Bev Feldman

Schedule a Systems Strategy Session

Connect With Me Online

On Instagram @the_shannonbaker

The post How to Prioritize Your Business Growth with So Many Things To Do appeared first on .

Today I’m going to be talking about how you, the time starved and busy woman, can maximize your time every day to build a successful side gig. I know some of you are working a day job like me in addition to building a side gig. And some of you are raising your family and building your side gig at the same time. But there is one thing we all have in common, we have to be intentional with how we use our time.

We only get 24 hours every day. And on the days we find ourselves wishing we had more time, it’s usually on the days we didn’t spend our time wisely. You and I have different things we have to do every day, but there is a way to make time for the more important things and still have time to work on your side gig without having to get up at some ungodly hour  or be up until 2 am unless that’s just your thing.

Building a sustainable and scalable business is hard to do on any given day. And when you’re working a day job, raising a family and trying to build a business it’s even harder. But your business is something your heart truly desires to make happen so let’s discuss some ways that you can reframe your approach to getting things done so you can actually do it all.

Be Intentional With Your Time

There are some priorities in your life that are non-negotiables. That would be your day job if you have one, the time you spend teaching your kids or monitoring them if they’re home schooled or learning virtually. If your kids leave the house for school, sports or any other extra activities, drop-off and pick-up times, practice time, games, etc are non-negotiables. 

So after you drop all of those things into your calendar, you can see what time you have left and can use those pockets of time to make your business a priority. That means you cannot wing it. You have to plan out your time. Whether you use a digital calendar, a paper calendar or a hybrid of both…you have to plan your week out. And you need to have one calendar for everything in your life. That way you can see at a glance what your week and month ahead look like in terms of everything from work, to appointments to your workouts and anything else you need to remember.  

If you would like to hear more about how I use both a digital and a paper calendar, then check out this blog post. I talk about the paper planner I’ve been using for years and how I use that and Google calendar to plan out my week and maximize the time I have to work on my business.

As you evaluate your schedule, take note of things you can maybe cut back on. Do you find that you binge watch a lot of tv in the evenings or on the weekends? Do you spend a lot of time watching reels or scrolling through Tik Tok videos? There is nothing wrong with those things. But again, if you need to be international with your time you need to cut back on those things even if you just take out 30 minutes to work on things for your side gig. Small steps matter!

Stop thinking of your limited schedule as an excuse but think of it as something that helps you  be more productive and actually get more done. Identify smaller pockets of time when you can work on tasks for your business. If you’re more intentional with how you use your time, you will probably notice you have more idle time each day than you think–especially on days when you have an appointment to get your hair done, you have a doctor’s appointment, or have to drop off or pick up your pet from the vet. It adds up so use it!

This will free up a few hours every week for you to work on your side gig. So take a few minutes to create a running list on your phone of the various tasks you can complete in 15 minutes or less. 

And be sure to surround yourself with other like-minded individuals. But choose wisely because adding too many people into your inner circle can end up being overwhelming. You don’t want to end up stressed out because you’re trying to make time for everyone.  

Take Better Care of Yourself

Another key to getting more done when you have a busy schedule is investing in yourself. You make a lot of sacrifices but your health and well being should not be neglected. Start by creating routines in your life. You probably already have some in place. If you’re a morning person, wake up before everyone else does if you can. Or if you’re a night owl, stay up a little later to get things done without interruptions. Just be sure to block that in your schedule and set a timer until you get used to working in smaller chunks of time. 

While I have to adjust my schedule based on the season of life I’m in, I like to get up early to complete my morning routine. Then, at the end of the day when I am tapped out mentally, I sort my inbox and respond to emails or messages on social media that came in throughout the day. 

This allows me to get those necessary tasks done that are required to grow my side business but in less time.

Be sure to check out this blog post where I share some things you can do to carve out more time for yourself which is very important. Again, you spend a lot of time taking care of everyone else but you need to add yourself to that list. 

You also need to maximize your energy levels. Have you ever heard of your “golden hours”? It’s the time of the day when your mental capacity is at its peak. So you complete your most important work during that time. You can get a good amount of work done in a small window of time. I work best in the morning so I block time at the beginning of my day for any creative tasks that I have to do like professional development, selecting and outlining podcast topics or writing social media content. 

Another form of self-care is getting help which I know is easier said than done sometimes. One thing you need to understand and accept is you cannot do it all. Ask your husband to take on more of the household responsibilities. Give your children chores. Identify things you can outsource like your grocery shopping or even your laundry if you can. I started getting my groceries and even the things I need from Target delivered to my front door every week about two years ago. It frees up at least an hour in my schedule every week that I can use on something else. Thos pockets of time add up and have been instrumental in me hitting some huge milestones in my business. It can do the same for you!

Get Organized

After getting your schedule laid out, you need to determine what you are going to prioritize in your business and get organized. Once you’ve determined what you’re going to prioritize in your business you don’t want to waste time looking for the things you need to get your work done. One of the six core systems you need in place in your business is a digital filing system. We spend our lives on our phones, tablets and computers. So why are you still searching through piles of paper and recreating documents? 

There are a number of digital tools that have mobile apps which makes it easy for you to access your organized files on the go. The key word is organized! You can create folders to sort your digital documents for free in either Google Drive or DropBox. So no matter where you are you have access to what you need. 

If this is something you have been putting off because it will require work to get things organized. Well, all I can say is suck it up buttercup. You need to get this taken care of because you’re wasting time searching for things and recreating the wheel. Check out this blog post for a three step process to help you create your digital filing system. And of you would rather just delegate it, schedule a 15 minute Discovery Call with me and let’s talk about it and make it happen.

You  also need to securely store your passwords. There are a few options. If you have an iPhone, iPad or Mac you can use the iCloud Keychain and you have access to those stored password on all of your Apple devices. If you are an Android user, the password manager can be synced to your Chrome browser and can be used across all of your devices. 

Now if you need to share passwords because you outsource work, then I recommend using LastPass. You can securely share your password with someone else that uses LastPass. You can allow them to view or not view what the password is and you can rescind access to your shared password later.

But you only need to remember one master password and then it securely stores all of your passwords in one central location. There is a web version and a mobile version (if you have the Pro version you can use both. I have a free account so I can only access my passwords on my Mac. The web version automatically detects a new sign-in and asks you if you want it to store the information and it will autofill your information the next time you log into that site. 

So kick the tires with a 30 day trial and if you decide to upgrade, you can pay $36 a year.

Set Boundaries and Be Disciplined

In order to do this, you will need to make calculated decisions. You will have to make sacrifices. And you will have to set boundaries for yourself. Don’t be a “yes” girl. “No” is a complete sentence. 

If you say yes to something outside of your boundaries, it means you’re saying no to something your boundaries are supposed to protect. So that means that one, you have to set boundaries with yourself, with your family and for your business and you need to stick to them.

If you work at home, you need to clearly communicate your boundaries with your family. Granted this approach only works depending on the age of your children. But you need to make it very clear that you have a work schedule. You may not follow your schedule to the tee but it gives everyone a point of reference. And again you can communicate that maybe you can’t take care of something right now but you will be available in 15 minutes or so. 

