7 ways to make your business run like clockwork
You want to get organised. You know it will save you time in the long run. You need better systems in place. You’re drowning in admin and emails. You know you should be automating processes. You waste so much energy hunting for things. But, how do you organise a business? Where do you start? And is it just another thing to add to that ever-increasing to-do list!?
Firstly, you’re not alone. We know that feeling…. You win a project, bank a new client or launch a new course and suddenly you go from being in control to scrambling around with not enough hours in the day or the energy to work effectively. What used to be an efficient way of working is now time consuming and out of date. But what do you need to change and how do you go about it?
Why do we need an organised business?
Well with all the hats small business owners wear it’s extremely hard to get the balance right! Not only are we the CEO, finance officer, marketing manager, customer support team and product developer; we also have to tackle the inbox, file the expenses, learn new tech, update our websites and, often, juggle family life too. If your business isn’t organised your list of jobs will soon be out of control, deadlines will be missed, appointments forgotten and emails lost in the depths of your inbox. You’ll spend your days frustrated, fighting fires and falling out of love with your business.
Take a step back…..
Audit Your Systems
Start a brand new doc and make a list of what you currently have in place when it comes to systems and organisation. Do you use notepads, planners or a paper diary? Where do you keep your to-do lists? What tech tools do you use? Look at where you keep your files and if you have your workflows documented.
Make task lists and categorise
Don’t get overwhelmed by this action – breakdown your to-do list into categories. Look at what you’re committed to doing for your clients?. What actions do you have for your product development? What needs to be done within your marketing? Is there some onboarding to be done?
Build a wishlist of tasks you would like to get done!
If time or money was no object what would you love to get done in your business? Does your website need reviewing? Is there a business book you would love to read? A membership you would like to belong to? Would you like to update your LinkedIn profile, shake up your onboarding process, revisit your contracts? Write down EVERYTHING. This list will be long, but that’s ok!
Take a look at your big goals
Do you have a place where you list your big goals for the year? Make sure you have them written down in a place you can refer back to quickly. Better still, print them off, pin them above your desk so you can look at them everyday! (You can even make a vision board – Sarah loves a vision board!) We love ClickUp for goal setting as we can assign a due date and subtasks, so we can see a clear path of how to get there.
Revisit your task list
Now that you have reviewed your goals for the next 12 months, go back and revisit your task list. Check that there is nothing on it which doesn’t align with your goals. Don’t spend time on tasks which aren’t going to get you closer to your business goals. Either remove these tasks or consider outsourcing them.
Have a decluttering extravaganza!
This is a big job, and you might want to set aside an hour a week for a few weeks to really focus on getting your business environment in an orderly fashion.
👉 Check out your laptop – what’s saved on your desktop or downloads? Look at what can be removed .
👉 Review your files and folders – what’s old, what’s been abandoned, what’s not been named?!! If you can’t bear the thought of deleting, then either archive or gather all the unnecessary files and put them in one folder and label it.
👉 Next look at your phone. Put your apps and short-cuts into folders. Shut down all the apps and website links you have open. Look at all those Apps on your phone that you never use… delete, delete, delete! Work through your photos… How many can you remove?
Invest the time to learn how to use a project management tool
Use something like ClickUp (there’s a free plan, but even the paid plan is reasonably priced).Having an online business HQ where everything is stored under one roof takes away so much stress. Not only that, but it’s accessible either from your desktop or phone, which means you can immediately save things in the right place. Having a project management tool removes the stress of having to remember where everything is! You now have a special place where:
🎉 All your workflows will be documented
🎉 Your vital business information is easily accessible.
🎉 You can keep track of leads
🎉 You’ll have task lists which are assigned and due dates
🎉 You can map out long term projects, campaigns or launches
🎉 You can collaborate with others and share your jobs when you’re ready to outsource.
🎉 You can save templates to duplicate so that repetitive tasks have their own checklists.
🎉 You can manage your clients easily
🎉 Your marketing will be organised
🎉 You can keep track of how you are working towards your business goals
However, remember your project management tool is only going to be a success in organising your business if you use it! You have to fully commit to making it part of your daily routine. Have your project management tool open whenever you are working. Refer to it at the beginning and end of each day and keep it up to date!
The wonder of an organised business!
Having a business organised will not only save you mountains of time, it will also create a calm within you. No more stress and anxiety about where to find something or how to perform those essential but less-frequent tasks. Everything is documented and reminders are set.
Imagine having all those mental to-do lists emptied out of your brain in the safe knowledge that not only are they in a place where you can find them easily, but you’ll get a notification when you have to action them!
We specialise in organisation! Running our own business whilst bringing up large, active families means we have to be on top of things. We know how it feels to be overwhelmed, defeated and stressed – but we also know how to get you from exhausted to energised, and excited about not only running your business but expanding it (if you want to!). Get in touch by dropping us an email at hello@systemstogrow.com or read more about our online digital course Systemise To Thrive. We support and guide you as you move your business from messy and stressy to streamlined and systemised.
We would love to help you get your business working like clockwork, give you the time and space to spend on the things you really love to do!
Nina & Sarah