Are you a naturally organized person? Did you get that special organizing gene at birth? I used to think that I did, but as my life has become increasingly busy, I am finding that I am not nearly as organized as I once thought I was. I am working on it.
Keeping all the aspects of a coaching, training, or speaking business organized and running smoothly is difficult at best, especially if you don’t have your systems and procedures in place. Most people who have a goal of where they want their business to be in 5 years. The problem is, the majority of these people fail to come up with a plan to help them reach that vision. Let’s be real here, if you want to reach those goals then you need to come up with a plan to get there. Each day you need to have a plan on how you are going to get all those pesky administrative, technical and marketing tasks into your already overflowing schedule. Everything on your to-do list can be so overwhelming, yet, without all these pieces, your business will not succeed. Sounds kind of harsh, right? It’s the truth.
Daily Task List
Creating a plan of action or a daily task list will keep you organized and focused from the moment you sit down to do work. You know exactly what has to get done, without question. You’ll know when you need to write blog posts when to send emails, when to do your billing, and when to schedule your client calls. Make sure to use a project management system like TeamWorkPM to keep track of all your to do’s. Using a calendar like Google Calendar is also very helpful.
Treat Yourself Like You Would a Client
As much as you would love to fill up your calendar with coaching calls, leave some space for yourself to complete your administrative tasks. Running your business is equally as important as caring for your clients, so make your business tasks a priority, including your content creation.
Blocking time is a popular way to schedule longer tasks, such as blog post writing or email marketing. Set aside an hour or two, write up those posts or emails, get them scheduled or send them to your Virtual Assistant to get them scheduled, then move on to the next list item. If you block enough time, eventually you’ll start having two or three (or more!) pieces of content ready to publish at any given time, which will relieve some stress. Imagine having your blog posts and newsletters scheduled to go out months in advance.
Eliminate Writer’s Block with a Content Creation Plan
No more sitting at the computer to write a blog post only to stare at a blank screen with no thoughts. Schedule some time on your calendar to plan out your writing, video recording, or other content creation. You will want to schedule when you are planning on writing and what topics you will discuss. Create an editorial calendar and make note of important topics or themes.
Is there a big event coming up in your city or in your niche? Write about it. Interview panelists and speakers. Become an affiliate for those companies sponsoring the event. Are you planning the launch of your signature product? Schedule special content around the launch date.
Outsource Your Content Creation
If creating content isn’t a strength of yours, hire a writer to do it for you or purchase Private Label Rights (PLR). Even if you decide to hire help with your content creation, you still need to have a plan and an editorial calendar in place. Having these 2 items in place will ensure that you have a stress-free outsourcing experience.