Now when it comes to setting boundaries with your clients, that starts at the beginning of your working relationship. If you don’t have clear boundaries you teach your clients not to respect your time because you don’t. Business boundaries give you the ability to clearly communicate expectations with clients so they will respect you and your time and your relationship will blossom. If you want to know what types of boundaries you should have in place and how to communicate them to your clients, be sure to check out this blog post.

Now the last boundary you have to set is with yourself. Your boundaries won’t matter if you aren’t disciplined enough to stick to them. Now I know there may be times when you have to take a call outside of your business hours. But that should be an exception, not the rule. So sometimes you have to be hard on yourself and say NO you cannot do that. And for the times that you cave, give yourself some grace. But understand if you continue to do that, you train people to cross the boundaries and eventually you’re not going to like it. 

Find Your Tribe Online

You need to surround yourself with other like-minded individuals but be sure to choose wisely! We’ve already talked about the fact that you need to be intentional with your time. There are a ton of online communities for just about any industry or type of business. Be intentional about how much time you spend in them but form connections with people you can bounce ideas off of and get inspiration and assistance from. 

We all crave a supportive community because we don’t necessarily have a husband with an entrepreneurial mind that we can bounce ideas off of, I know I don’t. So inside of my free Facebook group, The More Than Capable Mompreneur, we support each other and encourage each other. We are a small but mighty group of busy fempreneurs! They give me great feedback, they help me generate new topics for podcast episodes, we troubleshoot with each other on a variety of things. I brainstorm with them and bounce ideas off of them which helps me get clarity. With their support, I feel empowered and excited as I grow my business and become a better podcaster. It’s actually another form of self-care for me. It’s a safe space for all of us to vent and I can pour into all of them while sharing my latest episodes. If you would like to join, there is a link in the show notes.  

So let’s review the five things you can do to maximize your time and work on your side gig. 

Be intentional with your time. Plan out your week and maximize the pockets of time that you have to complete tasks based on your priorities. Small steps add up to big progress. 

Take better care of yourself. Make your health a priority and set routines which will help you conserve energy. Also be sure to maximize your energy by completing tasks during your peak hours of the day. Be sure to ask for help from others around the house and if you can, delegate tasks and use that time to work on your business.

Get organized in your business and stop losing time looking for things. Create a digital filing system so you can locate what you need even when on the go.

Set boundaries and be disciplined and stick to them. If you say yes to something outside of your boundaries, it means you’re saying no to something your boundaries are supposed to protect. 

Find a support community online that you can bounce ideas off of, learn from and get inspired by as you continue on this journey but be mindful of where you spend your time.

So I hope these tips were helpful for you. I want you to remember you are not alone and I want to help you succeed. We can do this together, there is strength in numbers.

And if you feel the women in your community will benefit from this episode, take a screenshot and post it in Instagram stories and tag me @the_shannonbaker. I want to hear your thoughts on the tips that I shared and keep sharing information that you find to be valuable. 

Links mentioned in this episode:

Episode 5 – 3 Self-care Hacks for the Tired and Burnt Out Mom

Episode 16 – 3 Steps to Declutter – Create a Digital File Systems and Save Some Time 

Episode 43 – Paper Planner vs. Digital Planner – How to Combine Both Tools to Be More Productive

Episode 47- Business Boundaries You Need to Protect What’s Important to You

Schedule A Discovery Call 

Let’s connect online!

Follow Me On Instagram: @the_shannonbaker

Join The More Than Capable Mompreneur Community: Connect with me and other busy women that can support you and help build the business and life you desire. We collaborate with each other, learn from each other and cheer each other on in life and in our business! 

The post 5 Tips to Help You Maximize Your Time and Grow Your Side Gig appeared first on .

Let me start by saying yes, you need more self-care in your life. Whether you are new to working from home or have been doing so for years, I’m sure you’ll agree that sometimes it’s hard to be productive. Part of the reason is because the line that divides your home life and your business is invisible. That’s mostly because you’re always in the same location. That’s why self-care is more important than ever before. 

And if you find yourself working a crazy amount of hours all the time, that is having a negative impact on your health on multiple levels. You may be finding it hard to focus, you may feel sluggish, and tired all of the time. Why? It’s because you’re always connected either on your laptop, tablet or phone. So what can you do to reverse these adverse effects of being “ON ” all the time?

The short answer is you need to set up some boundaries and you need to stick to them. But that’s not what I’m going to be talking about today. I know that probably surprised you since I talk about boundaries all the time. Now if you want some help setting and sticking to your boundaries, I have some blog posts that can help you with that. I talk about setting and communication boundaries with your clients in the blog post Business Boundaries You Need to Protect What’s Important to You and how to do the same with your family in this blog post, Summer Survival Tips for Working Moms.

I know you’re scratching your head wondering what I am going to talk about today. It’s nothing new, but it’s something that is often overlooked. And it’s an easy way to practice self-care every single day. You simply need to take breaks AND you need to enjoy some downtime. We’re going to talk about the difference between the two and why you need both of them in your life. That’s right, I said you need both of them and they are different which I will talk about later. Let’s talk about taking breaks first. 

You Need to Take Breaks

Not taking breaks throughout the day is actually decreasing your productivity. Not to mention it’s a surefire way to end up overwhelmed and burnt out. Breaks give your brain a chance to rest and re-set. Plus your eyes need a break from the bluelight that is limited from the computer screens. With more people working from home and being on Zoom more than ever over the past two years, more and more people are having to wear glasses. And others are experiencing headaches and dry eyes. It’s all from too much screen time. Taking breaks can help with that.

So what you need to do is cultivate the habit of taking breaks. When you come back from a break, you will feel refreshed and ready to tackle the next priority for the day or to resume work where you left off. This starts by you actually planning out your week. 

I time block my schedule every week. So I break down my time blocks into 2 hour increments. Every 1.5-2 hours I take a 10-15 minute break. Then every 4 hours I take a 30 minute break except I take an hour for lunch. But this doesn’t mean I sit in my chair for two hours. I try to make it a habit to get up every hour and just move around for a minute or two. My Apple watch helps me remember to do that which I love! If you want to know my step by step process for time blocking my schedule, check out this blog post.

No matter how you plan your week make sure you arrange your day so that you can enjoy regular breaks to eat, go to the bathroom and just to get out of the chair, away from the screen and to move around. My recommendation is that you take at least 10 minutes. Why not 5 minutes? Because 5 minutes or less really isn’t enough time for your brain to reset itself. But also be careful not to make your break too long. If your break is too long, you start to relax and then it’s hard to get your brain to re-engage. Then your break cost you more time and productivity than it actually helped with.

So this is an area you have to play with to see what works for you. Just be sure to write it into your schedule so you physically see it. And if there is a certain time of the day that you find your energy level starts to drop, then try to plan a break around that time. I know this happens for me around 2:30 or so. So I usually fix myself an afternoon coffee or get a light snack around this time which amounts to a 10 minute break. Do what works for you!

Now what you may have to do to create the habit is set alarms on your phone. I know that’s what I had to do for a while to create the habit. I had an alarm set to take lunch at the same time every day. Now my body is trained and I have an internal alarm that let’s me know when it’s time to eat. 

Now let’s talk about the importance of enjoying downtime. 

