As a creative business owner and mama, I know the importance of utilizing time management tips to make the most of the time you spend on your business. These tips make it possible to stay focused and avoid being overwhelmed—all while managing a family. I’m so excited to share my top ten tips with you today! Keep reading to discover how to optimize your productivity and thrive in and out of the office.
Time Management Tips for Creative Business Owners
Designate Specific “Work” Hours
Rather than working wherever and whenever you feel like it, try designating specific “work” hours that fit your unique lifestyle needs. While it is so freeing to work whenever we want as business owners, sometimes this can lead to disorganization and inconsistent productivity—leading to stress! Instead, it’s better to set a consistent schedule our nervous systems can depend on and designate a fixed workspace. Your hours could look like a typical 9-5 schedule or unconventional, especially if you have young kids. It’s all about what works for you!
Make a List of Priorities
At the beginning of each day or the end of the previous one, make an ordered list of priorities for your next work session. Doing this will help you break the habit of switching tasks as you please—without ever finishing any of them (been there!). List your top priorities first, then list the items that could wait if you don’t complete them that day. We all tend to keep a mental task list, especially as moms! Getting it all out on paper will help you ensure you’ve ticked every box.
Task-Batching
We wear many hats as business owners, from creatives to social media managers to administrative assistants. Often, the sheer amount of diverse tasks on our plate can be overwhelming! Instead of trying to tackle everything at once, try task-batching. Set a time for doing a specific task all at once, such as Instagram content batching. This way, you can prepare an entire week or even a month’s worth of content all in one go instead of worrying about creating a new reel at the start of every workday.
In addition, consider outsourcing the tasks you don’t enjoy. I guarantee multiple professionals would LOVE to take on your social media marketing, so you never have to worry about it again. Our businesses are like our babies, so this isn’t always easy. However, it is one of the top time management tips for business owners who desire more time to pursue their creative passion!
Work at Strategic Times
This tip goes hand in hand with creating specific work hours. While we all aspire to be the “boss babe” who rolls out of bed at 5 a.m. and is in the office by 7, this isn’t a realistic goal for everyone. Consider your biology and lifestyle to determine when you’ll be most productive. For example, if you’re an early bird, try to schedule your most difficult tasks in the morning and at the beginning of the week. By contrast, if you’re a night owl, consider starting later and shifting your most taxing responsibilities to the afternoon/evening. There’s no shame in beginning your work day at 11 a.m. if it’s what works best for you!
Avoid Distractions
Everyone who works from home knows that distractions are the number one enemy of productivity. Whether it’s the relentless buzzing of your phone, your kids, your pets, or the siren call of the snack shelf, endless distractions pull us away from our work. Obviously, some distractions are unavoidable! However, putting your phone away and seeking a quiet work environment are two ways to maximize productivity as much as possible. Or if quiet isn’t your thing, try playing music or white noise while you work. Again, it’s all about what works for you!
Create Systems
Instead of tackling every task manually, create systems shortcuts for your most common tasks, such as client onboarding and payment processing. These can include templates, automated actions, and file backups. Investing in specific software designed for creative business owners, such as Dubsado, can also be helpful. You’ll be amazed by how much time frees up for pursuing your creative passion when you automate your business’ day-to-day office tasks!
Use the Right Tools
You’re only one human, and there’s a limit to how much you can accomplish in one day. With that said, there’s no shame in turning to AI tools like ChatGPT to run your business. I also recommend Trello as a tool for project management, especially if you’re also managing a team. These tools and others will make your life much easier, so you can spend less time mucking through mundane tasks and more time focused on creativity and your family.
Set Realistic Goals
Sometimes, we overestimate what we can realistically accomplish in one day. Doing this leads to ending the work day stressed out and disappointed when we realize we’ve only accomplished half of our to-do list! Instead of going in blind every time, start tracking the time it takes you to complete your most common tasks. That way, you can plan future work days with realistic expectations of checking off the most urgent items on your list.
Organize, Organize, Organize
As creative business owners, staying organized isn’t always our forte! However, having all your ducks in a row is imperative to running a business without becoming overwhelmed. Start with a calendar to organize all of your deadlines and commitments. I also recommend creating a running list of projects in progress. From there, you can move on to using more advanced tools, especially as your team grows. I like to use Marco Polo for video chatting and Asana for project management.
Learn to Say No
Not every project that comes our way as creatives is a passion project, and that’s okay! However, learning to say “no” to projects that don’t excite you or are low reward is crucial. It can be tempting to take any work that comes our way out of fear that more exciting work won’t come along, but this path leads straight to burnout. Instead, adopt an abundance mindset by deciding that enough work exists for you and everyone else. Rather than clogging up your calendar with commitments that don’t light your creative fire, wait for those clients who are a perfect fit to come along—I promise they will!
From one creative business owner to another, I hope implementing these time management tips revolutionizes your productivity and overall satisfaction with your business. I know they did for me! Are you interested in taking your business to the next level through personalized, one-on-one coaching? I would be honored to come alongside you to provide mentoring specific to your brand. Apply today to work with me!
