Picture this…

It’s Monday. You’ve got a full client roster, a week full of meetings, and a plan to tackle it all in record time so you can finally have that Friday afternoon to brainstorm your newest offer. 

Monday goes off without a hitch, and so does Tuesday. But on Wednesday, you grab your favorite mug, pour yourself a cup of coffee, and plop down in front of your computer ready to make things happen, but instead — you throw your head back in frustration. 

You feel overwhelmed with what’s left on your plate. 

You’re behind because you had to pick up your kiddo early from school because he wasn’t feeling well. 

A client keeps emailing you and asking when they can have their deliverables (even though you sent them a due date weeks ago). 

You feel like if you have one more thing added to your to-do list, you may just lose it. 

Sound familiar? 

What if I told you don’t HAVE to feel this way every single week? Like you’re back at the office running the rat race to get it all done but just going nowhere fast because you’re overbooked and overwhelmed? 

Saving time in your business doesn’t mean you have to say no to every new opportunity that comes your way or cutting corners to create a sustainable schedule. 

These 5 solutions I have listed here are ways I help my clients continuously save time in their businesses. They’re practices I use every single day and I think they can help you out too. 

If you’re ready to stop hitting that midweek wall of frustration, read on!

Take advantage of the tools already out there

There are tons of different techy tools out there designed to help you solidify your workflow — and a lot of them are free to use. You can find something for literally everything in your business — from project management tools to social media content planning and scheduling, to sales funnels.

When you use these tools, you cut down on time spent trying to communicate with your team or get a project going. They’ll also save you from doing repeated menial tasks like sending out email responses to client inquiries or scheduling Zoom meetings.

Automate, automate, automate

And among these super helpful tools are plenty of programs and online services that create automation for you. They’ll allow you to automate tasks that need to be done every week, month, or even year! This can include emails, billing, client on-boarding and off-boarding, and more.

My favorite tools

As a VA, I’ve had my fair share of flops with technology. Not every system is right for everyone, but here’s a list of my tried and trues that I think can be helpful to you no matter what industry you find yourself in:

• Calendly: Schedule your meetings with ease! Just send over a link and the client chooses what time they would like to meet based on your availability. No more back and forth emails trying to find what works for both parties. 
• Asana: I wouldn’t be where I am today without it. It helps me keep everything organized — from client projects to my own biz. Keep track of leads, create project outlines and due dates, collaborate with team members and clients, and store important info and ideas. 
• Airtable: I use this for all of my social media content. It helps my team and I know what is posting when, what content to include, and I can even rope in outside collaborators and contractors to do their portion of the job. 

Plan out strategic days to (finally) get those big tasks done

Staying ahead of the curve when it comes to goal planning is no joke. Let’s be real — life gets in the way more than we’d like to think it does. That’s why I’m such a big fan of setting strategic days on my calendar to brainstorm what’s going on in my biz. 

I write out goals, my ideal deadlines, and everything I need to do to make it happen. Then, get it all organized in Asana and get to work! Doing this helps me free up time because I have a clear sense of where I’m going and a roadmap of how to get there. 

This is separate from client work and it’s something I schedule in my calendar regularly.

Your business deserves love and attention too! If you’re just focused on client work, it’s going to be tough to move things forward in your own business.

Set your sites on your biggest opportunities

If you’re focusing on the work that’s not only a major time suck, but mentally, creatively, and emotionally draining too, you’re wasting time. 

I’ve had my fair share of those “nightmare clients”, so I understand how that’s easier said than done. As business owners, it’s hard to part ways with an opportunity to make money (not because we’re greedy but because we have to, ya know, support our families and such). 

But staying in a partnership that drains you only ends up wasting your time and hindering the opportunity for you to provide good work for them (they are paying you to do it after all). It’s a lose-lose for everyone. 

If you have a client that’s taking up too much brain space, isn’t paying you enough, doesn’t respect your boundaries, etc…then figure out how you can peacefully and respectfully part ways. 

And in doing that, you open yourself up for opportunities that align with your vision and set that spark of passion beneath your feet. Everyone benefits when you enjoy showing up to work every day.

Group small tasks together

Sometimes knocking several small tasks out at once can help you feel more productive than spending hours staring at the screen as you work your way through a larger-scale project. And batching, my friend is the key to staying productive.

Now, batching doesn’t work for everyone. I know plenty of people who don’t like batching, don’t do it, and are still successful. What I really mean is that it’s the key to helping me stay productive, and I’m just here to share what’s worked for me.

Bottom line? If it doesn’t feel right for your business, then don’t do it. 

But if it does…here’s a list of things that you can task together to save you time (and brain power):

• Answering emails
• Sending invoices
• Budgeting 
• Social media content creation
• Content scheduling
• Strategy and planning
• Client calls and meetings

When you group tasks together, you won’t be wasting time trying to switch your brain back and forth between each task — meaning you’ll also find yourself less exhausted at the end of the work day. 

Hire help

Take the plunge and hire some dang help!! I know it can be hard to release control, but like my mom always says, “You can’t complain if you aren’t trying to fix it.” 

That need for being in control can hinder you from getting things done. 

You’ll also be wearing yourself thin by trying to do #AllTheThings and won’t have time or mental energy to strategize the most important elements of your business and work on things that can get you to that next level. 

Learn to let go of certain tasks that you know can be handed off to new hires or contractors, whether it’s a time-sucking task or something you don’t enjoy doing. 

For example, I have a client who is super laid back, loves to collaborate, and is very receptive to my input (a dream!). But actually letting go of control? Well, let’s say it took a while to break through that wall.

We finally had a heart-to-heart whenever she realized what she was doing wasn’t working. She was tired, stressed, and quite frankly fed up with doing project management, task organization, and delegating things out to her team. 

She had initially hired me to help manage her membership group and automate launch-specific tasks, but when she realized what she lacked was organization, she came to me and said, “Erin! None of this is what I want to do.” 

That first step is always the hardest. A bravo moment was necessary. 

And now? She feels a weight lifted off her shoulders because she’s doing more of what she loves and is spending less time trying to run a well-oiled machine (because that’s what a VA is for💁🏼‍♀️).

If this type of transformational process sounds like something you need, learn more below about how I can help you free up some time in that jam-packed schedule!!

Learn more here!