You Need to Schedule Downtime 

What exactly is downtime? Simply put, it is time when you can relax without guilt. The great thing about downtime is it can be an hour, two hours, half a day, a week or a month. Basically, it’s however much time you decide to take to do something that refreshes you and allows you to enjoy the moment and add to your joy. You should feel refreshed when it ends.

Here’s an example. Fridays for me are designated for podcast tasks only. When I first started having guests on the podcast, my calendar was open for guest chats every Friday. After some time, this really left me drained. I would have 1-2 chats scheduled every Friday in addition to the other tasks I needed to complete. This was not sustainable but I didn’t know how to shift my schedule and still get things done. 

Then I was a part of the Purpose Driven Mom summit. One of the speakers suggested we schedule unplanned time blocks in our schedule. So I changed my schedule and I only do guest chats every other Friday. The other two Fridays I work until 12 and the afternoon is open for me to do what I want. Sometimes I put my feet up and binge watch one of my favorite shows. Other days I get in a workout because I missed one during the week. Then I have days that I just let myself lose track of time while scrolling on social media. My point, I schedule unscheduled down time regularly. This includes weekends, holidays and vacations. 

How is this different from a break? Well both are forms of self-care and both are the maintenance habits you need so that you don’t burnout. But a break is just a quick pause that doesn’t cause a big interruption in your productivity. Downtime on the other hand means you are deliberately not working. That way you can be in the best shape spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically and therefore are more productive. It’s how you are able to operate at your optimum capacity. 

Think about this, we live in the tech age where tons of machines and computers are used to do a lot of things. But they can’t run without maintenance. So to make sure they are operating at it’s best. Companies schedule downtime when it’s a holiday, weekend or after hours so that productivity isn’t reduced. This is when they perform routine maintenance, install upgrades, and remove/replace any parts or equipment that aren’t working.

Now both breaks and downtime are important because our bodies need rest. But we tend to avoid downtime because we’re programmed into thinking that we’re wasting time. We may set out to just relax and binge watch something, but then that mean girl inside says you should be doing something else. And even if you ignore her, you feel guilty after the fact and think of all the things you could have gotten so much done, right? 

So what you have to do to combat this self-sabotaging thinking is create your plan for the week, include some unscheduled down time and then plan what you are going to do during that time. But I don’t want it to be anything related to your business. I want you to look around the house and pick something that you have wanted to clean up for a long time. But you can’t spend more than 30 minutes on that task. Notice I didn’t say you need to complete that task. What you do is set a timer, work for 30 minutes and you stop. Then I want you to have a positive chat with yourself and acknowledge that you have made progress on that task. Now you can use the rest of your time to do whatever your heart desires.

The point is, you need to be adding breaks and downtime into your schedule every day and it doesn’t have to be a special occasion. The goal of you scheduling these rest periods is to create that boundary between work time and personal time. The lines don’t need to be blurred between work and home just because you’re working from home. You simply need to disconnect from one to be present in the other and that’s why you need to set and commit to your boundaries. 

Being intentional about how you use your time will help you have the time and energy you need to reconnect to what matters most to you and that changes.  But if you don’t develop the habit of unplugging, you’re going to burn out and I don’t want that to happen. 

So starting tomorrow I want you to identify a time every day that you can just pause for 5 minutes without any technology. Try that for a week and slowly increase your time. Then you will look forward to those breaks which will prepare you to schedule and enjoy more downtime.  

Now I want to know that you did this. So DM me on Instagram @the_shannonbaker and let me know what you did on your break. I can’t wait to see what you do. And if you need some ideas, I can help you with that too! I look forward to hearing from you!

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You should be batching tasks in your business. That is one of the top productivity tips many experts in all industries give. But this just doesn’t work for everybody. So if you want some non-traditional productivity tips, this post is for you!

There is no shortage of productivity tips on the internet and one of the biggest myths is that batching tasks saves you time. There is no one size fits all solution. And since you’re listening to this episode I’m going to go out on a limb and say that batching doesn’t really work for you or you probably wouldn’t have tuned in. 

Let me start by telling you what I mean when I use the word batching. Batching, in productivity terms means grouping similar tasks together to get them completed. The intention is for you to be hyper focused. The goal is to increase your productivity opposed to switching back and forth between tasks which decreases your productivity.

When I picked the topic for this episode I Googled a few phrases to find my keywords of course and let me tell you, there is no shortage of tips if you search for productivity hacks for entrepreneurs, there are about 665k. And when I searched productivity tips for entrepreneurs, about 7,120,000.

And if you look at the results, there is no end to the number of tips. But many of them are going to pretty much be the same. You will see things like batching tasks for time management, no multitasking, learn to say no, delegate, stop compromising…I can go on and on but I won’t.

Productivity is a huge topic in our world as solopreneurs. Why? Because when you figure out how to be more productive, you increase your output which in your business increases your revenue and overall it frees up time in your schedule. Who doesn’t want that?!

The truth is running a business efficiently is not an easy task because there are so many moving pieces in play. That makes it hard to be productive sometimes. Not to mention that we all work differently and no two businesses are alike, and every single one of us has different circumstances.

So to boost your productivity, you have probably tried batching tasks and failed. Don’t feel bad about that! The top two reasons I’ve heard many women say are the reasons batching tasks doesn’t quite is because of their schedule or the way their brain works. So let’s approach productivity with a fresh outlook. Focus on determining what needs to be done and come up with a method that helps you organize and complete those tasks in a specified amount of time.

Evaluate Your Schedule

First you need to determine how many viable hours you have each week and each day. We all get the same 24 hours but how productive you are depends on how you use them. So first, write down the time you get up in the morning and then write down the time you go to bed. 

Next, write out how many hours you work your 9-5 each week if you have one, drop off and pick up times for the kids and include travel time and do the same if they have other activities they do outside the home. Then write out how many hours every week you want to spend time with your family and see how  much time you have left for working on your business, on self-care and anything else you need to do.

Here’s an example. I work my part-time job 24-30 hours per week, 8-10 hours in my volunteer work. Then I have to break down what’s left to take care of my other priorities. Now I time block my schedule. So my time blocks are planned out in increments that range from 15-30 min or 1-2 hours for other tasks I need to handle. This includes client work, working on my business and even working out.

This helps me stay focused so I can accomplish more because I’m not multitasking. It also keeps me from getting overwhelmed with too many tasks. If you want to know more about how I time block my schedule, check out this blog post.

Limit Your Priorities

The key to being productive when you are aware of how much time you actually have in your schedule doesn’t mean you need to jam pack as much as you can into those open slots. So you have to determine what your priority tasks are first. 

What makes something a priority? A deadline definitely determines what needs to be a priority. But let’s be honest. Most of the things we need to do don’t have a hard deadline. So you get to decide what else you’re going to spend your time on. We make time for what is important to us. So arrange your days so that you can focus on what is important to you. And here’s the thing, that priority changes and that is ok!

You have to maintain a holistic viewpoint when it comes to what you are going to spend your time on. That is what creating an intentional business is all about. The real key is to figure out what balance looks like specifically for you based on your lifestyle and your goals, and then work toward them. 

