Since you’re checking out this post, I’m guessing you’re ready to end the insanity by embracing the power of checklists. It’s one of the simplest types of processes you can create.
One of the biggest incomplete tasks you need to focus on in your business is your back office systems. No matter what stage you are in your business, and no matter what type of business you have – you need systems. Like habits, systems and automation in your business increase your productivity, give you peace of mind, and more importantly leads to growth.
A streamlined system reduces mistakes, produces consistent results, eliminates chaos and confusion, and are the foundation successful businesses are built on. Now if you’re new to the podcast, when I use the word system, I’m talking about three parts that work together to perform a specific task. That’s a documented process, the tools needed to automate steps and the people completing the steps.
Until you put the core systems in place your business needs, you will be re-inventing the wheel every time you need to complete a task, your back office will always be in chaos, sucking up your time… keeping you from growing your business.
So I’m going to get off my soapbox now and talk about life with systems in place. If you can’t tell I’m really passionate about this subject. But most importantly, I want you to have time to grow your business but still enjoy life with your family. So that leads right to benefit number 1…
Checklists Help You See Your Accomplishments
We use checklists for so many things in our daily lives wo why aren’t you using them for your business? They will relieve some of the pressure of what you need to do. You just follow the steps which means you’re more productive!
It feels good when you check that box or cross something off your list right?! And when something feels good we will likely keep doing it. That’s why checklists are so beneficial for getting things done.
I know you’re already using checklists to get things done like creating your shopping lists when you need to go to the store or place your order for delivery, you write checklists to pack for vacation, or you wrote down the steps required to make a simple update to your website on your own.
How do you feel when all the things are checked off? You feel amazing right?! So checklists help you gain momentum to get more things done because you like that feeling.
Checklists Save You Time and Energy
How many times have you planned your week and picked the tasks you’re going to focus on? So you get up on Monday morning ready to hit the ground running. You go through your morning routine and you sit down to start your day. You open up your laptop and you spend 15 minutes in your inbox which is good because it’s sorted. Then you start the next task and about 5-10 minutes in, you get stuck because you can’t remember what the next step is that saved you time when you did the same task last week. So a 15 minute task ends up taking you 30 minutes or more.
My point…instead of trying to remember what you have to do, write a checklist down on paper, in notes on your phone or in Google docs so you can use it over and over again. When you have this point of reference you can complete a task, not miss a step which can be costly and it saves you time. The bonus, you don’t waste brain power trying to figure out what you need to do. Not to mention that some repetitive tasks are just plain boring. So it’s easy to let critical steps fall through the cracks because you don’t want to do it.
Just eat the frog and you will feel great because you got it done which releases those happy hormones and you will be motivated to keep going!
Checklists Make It Easier For You to Grow
I said this earlier but I’m saying it again to make sure you remember this. Until you put the core systems in place in your back office, you will be wasting time re-inventing the wheel to complete routine tasks, your back office will always be in chaos, sucking up your time… keeping you from growing your business.
But when you have a documented process, even a checklist, you complete tasks faster which frees up time in your schedule to focus on things like building your network, engaging with your audience online, following up on leads as they come in…all the revenue generating tasks.
Not to mention you will clear up mental space which gives you clarity so you can focus on the tasks that move the needle forward towards your goals. The more clarity you get will allow you to focus on your vision for your business.
And sometimes that also means you need to delegate tasks. But if you try to do that without a documented process, you are going to be frustrated and disappointed. It’s hard enough for you to let someone else complete tasks for you, especially if it’s something you know how to do so. But there are times when you need to outsource you can focus on other tasks.
So when you take that step and can provide a checklist that outlines the steps to complete it the way you want it done, you can hand it over without feeling that sense of dread in the pit of your stomach because it gives a picture and provides direction. Now I’m not saying that feeling will totally go away because it won’t. But the process will go a lot smoother when you provide a baseline that someone can use to make your life easier.
So now that you see how you benefit by creating checklists, how can you do it? Let me start by saying you need to keep it simple. Keep in mind checklists are visual reminders of the things we need to do in logical order.
They improve your performance, eliminate mistakes and help you achieve more consistent results while saving you time. These tips will help you break this down into manageable steps you can complete in small increments like 30 min or less consistently instead of trying to chunk it down which gets to be overwhelming.
So here are three tips to help you create your processes as checklists.
1. Determine the purpose of the process
What is the end result you want to create with this process? That means you need to have your goals set ahead of time. Every process is like a bridge between what you are doing now and the objectives you are trying to reach.
For example, if you want to book more Discovery Calls with qualified leads then you need to make sure you use an online scheduler, create intake forms to gather information in advance, and have a follow-up process. If you would like some help with this process, check out this post where I share tips to help you create a customer care process. I share tips in both to help you create a customer care process that results in growth. In this blog post I share the three key pieces you have to have in that process to elevate your customer experience.
2. Determine the audience affected by your process
Think about the people involved in your process, internally and externally and create the steps accordingly. Make the steps easy to follow. Be sure to eliminate redundant steps. Can you use tools to reduce wait times? You can figure that out once your checklist is created.
3. Write the process out
Outline your process in 5 simple steps from start to finish. You can go back and fill in the gaps later but keep the steps simple. Next you should identify tools you can use to automate some of the steps, create templates for responses, and identify the person who will complete the steps.
Remember to make it easy for everyone involved.
Now this is the abbreviated version. But I go into more detail in this blog post. And now for the bonus, I have a template and swipe files that are going to make creating your checklists and getting your customer care process in place so much easier. Be sure to grab a copy.
So I want to thank you so much for joining me for this week’s episode!
Now I want to hear from you! What process are you going to create a checklist for first? I would love it if you’d share it with me. To do that you can screenshot this podcast episode, hop onto Instagram stories, post that screenshot and tag me @the_shannonbaker. Don’t forget to tell me which process you’re documenting first!
