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
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!