Embrace the season of life you are in and create goals that compliment that. Then based on all the things going on in your life, determine what you will realistically have time to focus on in your business. Set 2-3 priorities for the week and pick your associated tasks to achieve those priorities each day in advance. Then you can hit the ground running once your day starts because you know what you need to focus on.

Stop Multi-tasking and Focus Your Energy

Contrary to popular belief, multi-tasking does NOT help you get more done. You just end up with a bunch of incomplete tasks and projects. Your efficiency is decreased when you jump from task to task. That means you may be making errors which can be costly. 

So try this instead. Pick tasks that you can complete in the time you have available. For example, I have roughly 8-12 hours for exercise, podcast tasks, client work and to work on my business. So I have to maximize those hours based on a number of variables. And I complete tasks based on the time I have which varies each week. I also have to be realistic and flexible when it comes to getting things done. But I don’t hop from one thing to another. And if I have a large task, I break it down into smaller chunks until it is complete.

Change Your Mindset About Batching Tasks

Now you may be wondering how this is a productivity tip. Stop and think about what batching means. You’re simply completing similar tasks. Here’s where the mindset change is required. Stop focusing on getting a large quantity of similar tasks done. Focus on completing things at the same time or completing a task in stages. 

So here’s how you can increase productivity by doing things at the same time. This basically comes down to you having a routine for doing things every day. This includes tasks like checking email, cooking, taking phone calls, checking social media. The idea is to designate times for these routine tasks every day. 

Take email for example. Your inbox can be one of the biggest distractions outside of notifications and social media. You don’t have to be chained to your inbox. Create a schedule for checking your email, sorting your emails and responding to emails. If you need help with this, be sure to check out this blog post. 

The same goes for social media. Two of my biz besties who are my go to experts for help with Instagram are Shannon McKinstrie and Allison Scholes. Both of them have taught me how to succeed on social media in just 30 minutes a day. And let me tell you it works! So be sure to follow them on Instagram because their social media tips are game changing. 

My point is, there are some tasks we can complete in small batches to be productive. That relieves the pressure of having to do a lot at one time.

Here’s an example of completing tasks in stages. Think about how you wash your laundry. I don’t know anyone who puts dirty clothes into the washing machine one piece at a time. We let it pile up right?! While that is mostly because we don’t like to do laundry, it’s just not efficient. So I know for me, I let it pile up until I’m out of something which usually I run out of clean workout clothes and then I do the laundry. The point, this one task is tackled all at one time but in stages. And the stages may be completed on different days. Now while I wash and dry the clothes on the same day but they usually stay in the laundry basket until I want to put them on. Don’t judge me!

But I hope you get the point. I complete a few tasks at one time related to one big task and then I move on to something else. That is all that batching tasks is. So what usually happens when someone says batching doesn’t work for me is that they have allowed someone else to determine what the end result of their work needs to be. But this is your business so you get to decide what the end result is. That’s where the mindset change comes in. 

I know there are women out there who feel the laundry isn’t complete until it is folded and put up. Well I’m not one of those women. So washed, dry and making it to my bedroom is complete enough for me. So I get it to that point. Now let’s use this same thought process when it comes to completing tasks in your business. You decide what complete needs to be and make a plan to get to that point based on your schedule.

So I hope these tips help you get more done with the time you have available. I know they aren’t huge revelations to you and that you’ve heard them before. But now I want you to pick at least one of these tips and put it into practice. One of the biggest roadblocks to productivity is task management combined with time management. So once you’ve identified the time you actually have to get things done, you need to determine what tasks you will spend your time on. 

Thank you so much for tuning in today! I hope these tips help you crush it this year. I’m going to put links to the episodes I mentioned in the show notes for you. 

But I would love to hear which tip is your favorite. So feel free to DM me on Instagram @the_shannonbaker and let me know. Or take a screenshot, post it in stories and tag me. I would love to hear from you!

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Either you’re a fan of choosing a word of the year like me or it’s something that you’re considering or you wouldn’t be reading this post. Over the past several years, more and more women in business have ditched traditional goal setting and started choosing a word of the year. This idea has gained popularity for good reason!

Some people choose one word, more than one word or even a phrase that represents their intention for setting and reaching their goals in the new year. The great thing is you can pick one for your personal life and a different one for your business or you can pick one word for both. It’s really up to you!

Now when it comes to focusing on your word, it needs to be the measuring stick you use to decide whether or not you should accept or pass on the opportunities and work that comes your way. This is all about setting intentions and then living out that intention to create a specific vision that you’ve created. So basically your word of the year drives your decision making.

One thing I have done to make sure I remember my word and stay laser focused on it is to keep it where I can see it. I have gotten my word turned into artwork. I’ve created pretty images in Canva and printed them out and posted them in my office. This helps me keep my word front and center. 

Another practice that helps me stick to my word of the year is sharing it with women in my community that I consider to be my accountability partners. So if you would like me to be yours, please feel free to join us inside the private Facebook community. You can share your word of the year with us and let us know how you plan on living that out this year. I would love to hear the ways you’re already doing this because you’re used to picking a word every year. Or if you’re new to this and looking for ideas, we can help you with that too!

Now if you’re wondering how to go about selecting your word of the year, check out this blog post. I share the step by step process I have used over the past years. By the way, this is my fourth year doing this. But this year’s word is the same as last year’s word which is Simplicity. 

This was my choice for 2021 because I needed to get some things in order in my business. I really needed to get some clarity and just make things a little less complex in my business and in my personal life. And let me tell you, I have experienced some amazing results over the last year!

While I still have a very structured life, I am more comfortable doing things that aren’t planned out in detail; I actually prefer that! But since I simplified my schedule, I’ve gotten better results on my weight loss journey. Now I actually enjoy working out way more than I did last year. It’s a daily necessity for me now. If you want to hear more about my journey, feel free to check out this blog post where I share three lessons I’ve learned on my weight loss journey.

I also decided to simplify my approach to using social media. I actually took a hiatus for four months. The time that opened up in my schedule has resulted in some amazing things that I couldn’t see before. Click here to see five lessons I learned during my social media break. The break was just what I needed to get clarity in my business so that it could continue to grow. And I’m really excited about the things I’m working on and the opportunities that are out there! And it’s all because of simplicity and me creating the lifestyle that I want.

I want to encourage you to find your word of the year. Then you need to visualize it and take action on your word. Keep it front and center so you can live intentionally this year and achieve success on your own terms. 

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This post is a mix  of the top productivity tips from the articles and podcast episodes published in 2021. These tips will give you a headstart on the new year. So enjoy these snippets and feel free to check out the full blog post if you want all of the tips that were originally shared.

Ditch the Hustle Mentality

We need to break the cycle of the hustle mentality because it keeps you busy, but it doesn’t get you the results that you want. So enjoy this snippet and avoid adopting this unproductive mentality next year. Check out the entire article in the post How to Stop Wearing Busy as a Badge of Honor and Be More Productive.

It seems to me that people feel like busyness is a badge of honor, that means that you’re important and successful. But you don’t have to be busy to be important. And successful people aren’t always busy. So really, it’s a mindset shift that we need to make. We need to talk about being more productive and getting things done. So my goal is to influence as many women as possible to get them out of that hustle heart mentality and help them adapt to a more balanced way of living.

Here is simple three step process to help you with that.

Step one, put boundaries around your schedule so that you can identify the time that you really have in your schedule for things outside of those non negotiables. 

Step two, make time for the more important things. Be intentional about how you use the remaining time in your schedule. Be sure to select goals that are based on the season that your life is in and create a detailed action plan that you can implement in small steps every day to make progress. 

Step three, create routines in your life so that you can handle all the things that life throws your way. These routines will help you preserve energy, reduce your stress levels, because it promotes feelings of order indirection which they are things that we can control, which is contrary to life in general. So create some routines in your life like right now. 

In a nutshell, if you’re truly happy with being so busy all the time, then forget everything I said in this episode. But you have to be honest with yourself about the lifestyle that you want. Either way, be conscious about how much you take on at one time. Don’t adopt that hustle mentality. But be intentional about how you spend your time and work smarter, so that you build a thriving business, and you have time to spend however you want so that you enjoy your life. 

Do Less Manually to Get More Done

You know, I had to include some tips about business systems, right? There are some very specific systems that you need in your growth strategy next year. So here’s quick productivity snippet to help you with that. Check out the entire article in the post 3 Systems You Need in Your Sustainable Growth Strategy.

So the first one sounds like a no brainer, but it’s one of the ones that’s commonly overlooked. That’s the money management system. Now, I know that you know, you need to keep an eye on your money. And why you may think be thinking, well, that’s just common sense. Guess what, most business owners do not know their numbers. And because of that, many small businesses do not survive.

And now let’s talk about system number two, a backup system. Now you may be scratching your head about this one, but in a nutshell, a backup system is a plan B to keep your business running as a solopreneur. You need this to be in place so that your business can survive and thrive. arrive without you, the best time to prepare for an emergency is to have a plan in place before the emergency arises.

Declutter and Organize Your Digital Files

There is no time like the present for you to get this done. Remember to create a file structure that makes sense to you. Check out the entire article in the post The Productive Home Business Series, Part 1 – How to Organize Your Documents.

If your folders don’t make sense, or you can’t find your files, you won’t stick with your system. But this doesn’t have to be hard. Make one folder for any files that you can’t figure out where to put them. This is a place for everything that doesn’t really fit into your main folders. But once you start getting your files in place, you’ll see if you need to add some additional folders for other categories that emerge. And then you can eventually store those files somewhere.

Remember to work in small increments. You can’t organize years of papers or files and chaos in one night. So you need to take baby steps. You know, I’m a huge fan of working in small increments like 10,15, 20 or 30 minutes, that allows you to gain momentum, see the progress you’re making. So it encourages you to keep going and you don’t get overwhelmed with the process.

So when you schedule time to sort your files, notice I said scheduled time, so be sure to just put it on your schedule and set your timer when you start sorting. But when the timer goes off, stop and move on to the next test that you have for that day. But do this consistently until all of your files are cleaned up. And as you start to save new files, put them where they belong right away. That way you aren’t creating new piles that you will have to clean up later.

I hope these snippets have you excited about the idea of being more productive as we go into the new year. There are even more tips in the actual episodes so be sure to check those out.

This has been a truly amazing year and I really appreciate your support each and every week. So I would love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. Feel free to DM me on Instagram @the_shannonbaker. I look forward to sharing more productivity tips and strategies with you. If there is a specific topic you would like to hear on the show, please let me know that too! I want to make sure I continue to provide the resources that help you succeed. 

Links to the Full Episodes Mentioned 

Episode 54 – How to Stop Wearing Busy as a Badge of Honor and Be More Productive

Episode 72 – 3 Systems You Need in Your Sustainable Growth Strategy

Episode 58 – The Productive Home Business Series, Part 1 – How to Organize Your Documents

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I decided to take a break from social media in September. I’m still active but not be obligated to a schedule. I didn’t determine how long the break would be in advance.  Find out more about it in this blog post.

I’m currently four months in and let me tell you, I am loving it!  So I’m going to share what I’ve learned during my social media sabbatical. Warning, everything I learned isn’t positive but the positive things I’ve learned are worth it.

Benefit #1 of A Social Media Break

The biggest benefit I’ve experienced over the past four months is being able to really focus. I’ve been able to focus on enjoying life with my family. To focus on creating a healthier lifestyle. To focus on what I really want my business. I’ve also been able to focus on what I want for the podcast. 

The funny thing is, I thought I was focused before I started this social media break. But now I can see I’m not as focused as I thought I was. It’s amazing how much of our brain capacity is filled by social media content which slows it down. That means we lose the capacity to operate and think through things. Now that is my personal opinion. But I’ve heard the same things from enough people to say I take ownership of what I said.  

But now my brain is fully functioning and I can focus on what I need to focus on. And I’ve been able to enjoy life and my business without feeling pressure to post every moment online! We enjoyed our vacation at the beach. I took tons of photos but didn’t post that many. Personally I don’t post when we’re out of town for security reasons. But even when we returned home, I only used my morning coffee shots. 

I was also able to enjoy six days of Bible based training over Zoom with my husband. It’s a special training we enjoy every five years because we’re full-time preachers. So not having to worry about posting and having to respond to comments during that week was a necessity. 

We also celebrated our anniversary last week and I didn’t even feel any pressure to post in Instagram stories. I just took in every moment and we enjoyed the time together. Great food and time to sit with our feet up and just reflect and laugh with each other. I loved it! 

And I started my weight loss journey some time ago but I struggled for a while. I’ve been able to make the most progress over the past four months because I have been using my time wisely! I feel great, I’ve lost 8 lbs and I’m looking forward to seeing that number continue to go down. Increasing my physical activity has really helped boost how I feel physically and mentally. And I need both of those to invest in myself emotionally and spiritually. To hear more about my weight loss journey, check out this blog post.

And let me tell you, having room in my brain to be more focused has truly helped me work out some things in my business that you will see in 2022 that I couldn’t get worked out mentally. Not to mention, I’m working on some amazing things for one of my clients for next year as well. My brain is firing on all pistons and generating some amazing ideas and I love it! So make sure you follow me on Instagram for sneak peaks behind the scenes in stories, especially if you plan to launch a podcast! 

Benefit #2 of A Social Media Break

Let me start this one off by telling you I am a huge fan of a morning and an evening routine. I talk about both in this blog post. I share some self-care hacks you may want to know. Both routines are critical to me showing up as my best self every day. But I noticed that over time, I was spending more time on my phone too close to bedtime. So it got harder and harder for me to go to sleep at night and I had to start taking melatonin again.

The blue light from our phones, tablets and computer stimulates our brains and makes it difficult for us to relax when it’s time to go to sleep. For a while I was putting my phone down by 9:30 but that time moved closer to 10:00, then 10:30. We try to go to bed by 11:00 so this was a problem! But I’m proud to say that I’ve got this under control now and I’m falling asleep with no  help and with no problem. 

Benefit #3 of A Social Media Break

My family has strong faith and our life is built around that. But there is always room for improvement but that requires study and meditation. The best time for me to do this is in the morning. While I spend time reading a Bible passage every morning with my coffee, I knew I could do more if I spent less time on social media in the morning. Now I am happy to say that not only am I reading more of my Bible, but I spend time doing research and focusing on the parts of my personality that I need to change to be a better Christian. This brings me so much satisfaction and helps me be more patient and forgiving as well. 

Benefit #4 of A Social Media Break

Social media can make you think that the people and things you have in your life aren’t enough. It can even make you feel like the actions you’re taking and the things you’re doing every day aren’t enough. The truth is, I get to decide what people are in my life and what I will and will not do in my life and in my business. I get to do business my way and live my life with intent and I don’t need anyone else’s permission to do that. Neither do you!

Social media can steal that level of confidence from you and make you feel like you don’t have enough and you aren’t doing enough. But you are MORE THAN ENOUGH! Cutting back the time I spend looking at what everyone else is doing on social media has helped me see how full my life is every day. And I’m thankful for all that I have!

Benefit #5 of A Social Media Break

I’ve enjoyed having more time to reconnect with friends and family through Zoom, on the phone, via text or in person. I really have missed updates from friends and family. Social media is a great tool to help us stay in touch with our loved ones. But it’s not the only way to stay in touch! While I can see what my friends and family are doing wherever they live, and I do love feeling connected to them, there are other ways to keep in touch. And traditional ways of keeping in touch are more intimate than just watching their stories and seeing their posts. 

So these are the five amazing benefits I’ve experienced while taking a break from social media. But there are trade-offs to everything. Have I generated a ton of leads or booked any new clients? No, I haven’t. But I’m ok with that! Here’s the thing, my business is designed to support my lifestyle and I don’t have the capacity to take on any clients right now. The biggest reason is because as I mentioned earlier, I am working through the details for some amazing new services and digital products for women who want to launch a podcast and even for women who already have a podcast but feel overwhelmed by all the things it requires. 

I’m putting the finishing touches on the first one now which is designed to accompany the presentation for my first virtual summit of 2022 in February! I’ve gotten great feedback on it and I can’t wait to share it with everyone because it is a much needed system that is going to save podcasters a ton of time. So truth is, taking a break from social media doesn’t mean my business isn’t growing…it’s just growing slower. And I’m ok with that too! 

So I can’t say enough of the benefits of taking a break from social media but that is all I’m going to share today. Now you may be wondering when will I be fully back on social media? Honestly, I don’t know the exact date. But it will be some time next month so that I can properly promote the summit in February. 

When I come back, I will show up on my terms and I’m going to have to come back with really hard and fast boundaries. So that’s my update. The past four months into this social media break has been very good for me. 

And if you feel you need to do this for a little bit of time, do it. The choice is yours and you deserve time unplugged!

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It’s hard to create an aligned business when you aren’t working on the things you want. This tends to happen we we don’t have clarity. Clarity, on this entrepreneurial journey we hear this word a lot. In my opinion, my friend Robyn Graham has the best definition of clarity. It’s one of her 5 C’s of branding. Click here to find out more.

When clarity is missing or incomplete, you end up frustrated. 

No matter what you try or how hard you try, things may not be working out. When that happens you may ask yourself multiple times why you’re still trying. Or you may say something’s gotta give. So before you throw in the towel, you need to have a black coffee conversation with yourself and be honest about a few things. This needs to be done so that you can operate your business in a way that is aligned with what you really want in life. That means your life and your business are arranged to support each other.

There is a four step method you can follow to help you identify your desired lifestyle, your identity, your feelings, and your expression. It’s Christina Giordano’s L.I.F.E method which is a thoughtful approach to going after what you want in life intentionally. Having this clarity also matters in your marketing. Christina and I talked about her signature method and how to create more alignment so that you can set yourself up for success starting now and into 2022. Read our chat below.

Shannon Baker  

Thank you for joining us for this week’s conversation with Christina Giordano. And I’m excited because what we’re going to talk about today is a topic that’s close to my heart, the core of my business. And you know, if you been listening to the podcast for a while, or you follow me online, you know, I’m all about creating a business that supports your lifestyle. And that’s what we’re going to talk about specific ways that you can make sure your business is aligned, as Christina and I chat today. So before we dive in, Christina, tell us a little bit about your background and your journey and what it is that you do.

Christina Giordano  00:47

Of course, thank you so much for having me, I’m so happy to be here. Well, my business, Christina Giordano Consulting, launched in 2013. And it pretty much launched as like a digital marketing agency for those looking to get the word out about your business. So I’ve been in business for over eight years now. And over the years, I’ve worked with agencies, private clients, larger organizations, you know, helping them utilize the modern tools of entrepreneurship available to them. So it was very much marketing consulting, as it is kind of a status quo.  I hosted entire workshops, training seminars, large scale events. So I really touched a lot of areas of the industry. And I was busy, like crazy busy. And it’s important to me to also mention that during this time, I was also becoming, I guess you could say more aware and more involved in wellness, particularly more conscious in spiritual practices. I actually started meditating the year that I launched my business in 2013. And, and having practices like that really paved the way for a major pivot to occur in my business. And it wasn’t until 2018, after I had my first child, my son Callen, when I became a mom, that I started to get super burnt out. And as I said earlier, I was pretty much just a one woman show with a never ending array of offerings and solutions for people. Whether or not those clients and offerings were truly aligned with me, I knew what I liked, and what I didn’t like. And I knew where my strengths and weaknesses were.  

And I had this underlying desire to pivot into elearning. But it wasn’t really, it was really just an idea at that point. So it hadn’t come to fruition. And then, of course, in 2020, as we know, things got a little crazy. And a lot of those clients, those larger clients, especially they lost them rather quickly, because they just couldn’t, they didn’t have the resources. And so I went a different way. Instead of panicking and freaking out, I upleveled my spiritual practice more than ever before and my business completely changed. And I made the pivot into elearning. And what I focus on now is sole lead intentional marketing consultant. So I basically help entrepreneurs realign with how they show up based on their unique what I like to call soul power. It’s kind of like what lights you up. And my goal is to help them essentially become happier, freer and more aligned, that they can actually, you know, live the life and have the business of their dreams.

Shannon Baker  03:24

And I love that like when I see that all over your profile on Instagram. and was like, Yes, I need to have Christina on. The you were also on Allison Scholes’ podcast, when I listened to that episode, I was like, Oh, we are definitely excuse the pun, in alignment with each other because my approach to helping business owners create systems is wholistic and not h o l i s t i c like most people would think. But whole, being the whole person, your entire lifestyle because our business needs to be created and built out in the platform that supports the lifestyle that we desire. And that’s where that whole lifestyle or you know, alignment, where that comes into play. So now once you made this pivot, tell us how can someone who’s kind of feeling uneven, burned out with all the things like what can they do to get more clarity to help them kind of pare things down to where their business supports what they really want? What’s most important to them?

Christina Giordano  04:39

Sure, yeah, so I think that if they are, if they’re on this journey of alignment, I think the first thing they need to do is be radically honest about where they are in that journey. So it really didn’t take until I completely was 100% aware that I was completely burned out as a mom and as a business owner to really be able to accept the fact that I had to do something about it. So when you’re going, you’re when you’re going on this journey towards alignment towards getting more in tune with yourself, towards having a business that truly represents who you are as a person, you have to have a moment where you’re like, I’m done. Like, I gotta…something’s got to change. And it’s really that moment where you get clarity, as funny as that sounds.  You get clarity on what to do next. And so when you’re going through kind of that, that rough phase of like, Oh, my God, like, what’s, what am I doing? Like, why am I, what am I holding? What am I resisting? That’s usually a lot of resistance that comes up at that point. Once you get to that point, and you kind of leap over it, you can then go into identifying and discovering what it is that you truly want, why you want to start something new, why you want to take a different path. So first, I would say the first step is to definitely have that really honest conversation with yourself.

Shannon Baker  06:03

Oh, that’s definitely, that’s a big one. Because we know it starts with our mindset. So once she says we recognize that we need to change, we need to accept it, and then go, okay, it’s not going to be easy. But something has got to give. And that’s why I really love what you call the life method. Because it really encompasses the things that we need to do. So tell us a little bit more about your signature method.

Christina Giordano  06:37

Yeah, okay, this is my favorite part too. So within the life method, you identify your desired lifestyle, your identity, your feelings, and your expression. So it’s an acronym, L.I.F.E. And these are essentially the elements of your life that you can control. So when I regularly do the method from both a personal and professional standpoint, I come away with knowledge that informs my next steps, my next tasks, my daily schedule, things, I need to be aware of things I need to let go of things I need to focus on decisions I need to make. And these are all now coming from a place of empowerment and alignment, because I’m tapping into my desires. And at that, at that point, I’m not coming from a place of fear and lack and uncertainty, because when you make choices from a place of fear, and lack and uncertainty, I find that you’ll likely sustain the fear and lack and uncertainty. So that’s usually why this type of clarity with the life method is usually the first step before you do anything.

Shannon Baker  07:41

And that’s critical, because I know one of the steps in your method is identifying what your why is, and we’re talking about this a little bit before we started recording. But you know, for any deep work that really helps you put your business in a place where it supports what’s most important to you got to know what’s important to you. Because you know what’s important to me, Shannon is not what’s maybe most important to Christina, or you know, the person next door or your best friend, all of us have different values. Now our values may align. But our priorities are in different order. And we know in my own life, we can set all the priorities in the world that we want, but life happens and priorities shift out of our control whether we like it or not. But as long as we know, what’s most important. We can keep things kind of centered to where we can still be productive, even though things keep happening. And there was a quote on or a message one of your Instagram posts that I loved. I think he said when life gives you lemons…I’m going to leave it so you can finish that one?

Christina Giordano  08:54

Let’s see what was that one, it was a, it was one of my little mirror selfies. Ah, when life gives you lemons, make orange juice and leave the world wondering how you did it. I love that. It is one of my favorites. Because, you know we are given lemons in life. And we I mean we’re given what we’re given. And as much as we as much as we wish for you know, different circumstances or more things or different type of lifestyle or any of that stuff. We have to work with what we have. And usually what we have is based on the decisions that we’ve made for ourselves whether or not whether or not those decisions were truly what we wanted at the time.  And so really what you’re doing is if let’s say you have a for me, so my story. For instance, I had a business that was strictly it was it was mostly digital marketing that I provided. I implemented a lot of projects for my clients. And it was it just took a lot of energy for me. And I had these, these were basically the lemons right? I had my clients; they were they were giving me the business that I needed. I was profiting from them. And I was doing their work. But I didn’t love it. I didn’t love the work. So what I did was I took those lemons. And I was like, you know what, I’m good at marketing, I’m good at this whole consulting gig. I really enjoy, I enjoy teaching and training other people and empowering them most importantly. So how can I completely switch this around, so that I can make it work for me? And that’s kind of where the orange juice came. I know that this is the weirdest analogy you probably ever heard. But you know what I’m saying?

Shannon Baker  10:29

I do. But that’s what makes it memorable. Because I mean, we’re all familiar with when life gives you lemons make lemonade, but that’s stuck in my mind, because it turned the tables to something else, it’s like, make it into something else. And then people are gonna wonder how you did it. And then you get to explain your backstory, which helps with your marketing as they can understand where you’re coming from. So keeping that in mind, what are some tips that you can give, that relate to how this applies to marketing, because marketing is hard, especially if that’s not your specialty, or your wheelhouse? So a lot of, you know, my listeners, and I know, and I struggle with this sometimes, too. How can we do it?

Christina Giordano  11:22

Sure. So how can how can we do marketing, based on kind of a different type of clarity, I would say that the first thing would be to think about marketing differently. Marketing has been obviously handed down from a corporate standard, as you know. And it’s it’s the kind that I’ve witnessed is the is the one that’s very data driven and results based and not always done. ethically, I think you might understand what by that I essentially mean that it’s it, there’s a lot of it’s very salesy, it’s a little pushy, and it’s kind of it can make people uncomfortable. I’m sure we’ve all seen examples of what that kind of marketing looks like.  And so essentially, you want to what I say when I tell people that they should market themselves is don’t even think about the word marketing, think about showing up being seen and shining. And by that I basically am simplifying and modernizing the approach to marketing so that instead of feeling like you’re making a sale, what you’re really doing is making an invitation. And that’s really what marketing is, is showing up and being seen and shining. And when you shine your light, you you light up another. And with this type of mindset, it’s infused with more heart that way. So if you the first thing I would say is definitely to to think of marketing differently. Obviously, there’s nothing wrong with being data driven. And results based. In fact, data is incredibly valuable. And results are what we want. But there’s a human factor that we often forget to consider. And there’s a deep need, especially right now for connection and authenticity and reliability.

Shannon Baker  13:08

That’s good, because as you mentioned, Authenticity, just be yourself, which you know, can be hard, or we make it harder than it has to be because we can see some people don’t so much, especially on Instagram, which we know that’s like fast pace rails rails, real stories, stories, stories, post carousel, you know, the list goes on and on and on. And in our minds, we tell ourselves, oh, I need to do all of these things that may not necessarily align with who we are with our business with our values and kind of throws us off. So then we’re forcing it. And we don’t get the authenticity that’s needed, which then disconnects us from our customers, and we know it happens. But yeah, keeping that in mind, then how can we not only be more productive when it comes to how we approach our marketing based on your life method? But how can that also help us with the way that we do things in our business?

Christina Giordano  14:15

Sure, so I would say, and we talked about this before the show started but one important mistake that I don’t want your listeners to make is what I did when I first started my business back when I did all the things. So for me, the best type of productivity is aligned productivity. And as moms we kind of learned that which is which is really funny. We learn how to do the things like the most efficiently, nobody can do things the way that we do. But when it comes to your business, I’m talking about the kind of productivity that isn’t keeping you busy, just to be busy. And like you said earlier, Instagram you see all these people with all you know posting every day and stories all the time, never ending 24 hour, whatever the rules are. Yeah, whatever the rule is on stories, they’re just always posting, they got reels coming out, they spend so much time on all this stuff. But that’s a lot. That’s a lot to keep up with. 

And if, if Instagram isn’t one of your top converting sources, it’s not worth putting that much effort into it. So it’s the kind of productivity you want to focus on that feels good that inspires you, that doesn’t burn you out, be good enough burnout as moms, we don’t need it to infiltrate our businesses. So basically, I think that if if you are, if you’re looking to be more productive in business, look for the kind of productivity that feels aligned, that feels like it can that it that feels inspired. And usually, you know, people talk about inspired action all the time. But it really does make a difference, when you’re just doing things just to do things just to check a box off your list, it’s harder to do it. And it doesn’t always turn out as great. But when you’re doing something that actually feels good, and feels, inspires and feels like, you know, you got full body chills, and you’re just like shining, and you’ve got this light about you. That is different. And it comes across as different. And we have to remember that our vibe is a language to wit speaks a very, it’s a big language that speaks louder than words. So having that energetic relationship with your productivity can really benefit you as a business owner.

Shannon Baker  16:28

Yes, and I love that you mentioned vibe because we’ve all heard the saying, your tribe is your vibe. So if what we’re portraying online, you know, via social media isn’t really who we are. That’s what we’re going to start attracting. So if we’re not the dancing, or I’ll just be transparent about reels. Anyone who knows me knows that I hate rails, but I hate…I’m not a big fan. I guess hate is a strong word, but I’m not a big fan of the dancing puppet videos.

Christina Giordano  17:02

Can’t handle it. You’ll never see me do that.

Shannon Baker  17:04

Okay, thank you. If that’s not you, don’t do it. And you can tell when that’s really not who someone is because they look so uncomfortable. Believe me, you’re not gonna see me dancing in a video, in a reels video either. I’m just, I’m not doing it. But if that’s what it takes to use Instagram more effectively then too bad. So sad, and I’m just not gonna be successful then. But yeah, that’s also knowing what works for you. So you can shine. I know, it’s not me. It’s not you. It’s not a lot of people, and it works for some people. But it doesn’t work for my people. They are exactly the same way. So this really has been great conversation. So do you have any other hidden nuggets that you’d like to share with us to help us to tap into our soul power as we, you know, try to clean up our business and get things in order to be more aligned?

Christina Giordano  18:10

I would say to download the life method. Honestly, the feedback that I’ve gotten from it so far is that it is so foundational to your success as a business owner, but honestly, you could use it in any area of your life. If you’re feeling like you need clarity as a mom, go for it, use it for your personal life. I use it both personally and professionally. It is my most foundational offering, and it’s entirely free. So it’s a mini course with six video lessons, a workbook and a bonus lesson for my signature program, which is the sole power business program. And it’s honestly the feedback that I’ve gotten is that it’s revolutionary, it’s, it can honestly just propel you in a direction that you just never thought you’d go because you’re finally tuning into your desires. And it’s something that you can regularly turn back to so being the end of the year where we are right now. This is the perfect time for you to do this type of work. Like set yourself up for success and 2022. Like just get it, get the ball rolling. But first start with clarity.

Shannon Baker  19:17

Yes, and I love that you mentioned you can use it for personal and business because one thing I always emphasize, our life affects our business and our business affects our life. If you try to separate the two, you are going to fail because there is no degree of separation. Let’s be honest. For most of us, we’re working from home so there really is no degree of separation except for you may have an office where you can close the door but someone can open it from the other side. So everything we do really needs to. I know we’ve said a line like 5 million times, but it needs to work with each other, they need to complement each other because one drives the other. And if both of them are driving us crazy, what does that leave us with burnout?

Christina Giordano  20:09

Exactly.

Shannon Baker  20:12

So I have a bonus question for you being that you are about to be a mom, I can do little ones. Yes. So when this episode airs, I’m going to say, your baby new bundle will be hopefully a few weeks old by the, not at the time that we’re recording. But when it airs.. So what systems do you have in either your life or in your business that really help you maintain your sanity now that you’ll continue to use when you’ve got that newborn as well? And you have a little puppy, right? 

Christina Giordano  20:48

Yes, I have a toddler, a puppy and a newborn. So yes, I would say that the system that I use and that I will continue to use is essentially based off the life method. So I learned in life method that I need to prioritize myself. But one thing that I would say, would probably be the most beneficial from a standpoint of productivity, is to embrace that everything that I feel that I need in any moment is productive. So rest is productive, stillness is productive. And creating a system that’s based off of prioritizing my needs. And notice, I didn’t say prioritize yourself, because that’s such an easy thing to say, and think about and write off. But if you’re prioritizing your needs, that’s a system to really live by, that’s when you know that you’re really in alignment with yourself that you’re really embracing who you are as a person, what you need as a person. It helps you delegate better, it helps you make decisions more wisely, it helps you act more efficiently. So when you’re prioritizing your needs in that way, and making that kind of your system like that’s your system is when you’re just doing you what buy based on what you need at that time. that I think will really, it has set me up for success in the past, and I think it will continue to do so.

Shannon Baker  22:19

And I totally agree because I’m a big proponent of me time, whether that’s five minutes, or 15 minutes or more, especially because we’re so busy taking care of everyone else that we forget, we need to be taken care of, too. And sometimes there’s simple things that we can do. Pause and just breathe and look out the window. It does amazing things. Step outside, breathe in some fresh air.

Christina Giordano  22:53

Mm hmm. Yep. Yep, create rituals and routines that really just, they let you up, they keep you. They keep you. They don’t shift you in any way. And they just keep you grounded and stable and, and conscious of who you are and what you’ve got.

Shannon Baker  23:11

Yes. So we are part of the movement of, we’re gonna say “me time”, not self care. You need me time. Yes, because, I mean, I’ve done several episodes on the importance of having a morning routine, a nighttime routine, and daily routine, because those are the things that help us fill up our cup, so that we can continue to pour into everyone else. So that is great. And if you can see this beautiful smile on her face right now they’re talking about this, that lets you know that this is what we practice on a regular basis. And if you don’t believe this, try it for yourself and try to prove us wrong. It’s not going to work. Christina, thank you so much for joining us today is truly been a pleasure talking with you and getting these practical lifestyle tips from you to help us not only in our business, but in our personal life as well.

Christina Giordano  24:05

Thank you so much. And honestly, I’m so honored that I could be here today. And I really, really hope that your audience just gets aligned, get their business aligned and get ready for 2022.

Shannon Baker  24:16

Yes, now before I let you go, where can they find you online so they can get more of these nuggets that you share on a regular basis?

Christina Giordano  24:24

Sure. So you mentioned my Instagram channel, which is @thechristinagio and my name is spelled with a ch. So that’s the Christina Gio is my handle for that and it’s actually my handle for most of my socials. So if anybody wants to check me out on Twitter or Facebook or LinkedIn, I’m there. And then I have my website, which is ChristinaGiordano.com, and that’s actually where you can find the free mini course for the life method. It’s under the get guidance page so you can check that out as well. And then I have a free Facebook group that’s geared towards my soul powered entrepreneur. So, if you consider yourself a soul powered entrepreneur, if you even want to know what that means, head over to the group and join.

To hear my chat with Christina which is episode 93, feel free to tune in on your favorite platform.

Connect with Christina Online

On Instagram @thechristinagio  

Check out Christina’s Facebook Group

Check out Christina’s free L.I.F.E Mini Course

Connect With Me Online

Follow Me On Instagram: @the_shannonbaker

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